Will the last one out the door …

One of the beautiful things about Oshkosh is the self-deception: Stand in the middle of the crowded grounds, teaming with people and aircraft, and you can enjoy the momentary illusion that aviation is actually a popular, well-attended activity.

Editorial Staff

Friday, August 01, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The author observed notably lower attendance and thinner crowds at Oshkosh this year, suggesting a decline in public engagement with aviation despite new product announcements.
A recent survey on aviation upgrades received significantly fewer responses than a similar 2008 survey, indicating either owners are delaying spending or fewer people are consuming aviation media.
These trends collectively highlight a troubling erosion of aviation as a popular interest and habit, potentially hindering the industry's ability to sell new products and attract new participants.

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The illusion gets harder to maintain each year because age (and time spent working beside Paul Bertorelli) forms an ever-thickening cynical crust. This year should have marked a brightening in the aviation outlook—there were major product announcements from $515,000 diesel-powered Skylanes to $1000 combo ADS-B/GPS/AHRS units that turn your iPad into a handheld glass panel and fit in your pocket (see page 17). But it was notably lacking in what Oshkosh is almost always good for: people.