A Look Back At The Aero-Equivalent Of Burning Man, Woodstock, And An Old Fashioned Tent Revival—All Rolled Into One Week in Wisconsin

Compiled By Jim Campbell, and The Staff, Stringers and Friends of the Aero-News Network

With Oshkosh all of a few weeks in the rear-view mirror, we come to a time when we TRY to evaluate what happened this year… in both positive and negative terms.

We’ve tried a few variants on this report in the past… and some of them have worked better than others, but we’re going to try to present a group of shorter segments, as we move through a few general categories (Heroes, Regrets, Coolest Players, Coolest Moments, Aero-Bozos, Planes, Gadgets, Fan Favorites, etc…) so that we can try to make a proper report of the many high and low-points of AirVenture 2016…

If any of you have anything to add, please do so -- we’ll be revisiting this topic via a half dozen or more categories over the next month and we’d love to have YOUR viewpoints added to the mix.

But for now… Here are our selections for Oshkosh Regrets for 2016… the issues, companies (many of them repeat offenders), and products that detracted from an otherwise spectacular AirVenture Fly-In – and yeah, we know this comes off as fairly bitchy, but when you add up the usual culprits and few new bozos, there’s few other ways it can all come off but somewhat disappointing. We can do better… but if only if we’re honest enough with each other to call out the bad guys and do our best to support the good guys.

Icon Aircraft BS: Aviation, one might think, is an industry that should be populated by highly intelligent people… men and women who are used to solving complex problems, assemble a number of details, seek out and analyze a great number of facts… and then render solid judgements based on strong consideration of the problems at hand. Why then.… does Icon Aircraft seem to insist on treating us all like blithering idiots? Visiting the somewhat muted Icon Aircraft display at Oshkosh was a maelstrom of convoluted excuses, misdirection, and BS… persons manning the display downplayed or even denied the issues that plagued the company, and even when confronted with the stories that had been published by so many media entities after we broke the story last spring, staffers feigned surprise and lack of knowledge… but had no problem telling us that the ANN stories were false… when they clearly were not – and then when they seemed to notice who they were talking to… they walked off. The aviation industry deserves honesty, and an effort based on integrity, when we deal with each other… an effort we’ve NOT seen from Icon Aircraft… which not only bodes ill for the Aero-Verse but makes us strongly doubt that the future of Icon is a positive one unless cooler and more honest heads prevail.

AOPA and STCs: While, initially, one might be happy to see such sterling ideas like the recent EAA/Dynon partnership come about – which yielded some rather ingenious new STCs based on current regs/procedures – you would think that those who would follow in that path would be happy to give credit where credit is due. But not if you’re AOPA…. Who announced their own STC effort, with barely a nod to the work done before them, that trailblazed the path for others to follow. Don’t get me wrong… I’m glad to see them make the effort…especially in light of the fact that AOPA’s mission profile has been pretty bleak of late… but it’s quite clear that AOPA wants the world to believe they are the only creative thinkers in the Aero-Verse… when the evidence clearly points to the opposite. A little more emphasis on the work done by EAA and Dynon would have shown them to be appreciative, magnanimous, and genuinely interested in powering the future of the aviation world without the need/desire/desperation to own all the credit… But, that’s not what they did (and informed sources indicate that while they had originally reached out to Dynon, they ultimately went to Garmin when it became clear that Dynon was happy to work with them… so long as EAA was involved… which allegedly did not sit well with them). C’mon folks… isn’t it enough to serve the better interests of your members without having to grandstand all the time?

The ASI Nall Award: I’m more than a little disillusioned with the recent award given to Cirrus by an arm of the AOPA… who apparently never met a Cirrus buck they didn’t like. The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) honored Cirrus Aircraft this year with the first annual Joseph T. Nall Safety Award… even though so much of what they cited had little to do with the 'Cirrus' that accepted the award and more to do with the efforts of Cirrus’s true creator (who wasn’t really mentioned in the press release we received), as well as certain elements of the Cirrus Owner’s and Pilot’s Association. ASI Senior Vice President George Perry noted that, “Over the past decade Cirrus has earned one of the best safety records in the industry, and we are proud to acknowledge their work with the Joseph T. Nall Safety Award. Cirrus has doubled down on safety, working with its owners group and making investments in training and transition courses, to lower the accident rate for Cirrus aircraft to less than half the industry average.” While the accident rate has thankfully come down, the true effort made was undertaken by highly motivated personnel associated with COPA, which at one point, Cirrus management not only did not support but even attempted to circumvent, denigrate and replace. Further; if not for efforts like those of COPA's Rick Beach (an amazing guy) and a few others in the oft poorly led COPA group; the data, rationale and effort would be nowhere near where it is these days. Cirrus eventually aided the effort… but not til well after their efforts to denigrate and minimize COPA efforts came to naut (but if you can't beat them, you can always take credit for their work...). We’re glad that so many of our friends in the Cirrus community are flying safer and creating less tragedy for themselves… but the true reason for that belongs far more to the community (and Founder Alan Klapmeier) than the company -- and if ASI/AOPA wasn’t so intent on kissing up to Cirrus and other big-money donors, they’d have easily learned/acknowledged this.

