Inside Information

When a goal of yours is to keep your lobby groups hard at work, inside information is something to be cherished. And although almost any information can be bartered for or discovered through normal channels if you are persistent, knowing something others do not is harder and harder to come by these days. Let’s face it, the internet makes it tough. So, a few days ago, when I found out that EAA was about to let a large group of people go, I began to wonder if anything positive could be made of this negative.

What do you do with inside information? Well, I considered being the first to put it out there so the employees would have a heads up but decided against it because it wouldn't do anything but cause concern. Then I decided I would give it to an aviation news service but decided against it. If you’re asking why the second one came to mind, it’s because I think EAA needs to know that a lot of people are interested in what they are doing and a lot of people, including on the inside, don’t like a lot of it. Therefore, people on the inside are willing to share it with other people if they think it is going to help the broader membership base see what is going on behind the curtain. Essentially, it say’s to EAA, “You can’t hide.” Yet, my other thoughts easily won out and I didn’t post it at all.

I like EAA. Or maybe better said, I have met a lot of wonderful people that work for EAA, and in the end, I felt bad knowing people were going to lose jobs. Learning more, I also felt terrible for some who had already quietly agreed to go.  EAA was in the middle of hope and change and all I could do is worry about who would be next. The ultimate answer, as I expected, was “the wrong ones”. But, I couldn’t let the information go to waste.  At the very least I could let them know it wasn’t a secret.

Calling up EAA early this morning, I asked to talk to Dick Knapinski. When the receptionist asked what my call was in regards to, I said “About a reorganization that is going to go on today” and she seemed startled. That’s when I knew a lot of people didn’t know and I worried even more about the outcome. Would EAA end up better or worse?

Dick and I ended up having a long conversation and he was quite open and willing to talk without sharing too many details. Along the way he discussed what areas might be hit, what areas might be expanded, and what might be the reasons for these changes, never betraying EAA. In turn, he then patiently and politely listened to my thoughts about many of these areas and then we both decided it was time for us to get on with our lives. Dick’s a straight shooter from my experience and today I’m sure his job is a tough one. Not nearly as tough as those who lost theirs, but tough nonetheless. In any case, organizations sometimes become a little heavy in times of lean and tough decisions must be made. My concern is whether the right ones are.

After this conversation, I decided to let it go. I had done my part, called and questioned what was going on and what for, and everything was regrettably far outside my control.

For our friends who are no longer associated with EAA, you’ll always be welcome here. We know the job you did, what you had to work with, and what you were often up against, and we will not forget it.

As for the new executive positions, let me just say that EAA has gone overboard with their infatuation with celebrity. Good GA people were let go but Jeff Skyles, the guy who admittedly didn’t fly small planes for a long long time until fortune smiled on him and he bought a Waco, is now the VP in charge of Chapters and Youth Education. It was hard enough to swallow his articles knowing that someone believed a recent rediscovery of small planes, brought on by a water ditching, made him more qualified to talk about flying small planes that hundreds of other people with real qualifications and experience, but this new position is just silly. And God forbid you don’t talk politics to him. You might find he supports a lot of things that aren’t that friendly to aviation. Oh well, that seems to be EAA’s new direction.

Motion Induced Blindness

A friend sent us this link the other day and I just couldn’t help but pass it along.

Remember as a student pilot how it was stressed that you must keep your head on a swivel, your eyes always scanning? There’s a reason for that; motion induced blindness. Not seeing another aircraft approaching can end your day in a really bad way. Yet, until demonstrations such as this were created, all we could do is trust that our instructor knew what they were talking about and always keep looking.

When you click on the link, read the instructions at the top and notice the buttons on the right. The buttons are there to show you that even as things get pretty large you can’t see them and there are also speed and background color buttons. It seems this phenomenon happens in all conditions. Focus on the middle dot and be amazed.

I bet the next time you fly you'll be more attentive to scanning for traffic.

Here's the link if you missed it earlier.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain

If you’ve noticed a change in the magazines Sport Aviation and AOPA Pilot, then you are not alone. Do you remember Bill Murray’s character in the movie Ghost Busters? If so, then you likely remember the scene where he is trying to explain to the mayor just how bad things are about to get when he finally hits on something everyone can understand “…dogs and cats sleeping together”. Well, it seems the ghosts are loose and the streams are crossed.

