choppergirl
Well-Known Member
Mockup Above
I'm looking at the prices for Oshkosh ($50/day) and Sun N Fun ($40/day), and I'm like, you know what, I bet they're just charging that much to keep the poor like myself out. The pilots fly in, the show don't pay the pilots anything to show up, and their sticking it to the venders big time, so yeah... why $50 and not $5, and why $40 and not $4? Why not priced like a movie ticket someone like me could afford...? There's only one reason. To keep me out.
I'm sure some of you are just fine with that, keep the public out. But not me. I want to bring airplanes right up to the people where they can touch them, and not have to pay through the nose to do it, or get hauled off by airport security if they do. Into places where you would not otherwise see an airplane.
It occurred to me, my ultralight hauling trailer is about finished, I'm about to pick up the Poorgirl, and David built some kickass folding wing mechanisms into it. I can compete in the public eye and bring aviation to those where there is no competition or entrance fee at all.
I'm thinking, bam, as soon as I get back and get my own colors on this bird, I can take my Flying Circus on the road. If I spin it as an attraction getter free event for a store, and can get an A-OK blessing from a store manager or retail strip mall area, I can unfold my wings in any parking lot just about anywhere you would never, ever typically see an airplane, and just leave it right up there on the trailer with out stretched wings.
Just park it in the most unused far end corner of the parking lot, like those people who park their RV's overnight do, maybe put a few orange safety cones around it, unfold those wings for shade, and set me up a lawn chair and be an ambassador to la publica and le poor, and let them see an airplane up close, touch it, even sit in it and move those controls, and imagine themselves flying it. Answer any questions and just have a blast and a good time. Have fun with it. It's my hobby. Tie some balloons to the trailer or something, have a nice little informational sign people can read if their too shy to talk to me. Have a play list going.
I'm thinking to start, like in front of Harbor Freight, with a sign that says "Built with Harbor Freight Tools" or in a Walmart parking lot, because man I burned through the Walmart generic Ice Cream sandwiches and Dr. Pepper building the trailer. Grocery Stores, Malls, Parks, anywhere I could pull a 20ft trailer in with a pick'em up truck. Detach the truck and move it a few spaces over out of the way, so the plane and trailer only takes up 3 or 4 parking spaces. I could do colleges and high schools, but I kind of got an axe to grind with most of them on principal, but... it's an idea.
I would so smoke the local EAA chapter for visibility, which has sequestered itself out of public view for public awareness.
Ideas for locations? Opinions? Feedback? Vitriol? Just plain daft? Total Awesomeness? Odd and unsual, but original?
I think it would add an extra fun dimension to an otherwise grueling experience I've had with this hobby. It's about time for some payoff and upside to this for me, because at no point building the trailer did I have any fun whatsoever. It was all just brutal work.
