 Most of us are “winding down” from Sun ’n Fun, and it is time to really start moving on plans for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. From a numerical point of view, we did quite well in comparison to the last two years:
|
Year:
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
|
No. of Aircraft:
|
266
|
340
|
311
|
297
|
318
|
The attendance at our awards banquet was dramatically better than previous years, and even the food at Kermit’s was good this year as well. Having the banquet the day before, rather than after the fly-out to Leeward’s, seems to have worked out well. We encountered a lot of logistical problems during the fly-in (as we have had for many years), and the air show delays were a real problem. The board is actively considering different approaches to dealing with these issues for next year.
We thought that we had the Warbird executive director position problem solved, but Ed Lachendro was offered a full-time position with the airlines and has decided to take it. We are currently interviewing other applicants for the position. Any member interested in this position should send a résumé to Amy Schrader at EAA.
There are a number of issues that are ongoing in Washington. We met with Bill O’Brien at the FAA before Sun ’n Fun, and he explained that he had written an advisory circular (AC) on maintenance of the L-39 that was still in the legal department at the time but would be published in the Federal Register fairly soon. This document will have profound implications for keeping these aircraft flying and will deal with age and time-in-use limitations. The FAA indicated that it did not have a lot of input from the warbird community on this issue during the writing of this document. It is very important that knowledgeable individuals in the L-39 community respond to the AC when it comes out by sending in documentation to make sure that this AC is fair and based on a well-rounded and well-informed assessment of the available data. We will notify our members as soon as the AC is published.
The other hot item is the T-34 airworthiness directive (AD). As per our conversations with the FAA at Sun ’n Fun, there is still no commitment from the administration to extend the time for AD compliance beyond August 15, 2002. We are hoping that our members can exert whatever pressure and influence they may have to help deal with this issue.
Some FBOs are offering discounts on fuel and other niceties to ease the burden of your flight to Oshkosh. One such FBO, recently opened by WOA members Lisa and Kent Faith and called Roadhouse Aviation, serves Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport (RVS, also known as the former Riverside Airport) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If Tulsa is near your route, stop off for free hot dogs and a 50-cent-per-gallon Warbird fuel discount on the way to Oshkosh. If any of you know of any other FBOs making similar offers, send me the info, and I will get it into the magazine.
“Keep ’em Flying!”
Mike Schloss
President
Warbirdpres@aol.com
|