Two years ago, if you and I had been hanging out and I had said, “Within two years, AOPA Pilot will be covering real aviation and Sport Aviation will be filled with articles about pressurized turbines, you would likely have laughed your ass off. Now though, a few of you are thinking “how did he know”.

Few organizations today do any long term planning. Having fallen into the trap of the instant gratification mentality of the internet generation, many non-profits have forgotten that although they have to be agile and open to change, there still has to be a goal, a destination at the end of a chart.  Without that, all you get are answers to yesterday’s problems. Welcome to AOPA Pilot and Sport Aviation.

Only a few years back, a writer at AOPA Pilot would have needed to work every angle to get a story about flying a biplane cross country green-lighted. Today, Dave Hirschman has free reign to write about flying anything. Two years ago, the pages were filled with turboprops, and cold unspoken advertorials. Today, Dave Hirschman routinely argues passionately with some other guy about whatever gets people worked up. So what gives? I suspect several things.

Not that long ago, AOPA was in the hot seat and this is what I imagine went down. Complaints about the wine club and the advertorial disguised as a magazine were reaching record levels; levels that could not be ignored. Then, just as AOPA was about to do some impeaching, somehow, an adviser got a call through to Craig to offer a solution. “Mr. Fuller, I think I have an idea to rescue your Presidency. What if we covered aviation in our magazine?” And, for whatever reason, Craig thought “You know, this crazy idea just might work”. A poll was taken, the results came back favorable, and Dave was given the go ahead to place real airplanes in AOPA Pilot. There’s just one problem; other magazines already do that.

Memberships; just as every drunk needs a moped, AOPA needs memberships. When General Aviation manufacturers had money to burn, they could buy as many articles in AOPA pilot as they wanted.  Faced with a choice, back then AOPA chose to drink the money and ignore the members.  This was an easy call because members, like voters, would swallow whatever they were fed. Now though, AOPA has a problem; GA Manufacturers are broke.

Trying desperately to make up with the members it ignored for those with bigger bank accounts, AOPA now finds itself doing some serious sucking up. I tell ya, it’s like an after school special; AOPA is the fair weather friend and we’re the not so attractive but reliable types that are easy to take advantage of. Unfortunately, there’s an issue with this too. We lowly membership types can no longer afford multiple magazine subscriptions.  Therefore, with AOPA Pilot starting to look like other magazines that cover real aviation, more substance will have to be added to the lobbying side of the operation if they are to retain subscribers, err, members.  Why? Because they have a new competitor; EAA.

Have you heard? Sport Aviation is moving away from grass roots. You haven't? Well yeah, there is new leadership at EAA and although Sport Aviation technically has an Executive Editor, other people in the building insist on playing that role too. Therefore, like a pinball, Sport Aviation is along for the ride in a game of executive bumpers. But maybe I am ahead of myself.

Some time ago, a new Executive Director was brought in to Sport Aviation in an effort to rebuild the heart of a dying magazine. That person, for all practical purposes, did just that. Then a new President came along. He, and perhaps along with a few others, had something different in mind.

Being a business person, and therefore someone who needs benchmarks to keep score and earn bonuses, he began making many changes to the organization behind the scenes. Expenses were cut and potential profits were identified. The magazine would play a large role in the later. But again, I am ahead of myself.

Do you know how a President of a non-profit like EAA is judged by its members? Historically, although you may not wish to admit it, it has been memberships. One of AOPA’s past Presidents, John Baker, is well known for reminding his employees of this fact. “We’re not in the aviation business.  We’re in the membership business”, he would say. And quite honestly, there is some truth to that. The question arises though, for what purpose are you in the membership business?

Now, understanding how a President is judged, put yourself in Rod Hightower’s shoes and find yourself a new batch of members with which to make your mark. Where would you look? What areas would you pursue? Do you have suggestions?

Well, this is how I think they now see it at HQ. They’ve had the homebuilders for years and they’re cheap. The vintage folks are the old timers who only want to talk about EAA’s past. And the warbird folks have run free for too long thus getting the best of everything while giving the least return. What does that leave EAA? The answer may frighten you but Sport Aviation has a new directive; focus on “The North-Forty”.

If you don't know what “The North-Forty” is, to regulars of Oshkosh, that’s Airventure to three or four of you, The North-Forty is the northernmost East to West parking area where modern flying machines, built on assembly lines, park. Fuel injection, turbo-chargers, aluminum, composites, glass panels, twin-engines, large N-numbers, and even jet fuel are likewise common to the area.

