TOM POBEREZNY
COMMENTARY / POSITION REPORT
How Does It
Work?
WHEN WE SEE SOMETHING COMPLEX or
overwhelming, we tend to ask, “How did
they do that?” or “How does it work?”
Those are questions we hear often this time
of year about AirVenture. As chairman of
AirVenture Oshkosh for the past 35 years,
there are times I take what we accomplish
for granted. But when I step back and view
the convention from a distance, I realize
it has evolved into a mammoth event that
people describe by saying, “You have to be
there to understand it.”
When I make presentations around the
country, I share the film Oshkosh: The Spirit
of Aviation. It is the essence of “Oshkosh,”
expressed through the words and emotions
of members and guests. We are fortunate
that former Young Eagles Chairman
Harrison Ford provided the narration.
His words are a bridge to the heartfelt
expressions of members who value the
Oshkosh experience.
During the film, I move to the back of
the room to watch peoples’ reactions. At
one point, a dramatic view of masses of airplanes (in this case,
Bonanzas) arriving at Oshkosh catches everyone’s attention. You
see 20 to 30 airplanes on final…an awesome sight, both on film and
in person! The body language in the room says it all; people are
overwhelmed by what they see.
They say to themselves, “How does it work?” “How do they
safely handle all those airplanes?” It requires focus and planning,
but when executed properly, the arrival and departure procedures
are very straightforward and understandable because everyone is
doing their job responsibly.
In this issue, Fred Stadler shares insights into AirVenture air
operations through the feature article, “Inside AirVenture Air Ops.”
He describes how EAA and air traffic controllers execute arrivals
and departures, ground handling, and parking. FAA professionals,
along with dedicated and skilled EAA volunteers, combined with
meticulous planning, commitment, and passion make it happen. As
an example of the logistics, if you started at the last row of airplanes
at the south end of the airport and walked
past every row (each 80 feet apart), you
will travel 5. 2 miles to the last row at the
northeast corner of the field. For some pilots,
their taxi time is longer than their flight!