Cirrus Hype: OK… we’ve been beating this drum for quite a while… but like the Icon Aircraft story, one wonders how long Cirrus can keep putting lipstick on the same old pigs… in the fibs they tell, and the revisionist history they foist on the aviation world in attempting to make one and all believe that the current vicious regime at Cirrus was actually responsible for the remarkable events and innovation that got them where they are. And the truth is this… Cirrus is living off the dreams and efforts of Alan Klapmeier and a tight-knit group of visionaries that have (by and large) long since departed the Cirrus scene… some not willingly. Virtually everything that they’ve been crowing about has little to do with the current crop of Cirrus overlords… and much more to do with what Alan mapped out years and decades before… especially when it comes to the jet… which has been delayed and delayed and delayed again without Alan to see the program though (and may never actually be the plane he meant it to be).
All that wouldn’t be so bad if Cirrus wasn’t so bloody dishonest about it all… trying to erase Alan’s historic efforts (as well as trying to destroy him, personally) and contributions off the map… while taking credit for as much of it as they can... even to the point where Alan’s disaffected/misguided brother was caught by local media some time ago claiming credit for being in the near midair that inspired Alan to insist on the chute… and also for the idea of the chute itself (which belongs to BRS). They refuse to discuss all the ways they abused their supporters and suppliers to get where they are… even claiming that those events did not exist… when they very clearly did. Again… one wonders why this industry allows them to treat us like stupid children… except for the fact that the aviation media doesn’t seem to care about the truth/history of this company and the ever-present concern/hazard (as well as historical precedent) that a company so disposed to screwing its supporters in the past might someday do it again… and may be doing a bit of it again right now. More news to follow.

Flying Mag/Editor’s Choice: Here we go again… just how stupid do some entities in aviation think the rest of the Aero-Verse really is? Imagine our surprise when we learned that the rather unfortunate decision to give Icon Aircraft an Editor’s Choice by Flying magazine, a move that defied comprehension… as Icon had yet to actually deliver a damned thing… and had been making excuse after excuse for delay after delay… while the so-called Editors (or… is that ‘apologists?’) went ahead and compounded their error… and then did it again. Yes… for the second time, Flying magazine went ahead and awarded Icon ANOTHER Editor’s Choice AFTER one of the most shameful and inexplicable series of foul-ups and misjudgments committed by any erstwhile sport aviation manufacturer. I really don’t get it… the folks at Flying aren’t stupid (as far as I know...), and while they show an amazing willingness to step on themselves now and then, as well as to eat their young (so to speak—just ask those who got tossed out of there without so much as a fare thee well), there is NOTHING in the Icon roster of (lack of) accomplishments that justifies an Editor’s Choice award of any kind. I’m not the only one shocked at this… but I’m at a complete and utter loss as to how to explain such a grievous lack of judgement on their part.

Melissa Andrzejewski v The Airshow Community: We had such a hard time putting together the story we did a few months back about the charges leveled by Melissa Andrzejewski against members of the sport aviation community after she was dismissed from participation with the US Aerobatic Team as well as removed from the prestigious Oshkosh Airshow roster. It was one of the most difficult stories we’ve ever done… and to be perfectly honest, we were initially and strongly disposed to believe the entire sexist rant Melissa published in the months preceding Oshkosh… because such things DO happen in the real world. However; try as we might to verify her claims, they simply didn’t add up… and we were really bewildered to find that the only true sexist actions/communications that could be verified were those undertaken by Andrzejewski, herself. Still; in publishing the story, we hoped that Melissa would look at the relationships and persons she had attacked throughout the aviation community and do some soul searching that might allow her to re-enter the aerobatic community, anew, at some point in the future… because in no uncertain terms, she is an incredibly talented performer who deserves the chance to excel. Imagine our displeasure, however; when we found out that her presence at Oshkosh, especially in the airshow performers area, so unnerved some folks who were attempting to prepare for their own performances and routines, that reportedly they they asked her to leave the area so that they could get their heads around the precision and disciplines necessary to perform to the extraordinary level an Oshkosh performance requires… We were told they did not want the distraction of having to deal with a person who had accused them of sexism and discrimination and other faults… without any significant substantiation (at least none that we could find) -- which of course, inspired another series of rants, insults, and charges of sexist conduct from Melissa... Sigh...