Now, if you know EAA, and you have a good feeling for what EAA is, then you likely see a problem. If Ferrari said it was going to focus on mass producing mid size, low performance, four door sedans for the broader American market, would you recognize that for the colossal mistake it was? Porsche tried something similar with the 924, and 914 before that, and it nearly killed the company. Why? Because that simply is not the business of Porsche. Likewise, the North-Forty is not what EAA does.

If you think I’m looking down on The North-Forty, think again. Those machines and their older brothers make up the majority of aviation. What they aren’t though is fitting material for Sport Aviation. If you don’t believe me, turn to page 25 of the November 2011 Sport Aviation. Look at that article and ask yourself if that piece belongs in that magazine. Does it feel right? No, of course not, its presence is a joke, and the fact the manufacturer has been around a hundred years does not make it appropriate. Furthermore, putting this nose-wart twenty pages from a full page add for the same manufacturer does not disguise what is going on here. Pay to print publishing has arrived, Sport Aviation is being rebuilt, and soon your beloved EAA magazine will be a mainstream aviation publication. What? You don’t believe me?

When I received this issue of Sport Aviation, I put it in my flight bag and took it to work. Over the next week, I showed the article to fellow pilots and asked them to guess what magazine I was holding. Amazingly, every single one of them, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, twelve total, made the same three guesses: AOPA Pilot, Flying, and Plane and Pilot.

If you pay close attention to the aviation publication industry, those results are not a good sign for Sport Aviation. But maybe you’re thinking that little experiment proves nothing. And you know what, it alone does not. But mark my words, that is what’s going on. Just look at their recent acquisition.

J. Mac McClellan has been a staple of the mainstream aviation publication industry (read boring) for a very long time. But, where was he before Sport Aviation? That’s right, Flying Magazine was his home and that is what he was hired to bring to EAA; Flying Magazine content. And why was he hired to bring Flying Magazine content to EAA? Because the North-Forty is the new largely unspoken vector for Sport Aviation. And why is the North-Forty the new direction? Because EAA is no longer in the aviation business, it is in the membership business.

Now folks, I’m going to say it again, this is a bad idea. Not only does this put EAA on a direct course with AOPA, a supposed new ally, it also has EAA trolling a segment of the industry in which it simply has no experience. It is not what EAA does. It is not what keeps EAA alive. And, if executives continue this pursuit, I believe it will be the ultimate downfall of the intent of EAA. I don’t care in how many issues of Sport Aviation, Vintage, IAC, or Warbirds, articles about PT-17’s appear. They will not disguise the fact that EAA is moving away from grass roots aviation and they will certainly not hide the fact who took us there.

As members of the Grass Roots segment of Aviation, we find ourselves in perilous times. Over-regulation, agencies such as the TSA, and a weak economy continue to swing at us with all they have. Yet that I can handle. It’s the thought of EAA and AOPA taking us down with the misuse of our money and trust that I cannot.

What other surprises are in store members?

Dreams of My Feathers

Ever so often, a dream is so vivid I am compelled to write it down. My latest was, are you ready for this, about flying. Having recently reviewed my resume and all the experiences that go with it, apparently my mind has been working hard to put it all together as I sleep.

Take charter and 121 airline ops, airport management, tourism, and marketing experience, plus thousands of hours of general aviation flying, combine them into one position and you have only one option; a consultant for the expansion of aviation in China.

The dream started with Ginger and myself being approached by officials who were looking for someone with a broad background in aviation. Over dinner, we were told of aggressive plans to expand Chinese general aviation in five stages over five years; long term strategy, expansion of ATC and weather reporting infrastructure, airport location scouting and construction, aviation tourism development, and flight training were the stages. Then we were asked, “Are you interested?”

After of week of discussing what it would take for us to accept their offer, we met again with officials to negotiate details.

Our list was simple: we each make $300,000 per year tax free, free health care in any country, two homes (it’s a large country), full expense account, a budget for a world class museum and airshow (tourism development), and a fleet of aircraft for our exclusive use. We would need a CL-215T, C-46, OV-10, one Helio Courier on floats, matching T-38s, and a fully restored P-61. Additionally, a museum would be built at Lee Bottom and given a $500,000 million dollar starter budget for our team to work with while we are gone. With these items agreed to, we would rent out our house immediately and move to China for five years in an effort to expand GA in that country.

