Warbird Information Exchange

Ok next year I was planning to go to OSH but now that I am looking at TOM pics I may change my mind am I crazy or should I do OSH and TOM the following year?

Man, you are going to be even more confused now.

WHAT ??
the answer is


TOM every year

Oshkosh. Without a doubt.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Oshkosh, hands down the place to go....

Lynn

Umm, the answer is both. Life is too short. Share rooms, share the rental car, do whatever you need to. At least do three days at Oshkosh and one at Thunder. There are things at both that you can't see anywhere else. Both are convenient (flying into O'Hare and driving up to Osh is cake and flying into Detroit Metro puts you 10 minutes from Thunder). Both are easy to drive to also, right on major highways.

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

I agree. I didn't do thunder this year, but I usually try to do both Oshkosh and Thunder.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

From what my dad said this year the Osh experience was nothing like it had been the last time he and I went in 2005. Hardly anything at the ultralight barn and the warbirds were so-so.

Anyone else seem to have that same experience this year?

From our 3.5 days at Oshkosh this year, I'd say that yes, quantity was way down, but quality was pretty high. It was the first year I didn't spend time in the Ultralights, but the weather was good (comfortable temps, a lot of sun), military statics (and arrivals and departures) were much higher than normal, P-51s were amazing (28, though not as many flew as we'd have liked). Seemed more relaxing, shorter lines at food concessions, etc. We enjoyed it more than previous 3-4 years.

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

Rich, you'll have to clarify your "quantity was way down..." comment. Statistics just released by EAA suggest that registered warbird attendance for 2008 was at 404, which is considerably higher than 2007 (I seem to remember a number around 330)

http://www.airventure.org/2008/news/080805_numbers.html

I'm asking posters to be specific because, as was already intimated on a previous post, OSH is NOT a warbird show. Yet, OSH consistently hosts the largest annual gathering of warbirds on the planet. 300+ is a lot of warbirds. 400+ is a lot of warbirds. A WIXer asks a question about what event he should spend his hard-earned pennies on in 2009, and responding that "quantity was way down" doesn't help his decision-making much, especially when the number of warbirds was significantly greater than the previous year.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Yes, the number of warbirds was up...but the unique types were most definitely down. If I recall, there were seventy T-6s, seventy Yaks and CJs, and a bunch of T-34s. More than there has been in previous years. The amount of heavy iron was most definitely down, and seems to have been declining year after year as fuel and operating costs have gone up. The bomber/transport section of OSH was nearly bare this year, being suplemented by moving O-2s into that line. The jet population could easily have been the lowest I have seen since I started attending over twenty years ago.

Still a great event, but the warbird attendance has most definitely shifted towards the lighter and less expensive to operate aircraft.

His clarification was correct, thanks. Yes, the number of "warbirds" was up, but the "heavy iron" was way down. Not knocking the others, I love them, but when there's no Bearcats, Tigercats, P-47s, Skyraiders, etc, you look out on the warbird area and are a little disappointed. Other than Mustangs, I only saw 2 Corsairs (the former Jim Read -5 left on Thursday morning), 2 P-40s (again, one left before the big warbird show), 1 Sea Fury, 4 TBMs (none flew), 2 wildcats, 1 spitfire, and 1 YAK. That's significantly down from the usual, but still a decent showing.

PS- My opinion on "EAA statistics released" is...ah, forget it. It would just start a flame war.

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

Not to be picky, but we in the fighter corral had TWO yaks - the Yak 11 was there the first part of the week, and the ( i think ) Yak 9, (but might be a 3, sorry, not up on my yaks...) arrived for the latter part

People attendance was down, but I can't call 28 mustangs 'down' in any way shape or form... although I, too, was a bit disappointed not to see a bearcat or a skyraider...

Some of our numbers differ, Rich. I had at least four Sea Furies for the week (Steve Patterson's, Riff Raff, CAF's, and ???), 3 Corsairs (-4, -5, F2G), plus the pair of P-40's & FM-2's you mentioned, 2(or 3) P-38's, 4 Turkeys, 4 B-25's, 3 B-17's, A-26, B-24, Yaks, Spitfire, Helldiver, multiple C-47, HU-16, Goose, C-45/AT-11... Some regular attendees weren't there, but many first-timers made up for it. F6F and Zero informed EAA they were coming, but ultimately were no shows (is EAA to blame for that? I don't know). I'm afraid "way down" is just too subjective a term for me.

Vintage jets? I honestly don't follow them much. I noticed multiple T-33's , L-29's, L-39's, plus FJ4, Buckeye, Hunter, what else? If Tim Savage says the number was down, that's good enough for me.

I also don't know why EAA's statistics would start a war. Did they lie about numbers of aircraft attending?

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

As I said, I was only there from Thursday on, and I'm not an official statistician, just an enthusiast. I was speaking more of the warbird area than the event over-all. Yes, I forgot about the other SeaFury and the F2G as they were over at Aeroshell square.

EAA is a joke, IMHO as they "announce" some kind of record then tend to "issue a clarification" every year. In other words, they tell you that it was the biggest ever no matter how much attendance decreased, IMHO (shared by just about any aviation people we chat with there). Does EAA stink, no? Just wish they'd put more "love" towards the warbirds and classics and a little less of the endless acro and corporate things during the show.

I also forgot the 2 P-38s, my bad. Again, I said the person should definitely go to Oshkosh next year, we had a real good time. Just a bit disappointed with the "big warbird show" not having much heavy iron in the air compared to past years. There were supposed to be 2 new Corsair restorations there, and we expected at least Tom Wood's Bearcat, like he usually is, things like that. I'm not "blaming" EAA for any of the no-shows or anything, other than their over-all underappreciative attitude towards the Warbirds in general, as I see it. Sorry if you feel different.

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com