Have you ever held an event, perhaps for work, where a party is advertised for, say, three hours but everyone has left after two hours except that one lonely and annoying guy who just wants to hang with you because he has no one else to spend time with? And, you have to stay ’cause the announcement said the party wouldn’t be over yet? Well, that’s a bit how the kit vendors seem to feel about the last weekend of AirVenture.Anyone who has stayed at AirVenture through the bitter end knows that most pilots have flown off to home by noon on Saturday and the weekend vibe is definitely more of a state fair with a very cool air show rather than an aviation gathering. Yet, the vendors must stay open despite a distinct decrease in interest from visitors. As I cruised through the homebuilt kit manufacturers area on Saturday, lots of folks were dragging their toddlers in wagons and strollers to see the war birds but our friends at the Kitfox, Rans, Sonex, and other kit manufacturers booths were twirling their thumbs and checking out their phones. Some even privately call Sunday “Vendor Visiting Day”. They report a good week overall but things pretty much grind to a halt on the weekend.
So, if you are considering a new project and would like some quality, one-on-one time with factory representatives, try coming in for the last weekend. They’ll likely welcome someone with serious interest.