Staring at the list for at least a full five minutes, some whispering was exchanged by the ambassadors, and then one question was asked, “If we agreed to this, would you be open to flying the machines in the museum?”

I'm going back to sleep.

Confined to the Clouds

Sitting alone at the table, spread before me was a life; two years of mine to be precise. Summoned to answer questions, logbooks, tattered charts, and scraps of paper were my witnesses, my alibi. Thankfully, the large pile of evidence meant the inquiries, where was I, and, what exactly had I been doing, were questions I could answer. Unfortunately, they would take a while.

Six blocks across and six down filled the page I was tasked with completing. Seven long lines ran horizontally below. Across the top, instructions read “Fill in the time grid below. Then, list all aircraft flown in the last two years”.

If you hate being a number, time grids are the worst. Take numbers, assign them numbers, and you have the essence of a grid. Write just one and suddenly, without concern for its self-worth, hour number 11,253 becomes applicant number 2198. Hour number 3187 and what you did to survive is now merely one hour of Part 121, point six of instrument, and one hour of FMS time. How you handled fifty passengers, another pilot, and an airframe that was along for a ride in level six weather and managed to come out alive is insignificant. Yes, even your numbers are numbers. Desperate for a way to stand out, I stared out the window in thought. A bright yellow Mustang drove by.

“List all aircraft flown in the last two years”. Were the streets outside filled with Model A Fords, I would own this moment. Upon completion, nearly thirty planes served as reference for two years of my life. Friends far and wide, machines rare and exotic, and once in a lifetime experiences were marked by each type. And yet, in this world, mine is not an amazing life, nor is it even a useful one. It is what it is; a telegram applying for the position of email, a man of yesterday in search of tomorrow. A life that was over before it came to be.

To all of you who have trusted me with your planes, I want to thank you again for the experience. Like a raindrop to a fish out of water, each flight was an avgas boost to my spirit. I am not a wealthy man, someone of importance, nor am I even the son or relation of someone important to the community. And yet, you have allowed me to fly machines in which most pilots are excited to sit. I am what I am; a pilot. Confined to the clouds, my soul exists, while my body goes to work, and you were kind enough to notice.

Rent a Home Near Lee Bottom

Looking for a home near an airport?  We may have what you want.

Before it is released to the local market, Ginger and I would like to let everyone know we have a nice home for rent just down the road from the airport.  It has around 2000 sq.ft, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, eat in kitchen, fireplace, deck that over looks the river bottom, and possibly hangar space that could be rented.  If there is anyone out there who is interested let us know.  It would make a great place for a retiree, someone who wishes to get away occasionally, or a local pilot who doesn’t mind the drive to Louisville or Cincinnati.

Louisville is a one hour drive, Cincinatti is a 1 1/2 hour drive, and Indy is two hours.  At Lee Bottom, the cost of living is good, the stars can be seen at night, and it is quiet.  $600 per month plus utilities with a minimum year’s lease.

Terror Threat - What Do You Think?

Ever so often, some occurrence in your life leaves you with questions; questions that breed questions. This summer such a thing came my way.

Back in February, I made a decision to hit as many aviation events as I possibly could during the year. Doing my best to coordinate with scheduling for time off, and by making every effort to drop trips (sacrifice work to someone who wanted it), I was able to attend many large and small airshows. It was during one of these, on an otherwise typical day of aviation, when I received a call from a friend.

Sitting in the grass answering a question about flying wires, I excused myself and picked up the phone. Having not even finished the word “Hello”, I was caught off guard when the voice on the other end jumped right in to let me know I really needed to come see what he was up to over in a remote corner of the airport. Doing my best to remember his directions, I then sat out to find him.

Looking forward to seeing whatever crazy project my friend was involved with, you can imagine my surprise when I found him sitting on a picnic table doing nothing but engaging in small talk.

Sensing my curiosity, he then told me, casually, his phone call was intended to lure me away from the more crowded area of the event. The reason for this? There had been a credible terrorist threat against the airshow and, according to him, if I didn’t believe him all I had to do was look at the small control tower. What I saw, with the use of my long camera lens, were soldiers better known as snipers.



Not one of the actual snipers

 Now, quite honestly, while I was straining to see the large caliber rifles placed on high, two things went through my mind; “This is crazy” and “I have great friends.” Later though, I would have questions.

The next day, like every other good American, I had almost forgotten the previous day’s terrorist threat. Then I learned it had been considered serious enough to be escalated to the Governors office along with several other government agencies, and that the “soldiers” were back. That’s when the questions that breed questions entered my mind.