Airline Travel Disasters: Too much of the aviation world’s rep rests on the dismal performance of today’s Part 121 Air carriers who have managed to run down the air travel industry to the point where a Greyhound bus is starting to look attractive once again. Late flights, abysmal customer service, serious maintenance issues, embarrassing stories of simply awful blunders have been told time and time again. And then there are the ‘contributions‘ made by the TSA in running down the once glamorous rep of airline travel as they continue to behave like goons, flouting their mission as an excuse to undertake invasive, rude, and over-the-top shenanigans that keep people looking forward to the TSA security process as avidly as they might treat a root canal. And for those of you who came to Oshkosh by airline, it was likely a less than stellar experience. It’s gotten so bad, that ANN has started to actually plan for the inevitable airline screw-up—even from some of the carriers that once exhibited some outstanding reps for service and dependability. We’ve started dispatching critical personnel a day or two early in order to make sure they are in place, and rested, when they’re needed to take on their responsibilities… which all adds up… needing more resources and money to support those extra days (when they do show up on time), not to mention the wear and tear that occurs when a writer or videographer shows up at 0200 local time after a flight that was supposed to get in 12 hours earlier… or worse… when they get to a secondary stop and find that they have arrived so late that there is no flight for them until late the NEXT day. And yes, this happened to us… again… with this year’s primary culprits being Southwest (which is REALLY going downhill) and Delta Airlines. This nonsense costs us thousands of dollars a year and makes the travel game a true gamble. Worse yet; the entire outside world looks at the entire aviation community, mostly, as a result of their interface with the airlines and the outrageous decline in service and dependability that has occurred… making the entire Aero-Verse look like a bunch of rubes that can’t do what they promise – Gee thanks for that, airline world… as if we didn’t have enough trouble already.

Marketing Stupidity: Our dear friend, Dave Juwel, used to run around Oshkosh on our behalf playing potential customer, in the process of evaluating the general and sport aviation industry’s ability to market itself to those who clearly came from a qualified audience (i.e., they were at Oshkosh and looking at their wares). BUT… once again, we saw booths that were staffed by amateur/uncaring people that often couldn’t be bothered to chat with a prospect, who had NO clue about how to pursue a possible sale, who were bereft of the basic info necessary to answer rudimentary questions, that possessed few or no brochures/business cards or other required documentation, and more than a few where the sales staffers seemed to be more interested in talking to each other than a real live sales prospect.
Folks… this kills us.
THERE IS business to be done out there… and people who can be sold… but it takes a little effort, a modicum of professionalism, and a genuine desire to reach out and engage your future customer to get the job done. I have little doubt that the much of the abysmal news we’ve heard about the decline in GA sales is the result, in significant part, because of the amateurish nonsense that substitutes for solid marketing and sales talent. And yes, I truly believe that there is sufficient business out there for us to not only arrest the declines we’ve noted… but to reverse thema mite… and keep in mind that every little bit of new business also begets other business. Just think about what could happen if this industry dedicated itself to better sales skills, honest practices, ethical tactics and solid marketing and public presentations? The mind boggles…

Press Conference No-Shows: One of the things that makes us feel regret is when we see an aviation company doing business poorly. An example of this is a vendor or product manufacturer who schedules a news conference using EAA facilities, and then simply doesn’t show up. News conferences at EAA are a pretty good deal because EAA helps the vendor with good facilities, as well as a convenient and comfortable atmosphere with appropriate visual display equipment on hand. Someone from our crew attended most every news conference that was scheduled, and we were surprised by how many “no-shows” occurred. Of course, this not only affected us at ANN, but sometimes there were dozens of other people there to hear the pitch. It makes us wonder if this is a new and exciting way for an aviation related business to shoot themselves in the foot. It doesn’t make us mad, it’s just regrettable. After all, it’s the vendor or manufacturer who is losing what could be valuable free press about their services or product. Even worse, it proves that comments we’ve made in the past about the poor way aviation handles its own business is regrettably true in many cases. You can’t find a friendlier bunch then you’ll find at ANN when it comes to cheering for an aviation business’ success. We regret that it sometimes feels like we are more interested in seeing these businesses succeed than they are themselves.

Interoperability Issues: Way too many companies, especially in the avionics industry, think that protecting their market share means that it’s smart to make sure that their products do not work and play well with others. Some companies are more notorious in this regard than others… but each one contributes to a climate of exasperation as customers have to jump through hoop after hoop to see if the gear they want can do the job they need with all the OTHER gear installed or expected to be installed in their aircraft. While a few of the worst offenders will blame the high-costs of certification on the reason that they won’t make it easier for their gear to work with others, the entire industry would benefit greatly if such companies would collaborate to agree on interoperability/communication standards that would allow for greater versatility and capability for all involved. It’s WAY past time for better efforts in this regard and we hear complaints along these lines more and more each day.

Coming Up Shortly… Our selections (based on a LOT of YOUR input for Oshkosh 16’s Regrets, Coolest Players, Coolest Moments, Bozos, Planes, Gadgets, Fan Favorites, etc.…). If any of you have anything to add, please do so RIGHT AWAY, we’ll be revisiting this topic via a half dozen or more categories over the next month and we’d love to have YOUR viewpoints added to the mix.

SO... PLEASE drop us a note or two, ASAP, and add your thoughts to the list of the greatest and not-so-greatest moments, people, planes and products that made up AirVenture Oshkosh 2016!

FMI: Hey ANN... Here Are MY Thoughts on The Best and Worst Moments of AirVenture Oshkosh 2016!