AIRVENTURE is CANCELED!

[SkyPilot]

This was posted on the ABS website by Tom Turner:







[h=1]EAA AirVenture 2020 Canceled[/h]

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received May 1, 2020 from EAA:
We Don’t Gamble, We Need A Sure Thing
AirVenture 2020 is officially canceled
My fellow EAA’rs. It is May here in Wisconsin, and unfortunately like many of you across the country, we are still under a stay at home order through May 26. Normally, this is the month when we start our preflight planning for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. By this time, we should have begun ramping up our entire site in preparation for our July convention. Volunteers from across the country and world would have descended on Oshkosh. Together they would have formed work parties, our suppliers would begin start setting up tents and infrastructure. Our EAA staff would be printing wrist bands, campers guides, programs and an assortment of EAA collateral as full-on AirVenture execution begins.
But because of circumstances beyond our control, none of this can happen now. We cannot even get to the hangar so our preflight is left to watching the prog charts. While this certainly makes the ability to prepare for the event a scheduling problem, it does not preclude the bigger issue of predicting what will be the health guidelines in July. Right now, there are three phases that have been defined in Wisconsin as the recommended procedures. As I write this, we are not in Phase 1 yet. Phase 2 restricts gatherings to 50 people. Phase 3 allows for mass gathering with restrictions.
Our convention attracts EAA members not only from the U.S. but around the world. Today we cannot predict when we will be at a point that our event meets the all clear Phase 3 milestone for mass gathering with restrictions. As your leader, I see no clear path to meet our own requirements to insure the health and safety expectations our organization demands for our employees, members, volunteers, exhibitors and attendees. That includes sanitization, separation and personal protection requirements.
My conclusion is, like in any good flight planning, don’t take the risk. Therefore, I have no choice but to cancel AirVenture 2020. Together, we can come back stronger, safer and ready for AirVenture 2021 and create a memorable world class aviation event. Because of our dedicated and enthusiastic EAA members, our Association is strong. We know that at some point this storm will pass. And over the next 12 months we will continue to support all of you as we again, together, grow EAA in the Spirit of Aviation.
Respectfully,
Jack J. Pelton
Jack J. Pelton
Experimental Aircraft Association
CEO and Chairman of the Board

 

[cmmguy]

Just got the email too. I guess it is not the event date that is the issue but the preparation needed, needs to be done now when everyone is still locked down.

 

[BobLewis]

Ok, now the Government has taken this too far !

 

[mgooderum]

Bummer, but understandable. These big events have too long a schedule and logistical tail to allow putting things off. Hallmark festivals around the country have been cancelled already - and there will certainly be more.

Especially for an event where people come from around the world and people are not at their peak condition due to sleep disruption, long hours and jet lag combined with an event environment that would make effective social distancing impossible there's really no other choice right now.

There's a whole segment of people and vendors that make their living on the summer fair and festival season. These are some of the people I really feel for - most of them will loose a whole years worth of income. There's simply not enough time for things to get better enough for most big events to pull together what's needed. I would assume anything big before Labor Day is likely a no-go at this point. I'm sure we'll start to see the wave of announcements on things like state fairs and similar. Smaller, local events like county fairs have a shorter logistical lead and can make decisions based on more localized conditions.
-=-
Mark

 

[niechiro]

I read their email and they said grounds preparation begins May 1st, today. I agree with others that it is probably not the event date, but the preparation time for almost 700K people to attend a monstrously popular event. Soooo, BAC. How about an alternative? Let's do our own BAC Airventure and have a July fly-in with everyone responsible for our own costs. This was the principle of Nelson Amen's San Antonion fly-in that he was attempting to have before the virus thing wiped out everthing so far.

 

[mdunlevie]

We haven't done a M2Osh (Mouse 2 OSH), so it will have to be M2NOOSH (Mouse 2 No OSH). I missed Abel Island, that looked great. Gastons? These may not be July destinations. Just save room for Tullahoma!

 

[niechiro]

There's plenty of time to brain storm. Things will have to change significantly before we can have fly-ins. If you wanted to still fly to Oshkosh, I bet my son's boss would let us host a party in their huge hangar. I'm sure Andy would be willing to ask. Sure would be easier to get hotel rooms without Airventure at that time.

 

[cmmguy]

There's plenty of time to brain storm. Things will have to change significantly before we can have fly-ins. If you wanted to still fly to Oshkosh, I bet my son's boss would let us host a party in their huge hangar. I'm sure Andy would be willing to ask. Sure would be easier to get hotel rooms without Airventure at that time.

What will have to change significantly?

There is so much irrational fear right now. At-risks need to take precautions, of course.

I flew to St Charles(KSET) just north of St Louis on Saturday. My fuel stop was in Illinois(KMWA). The ramp kid said that I was the 4th plane to land for the whole week. This is an active towered airport. This just has to stop. We are going to die a slow death.

 

[GregJohnson]

My airport has stayed relatively active. The FBO is closed, but the self service gas is still available at a decent price, and they'll fuel jets with prior notice. So a lot of us still fly, in fact, there were 2 or 3 in the pattern together last weekend from time to time. We just all stay away from the "tightly packed" group gatherings. A&P is still at work, and about to start my annual. I guess we're the lucky ones.

 

[N6008L]

What will have to change significantly?

There is so much irrational fear right now. At-risks need to take precautions, of course.

I flew to St Charles(KSET) just north of St Louis on Saturday. My fuel stop was in Illinois(KMWA). The ramp kid said that I was the 4th plane to land for the whole week. This is an active towered airport. This just has to stop. We are going to die a slow death.

Unfortunately, some areas are going in the wrong direction. At my airport, starting yesterday they were asking everyone coming on to the premises to answer a questionnaire about exposure to the ComChiVi.

It reminds me of the old punch line, "The surgery was a great success, but the patient died." There is no perfect safety or security.