Should the crowd have been told? Were event officials right to keep the secret? And how did I feel about knowing of this threat, when others did not?

The pluses and minuses of informing attendees about a credible terrorist threat vs. not informing them are numerous. And although I’m sure the airshow officials went through them all, ultimately they chose not to inform. What would you do?

If you blurted out an answer, I would caution you rethink it. Making such a decision might initially seem easy but I believe arriving at the best answer to be much harder. Some may say the airshow should be obligated to notify the crowd and that to not do so is negligent. Yet, when you enter such an event, are you not accepting the risk of being part of such a large target and, could you not be considered a bigger target if you were crammed together at an exit trying to leave after having been told of such a threat? The possibilities are endless for both arguments. It is a very tough call.

Every potential plus to notifying attendees comes with a negative. For example, how exactly do you notify a complete airshow crowd? If you blurt it out over the PA system, you risk it sounding like a “take cover” message that causes panic. If you designate people to spread the word you risk taking too long or not getting the message to everyone. And if you post a sign at every vendor’s booth, then you simply risk missing the people on the flight line. So what do you do?

What if you manage to notify everyone? What happens? Do they panic? What if media outlets exploit it to the point people are scared to go to any airshows? Would TSA use it as an excuse to get involved with security? And worse yet, would someone or some insignificant group demand that all attendees of such events be screened by TSA? These are all valid questions.

How about the vendors? Things have been tough in aviation and losing out on the income from a false alarm could be a major blow to them. In some towns, the airshow is significant enough to affect the entire local and regional economy. What if an event is essentially cancelled due to a “threat” and the loss of revenue trickles down to job losses? This is a valid concern.

Then of course there is all the money that was spent on the event. It may seem callous to think of dollars during such a situation but what if those dollars belonged to a non-profit that used the airshow to raise money for homeless children, battered wives, or even an aviation lobbying group. The first two are obvious heart string pullers but the last one might be hard to understand. Yet, what if a favorite aviation lobbying group had a major loss on this event due to a false alarm and in the end did not have enough funds to defeat a new user fees bill? This could trickle down to all of aviation. It is a valid concern.

Worst case, let’s say you notified everyone, people left, vendors lost money, the event lost money, airshows nationwide took it on the chin, politicians insisted that all airshows have TSA screening, and crowds were thinner next year because airshows were now considered terror targets, all for a false alarm that didn’t even scrape someone’s knee? Is that the worst case?

What if you notified everyone, people panicked, attendees were trampled, a bomb went off at the gate through which everyone was attempting to leave, the airshow was cancelled, vendors lost money, the event lost money, airshows nationwide took it on the chin, politicians insisted that all airshows have TSA screening, and crowds were thinner next year because airshows were now considered terror targets, and twenty people were killed? Would the lawyers and politicians look at the event and say “You know what, they notified everyone, they did their part, so let’s just all leave them alone”? No way in hell would that happen.

Ultimately, there are situations that leave you damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Yet I believe there is an answer to this problem that may not be that obvious. It requires guts, principles, and a desire to do what is best for everyone even though it may cause a little grief up front. Here it is: If the event in question was yours, admit it was, and then take the lead in common sense airshow security. I believe it would be much easier than you think.

For starters, you could tell everyone the measures that were taken to secure the event. Next, you could express how difficult the decision was and then lay it on the line with a letter.

“Dear Airshow Attendees;
Life has risks. It is time we all admit it. Large gatherings of people, such as the one at our event, make desirable targets for anyone, or any group, wishing to cause mayhem. That is clearly and well understood by us and, as always, we will continue to provide a security presence for the event. But just so we’re clear, no amount of security can keep a crowd safe. Ultimately, your safety in such a group is a risk you are willing to take when you step onto these grounds and into such a group. You should educate yourself on these risks, learn to spot potential threats, and consider yourself in charge of your safety. With a people educated and self-responsible, together we can provide the common sense security that will keep us as safe as possible without the down side of giving in to or self-imploding events like these in the name terror (Post at every entrance and exit).” With that produced, follow it up with an open discussion.

Yes, that’s right; I believe the solution to this problem is an adult conversation on the subject. The ups and downs of both sides are debatable but preparing people for the possibility is not. Do it now and, should another threat happen, the answers will come much easier for everyone.

What do you think?