Day 4 - Scoping it out before the crowds

While the powers that be await the ground to dry to accommodate everyone, planes of lighter weight or of a classification that parks in an area that is dry enough are trickling in. And the variety is amazing! In one stretch of a half hour I saw a P-38, DC-7B, Stearman, and a T-28 jet arrive. At one point there was eough traffic that they converted the parallel taxiway in to a runway and I saw the T-28 jet trainer sweep around the tails of two biplanes on approach to the taxiway and land on the runway! Air traffic control rules can be very flexible when everyone knows what they are doing, pays attention, and cooperates.

Speaking briefly of cooperation - this is the mellowest, happiest crowd of people any of us have ever seen! All the volunteers, the vendors, the attendees, and the officials are laid back, happy to be here and, consequently, we get courteous, responsive service, there is no litter, and people readily help each other. Wish we could export this attitude!

Today, with the crowds still minimal, was a day for scoping out the layout of all the areas, making mental notes of things to see and prioritizing. We each will go our separate ways as each has their own interest and focus. We''ll reconvene in the evenings to compare notes and advise each other on the "must-see" things we each have experienced.

And that's the way we did it today. I focused on all the aircraft vendor sites being madly assembled, the vintge aircraft area, and the newly restored DC-7B that flew in from Miami with 19 paying "passengers". In that last of the piston powered passenger airliners I could see the seeds of the DC-8's I worked for Flying Tigers!

Evan and I were briefly together to see the "Kestrel" exhibit and aircraft being set up. The exciting news is that the company is going to set up its development and, ultimately, production facilities at Brunswick, the former Naval Air Station for which all of us, Steve, Evan, and I have worked at different times. Hopeful news for the future of that airport!

So, tomorrow is the start of the "big show" with daily air shows, special demos and forums, and planes, planes, planes! The key will be to pace ourselves so we see as much as possible without wearing ourselves to a frazzle - a challenge!