Warbird Information Exchange

The Great Tennessee Airshow took place over this past weekend. The speakers were, as usual, placed 8 feet in front of the fences, facing the crowd. The music was unnecessarily loud and played at all times there wasn't anything going on. There were no commercials or messages in particular; just super loud bro-country songs. It was excruciating, annoying, and just dumb.

Why? I don't require aural stimulation the entire time I am on air show property. I want to hear my scanner, talk to my friends, and enjoy engine sounds. Do organizers believe that air show attendees need something happening at them at all times to hold their attention?

In honor of the late, great Mudge, I am

Dave the temporarily-hearing impaired

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Annoyingly loud music with non-stop commercials and announcers that cannot stop talking are the primary reasons I stopped attending airshows. I can remember the small shows from years ago when it was early morning with no music at all and just the thunder of piston engines warming up for the day's flying. I can also remember the small shows where your ticket price included a catered meal at picnic tables. Also the jet aircraft take so much time to pre-flight that they usually idle on the ramp during the entire piston displays and you cannot hear anything but high-pitched turbines.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

One of the reasons I stopped going in years ago and I don't miss it a bit, can't even hear yourself think with that garbage blaring out - I guess you can count yourself as lucky they allowed scanners, even though you could not hear it.

Other reasons:
* Banning coolers. With no ability to bring in your own refreshments or food, you are forced to go without, or pay exorbitant costs
* No shade, gets old after a few hours, gets old quick the older you get
* Really not that good of a view of performing aircraft compared to spots that can be found on the perimeter
* Admission has gotten off the hook

You do miss browsing the statics, and that is the only downside. Don't want to sound like a complete leech, every year I donate to the show, then I'll find my spot, pitch my pop up shelter, fire up the grill, put my scanner on and wait for the aircraft to fly overhead.

Went to the Dayton Air Show last year and paid extra for the photo pit. They hard those speakers on the ground playing the annoying music and just before the show started someone came along and placed the speakers on a pole that was about six feet high. Ended up not being a real distraction but you have to wonder WHY!

Bad announcers that don't know when to shut up is one reason I was drafted to announce the Warbird show at the Copperstate Fly-in when it was held at Gateway Airport, I did it for 3 yrs. I ad-libbed the entire show the first year as I had all of 15min notice, The show was almost a hour long, as the planes were turning around or not in front of the crowd, I was doing the color part, telling about the plane, it's history and owner, but once it started a pass down the show line, the only sound was the engine as it went by.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
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Mudge the cheerful would approve!

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Ol' Mudge is sorely missed, one of the WIX greats for sure.

Pogo the appreciative.

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

Amen, there should be a cut off when an aircraft makes a pass, I want to hear the aircraft not some incessant commentary: "there she goes folks, the P-51 Mustang, just listen to that howl! the aircraft that won the war, blah, blah, blah...."

And yes stop with the loud music- it is awful.

Less is indeed more.

My favorite is when they say "I just love the sound of that Merlin," and then proceed to talk over it.

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Matt

The best setup is Oshkosh. The speakers are well behind the crowd line and have a reasonable volume for those in the front row.

I went to the La Ferte Alais show in France a couple of years ago, after having been there more than a decade earlier. In those years gone by the music was much louder, and more annoying. I don't mind loud music, I go to rock and heavy metal concerts all the time. But, when I'm at an airshow the planes ought to be the main attraction, not music blaring from the speakers with no escape. This however seems to be what the promotors want. They look to give you an experience more than an airshow. Don't mind it's a bad experience, where the planes are just a part of the overall picture. I still haven't stopped going to shows, but can understand those who do.

T J

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Make my day, punk!

It's a great song, with great lyrics, but I NEVER need to hear Lee Greenwood's - God Bless the USA - again....

The late Bernard Chabbert was a glaring example of that at Flying Legends. Every year when I heard his voice as the show started my heart sank.
If anything, he made it worse by saying he was going to be quiet while the aircraft flew past, and then carrying on anyway.

The phrase "done to death" comes to mind...

Undoubtedly there's some good airshow announcers out there, but in my experience they are mostly irritating - especially the ones who get excited and start yelling. Maybe the general public likes that and likes the tinny sounding music, but I doubt it.

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.