Without Operations Crew, There Wouldn't BE An Air Show

by ANN Correspondent Matt Russell

They are generally known as the "Redshirts." If you've ever attended the afternoon airshow at Oshkosh, you've seen them. They are the operations specialists who wear bright red shirts (well, natch) with white slacks, dark sunglasses, and aviation headsets, and they can be found atop a little trailer at Show Center. If you're a repeat attendee among the EAA faithful, you may even recognize some of their faces (or the commemorative pins in their hats) from years past.

But what do we know about the Redshirts beyond appearance? What are they doing up there? How do they choreograph a show like AirVenture? How does their staff prepare for such a huge annual undertaking?

Next week, we'll explore the Redshirts' routine from within their shadows, as they have generously invited us to spend a day with them during AirVenture. For now, here's a little background:

Each year, the EAA invites these individuals to be Redshirts on the basis of specific, career-spanning credentials. Needless to say, getting "the call" is quite an honor, and many have been answering the call for years.

The Redshirts are a diverse family; retired FAA officials, airline pilots, air traffic controllers, and other aviation specialists who come from far and wide to join the team. These are the folks who know how an airshow should run, and several of them are full-time airshow operators, taking their trade on the road during the season.

Although the airshow normally starts around lunchtime, each day begins much earlier for the Redshirts, with at least two morning briefings. During the Warbirds show, for example, there can be up to 75 aircraft simultaneously in the air, so briefing with the pilots is extremely critical.

Every day around noon, the Air Bosses will take over Wittman Field's airspace from the FAA. Interestingly, the AirVenture show is so large that it must be divided into two operational halves... one for the Warbirds show, and one for the main show.

Each half of the show has its own Air Boss, a backup Air Boss, and a couple of trainees. The Air Boss and his back-up must both be present during the show, and several other Redshirts are at hand to control the ground operations, sequence the show, reinforce safety standards, and provide general security.

In Part 2, we'll show the Redshirts at work... stay tuned!

FMI: www.airventure.org