Dear Group--
What follows is a letter that I sent to Tom Poberezney about this
year's EAA Convention. If you were there and noticed what I did, and if
it bothered you, I suggest that you also send Tom a similar letter. If
the board of directors gets enough letters from different parts of the
country they might take notice and react.
Thanks,
Syd Cohen
NC94196
Tom Poberezny, President
Experimental Aircraft Association
P.O. Box 3086
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
Dear Tom,
AirVenture was almost two months ago, and I needed those two
months to
cool down emotionally before writing to you. I was very impatient and
angry about the way things went this year. At the time I was thinking
"I've attended for 26 years, and loved every year, but I'll never come
back again." I'm better now.
I think some real problems have developed. We (a neighbor kid and
I)
flew in Sunday, July 26 and stayed until Monday evening, August 3.
During that week I stopped between 30 and 40 people who were smoking on
the flight line, often between parked airplanes, and I informed them
that smoking was not allowed in that area. Many of my friends from
Chapter 243 and 640 told me they had done the same. While watching the
air show each day I saw the ground around me littered with many
cigarette butts. Most of the people that I stopped apologized and said
they didn't know that they couldn't smoke in that area and promptly
stubbed their cigarette out. A few asked me where smoking was allowed.
We also saw many people carrying food out of the eating areas onto the
flight line, walking right past the signs that told them not to do
that. We saw (and picked up) a lot more litter this year than any
other.
In my view the fact that we are allowing everyone on to the flight
line
leads to the smoking and littering. I understand that by allowing the
general public access to the flight line and collecting their admission
fees we make it possible to pay for many of the expensive improvements
to the grounds. We are also, however, allowing non-aviation people into
an area that they know nothing about. You and I know that fabric
covered airplanes with vented fuel caps and possibly dripping fuel
drains are very flammable, but the non-aviation people don't know this.
I suggest that next year we:
1. Place signs on each of the speaker poles at eye-level that
tell the
rules about smoking, eating and littering.
2. Insist that the air show announcers remind the people of the
rules
at least every 30 minutes.
3. Raise the height of the signs on the food stands to eye level
so
the people will have more chance of reading them.
4. Double (at least) the number of security people on the
grounds,
with some standing outside the food stands and some roaming the flight
line to watch for violators. (I'm sure if we asked EAA members to
volunteer for half a day during the week we would have no problem
getting enough people. I would be glad to volunteer.)
5. Print the Nestle site maps with shading in the SMOKING
PROHIBITED
areas so people can readily see where they are.
I have flown my award-winning Ercoupe in to the Convention for
many
years, and have volunteered almost every day in the Type Club tent and
the Young Eagles tent, but I seriously doubt that I will be back again
unless these situations are improved.
If you have any questions please write, call or e-mail me at the
above
addresses.
Sincerely,
Syd Cohen
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