Our Decision Regarding Air Show Attendance
We appreciate everyone who has expressed an interest in meeting us at
Sun n Fun in spring, or Oshkosh in summer each year.
We have made a decision to participate in these shows in a
different way than we have in the past and we wanted you to know.
Previously, we would have written a rather large check to the show,
spent weeks preparing equipment and demo engines, gearbox samples, etc.
We would then have loaded it all up in our trailer, driven for
two days to get there, spent an entire day unloading and setting up our
exhibit and demo engine. We
would take turns manning the booth, the engine, and maybe even an
airplane on the flight line all day every day for the entire duration of
the show, as required.
Typically, we would host four or five forums in addition to
demonstrating our LS1 engine for interested parties…but only as
management would allow it. Following all of this, we would then
make the two day drive home.
Our attitude about air shows has now changed.
We have calculated conservatively that we lose approximately one entire
month per year in actual production time, not to mention the tens of
thousands of dollars per year that it costs our company in entry fees,
travel and lodging, food, fuel, etc.
This realization has caused us to take another look at all of the
other factors, including our customers, our schedule and marketing
budget.
Since we have been bringing our products to the air shows, we have
witnessed an increasing lack of respect and concern for exhibitors from
show management. Oshkosh does not seem to care about homebuilders as
evidenced in the fact that they don't allot even one single hour in
their show schedule for homebuilders or kit manufacturers to fly their
aircraft in what used to be their "Homebuilders Parade". The last time
that happened was 2006, we know because Bud flew the Wheeler in the
number two position of seventeen.
The following year we were told that they no longer providing a
time slot for the homebuilders to fly their aircraft in the show.
At Oshkosh in 2008 we were allowed to demonstrate our engine in the
North Aircraft Exhibit area. This was only twice per day at scheduled
hours for a short duration.
As always our demo engine was anchored to the ground, with a beautiful
and sturdy steel prop cage mounted and the engine was run at controlled
RPM's. The following year we were told we could not run our engine with
a prop on it. Demonstrating the engine without a prop is anti-climactic
at best, not to mention not good for the engine...but...there were
plenty of war birds, homebuilts, certified and vintage aircraft taxiing
within mere feet of spectators standing along the fence, helicopters
flying over the grounds carrying sightseers and a Ford Tri Motor flying
overhead daily. Our
carefully thought out and controlled demonstrator engine was just too
dangerous according to the powers that be.
It appears that the same concepts that apply to other
participants are not equally applied to everyone.
Doesn't the EAA stand for Experimental Aviation Association?
If it still does, they probably should change their name because
it seems to us that they no longer have any interest in those on the
cutting edge of aviation as long as they have room on the show grounds
to sell hot dogs and t shirts.
From our perspective, EAA Airventure Oshkosh has proven that it
is more about making money than it is about furthering experimental
aviation. As Bud would say
"they forgot who brought them to the dance".
Sun n Fun has always been a lot of fun for us, but even they have
squeezed us out and limited our participation to a place where we have
to consider whether or not it is worth our effort. In 2006, Ray
Fisett (God Bless him) co chair of the engine workshop area, personally
invited us to bring a demo engine to exhibit and run at scheduled times
for show participants and attendees. We accepted his invitation, built a
demo engine on a beautiful engine stand, and in April of 2007 we brought
it to Sun n Fun. Ray was delighted! We set up at the engine run up
area and were allowed to start and run our engine at anytime for anyone
interested. Ray allowed that because our engine was so quiet that
it did not disrupt the engine workshops as long as we did not run it up
to high RPM. Later in the afternoon each day, we were allowed to
participate in a program where each engine builder could speak about his
engine and then do a run up. This program was a crowd pleaser and
enabled us to showcase our products effectively. Almost
immediately this began to change as each year the engine run up area
space was squeezed down in size and pushed further and further back into
the woods near the creek to a point that in 2010 the area was so small
that it barely existed. Now, since Ray Fisett has passed on, we
are not even sure the engine run up area will exist any further.
We have been paying participants, not freeloaders. We participate as a
business entity. We have been held against our will when we were
ready to leave and told that we would be arrested if we left the premise
before a certain time. I don't think this is very exhibitor
friendly and I am certain that I am not the only exhibitor that feels
this way. If the last day of the show is so slow and devoid of activity
that we feel we are wasting our time perhaps the show should be
shortened by one day. Perhaps the last day of the show should be
Saturday, not Sunday. Just my opinion.
We have voiced our comments, concerns and protests, and they have fallen
on deaf ears. Therefore, we choose to vote with our dollars by
keeping them in our pocket. We are committed advocates for
experimental aviation and education, and will continue to support it in
every way we can by hosting forums and participating in other
educational and informative platforms at shows, EAA meetings and
functions. In addition, we are staunch supporters of Contact!
Magazine and will support their efforts to further experimental aviation
and the use of automotive conversions in aircraft in every way we can.
Therefore, in order to control costs, increase production, and simply
have more fun and less stress in our business life, we have decided we
will no longer arrive at air shows by truck with trailer loaded full.
Instead we have decided to fly in, exhibit aircraft and
participate in educational forums. We can then be more visible by
being able to enjoy the show grounds more since we will not be tied to a
booth location, and then fly home after a few days.
The extreme time commitment, monetary investment and down time in
production has proven to be frivolous for us.
New prospects for our products come to us as references from
customers in addition to the business that our website brings us from
all over the world. We have
sincerely considered this decision and feel that this change will not
affect our business in an appreciable way.
Bud has worked so very hard in getting this business off the
ground and it is time for him to start participating in the air shows in
a way that is less stressful than it has in the past, and will allow him
and the rest of us to enjoy the show in a way we have never been able
to.
So, if you were planning on meeting with at the air shows, we will be
attending on Day 1 through Day 4 only.
Store our phone numbers in your cell phone so that you can catch
up with us there. Be sure to check the Forums schedule as well.
We will be posting them on our website as soon as they are made
available to us. If you are
a friend, current customer, past customer, or just someone who follows
our developments, we hope that these changes will not inconvenience you
and we are looking forward to seeing you again soon!
Regards,
Phyllis Ridings for Bud Warren
and the gang at Geared Drives
Phyllis Ridings cell 936-672-6639
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