SPECTATORS ALLOWED ON PARKING AREA WHERE WARBIRD ACFT READYING FOR OSHKOSH FLY-IN. GND PERSONNEL CLRED AREA FOR START UP; TAXI; AND TKOF. FAA REPRESENTATIVE NOT HAPPY.

Narrative

THIS EVENT OCCURRED DURING THE 'LAKE LAWN WARBIRD FLY- OUT' DURING THE EAA 'OSHKOSH' CONVENTION. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN AN ARR WINDOW OF XX30 TO XY30 LCL BACK AT OSH. AT ABOUT XZ45 WE WENT BACK TO THE PLANES AND PREPARED FOR DEP. WE DISCOVERED THAT THE FIELD HAD BEEN OPENED TO SPECTATORS AND THEY WERE IN AND AMONG OUR PLANES. WE MOUNTED UP AND WAITED FOR THE GND PERSONNEL TO CLR THE AREA. MY PLANE WAS PARKED ON THE RAMP IN FRONT OF A DISPLAY OF MIL VEHICLES; WITH SEVERAL 'OFFICIALS' THERE. RECOGNIZING THE SAFETY PROBLEMS OF SO MANY SPECTATORS; I WAITED UNTIL THE AREA WAS SUFFICIENTLY CLR; AND HAD A FELLOW WARBIRD PLT ORGANIZING THE MARSHALLING OF THE AREA SO WE COULD SAFELY START ENGS AND TAXI OUT. THE AREA AROUND OUR PLANES ON THE S RAMP WAS CLR OF SPECTATORS BEFORE WE DID SO. THEN; THE UNICOM OPERATOR CAME ON AND INSTRUCTED US TO USE RWY 36 (WE HAD ARRIVED ON 18; WINDS WERE LIGHT) BECAUSE OF THE CROWDS TO THE N OF THE RAMP. OUR FLT (4 MTRS) TAXIED TO THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 36 AND COMPLIED WITH UNICOM INSTRUCTIONS TO HOLD UNTIL THE N END OF THE RWY WAS CLRED. WE THEN AWAITED UNICOM INSTRUCTIONS; AND THEY NOTIFIED US MINS LATER THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR DEP (THE AREA WAS SECURE). AN SMA HAD BEEN WAITING AT RWY 18 (HE MISSED THE CALL TO USE 36; I GUESS); AND WE COMMUNICATED WITH HIM. WE DECIDED TO LET HIM DEPART 18 BEFORE WE DEPARTED 36; DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF PLANES WAITING TO USE 36. AS FAR AS I CAN SEE; THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO SAFETY VIOLATION ON OUR PART. AS A MATTER OF FACT; WE TOOK GREAT PAINS AND WAITED UNTIL THE AREA WAS SECURE BEFORE ENG START AND TAXI. WE HAD GND PERSONNEL TO ENSURE THE CONTINUED SAFETY OF OUR OP ON THE RAMP. WE HAD UNICOM COORDINATING OUR ACTIVITIES; AND WE WERE IN COM WITH THE OTHER PLTS OPERATING ON THE ARPT. OUR ACTIVITIES WERE ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE AS PRESENTED TO US; TO ALLOW US TO ARRIVE DURING OUR WINDOW AT OSH. THE PROBLEM THAT PRECIPITATES THIS RPT IS THAT I HEARD LATER FROM ONE OF THE WARBIRD DIRECTORS THAT AN FAA REPRESENTATIVE WAS PRESENT; AND HE WAS FUMING MAD ABOUT ALLEGED UNSAFE OP; AND RPTEDLY HAD TAKEN DOWN 'N- NUMBERS.' I WANTED THE RECORD TO BE CLR AS TO THE NATURE OF OUR CONDUCT THAT DAY. I WOULD CONTRADICT ANY SUCH ALLEGATION TO SAY THAT WE WERE IN TRUTH BEING EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS IN OUR OP.