Did You Hear That? Thank The Green Gang

By ANN Correspondent Rose Dorcey

It's a perfectly coordinated office that even Martha Stewart would envy… green shag carpet, green curtains, green garbage can and a green fly swatter. Above the green Lazyboy hangs a matching green light fixture. I look outside, through the green curtains, and see a green Volkswagen pull up. Moments later a man walks in the office, wearing a green hat and vest. His name? Green One.

His real name is Ron Scott, "Scottie" to his friends. Scottie is the leader of over 50 EAA Volunteers who call themselves, aptly, the "Green Gang". They are the folks who construct and maintain all the communications efforts up and down the flightline at Oshkosh.

Scottie, a volunteer with 45-years of service to EAA, is an AT&T retiree, who brings his vast communications experience to Oshkosh as the Communications Chairman. He met Paul Poberezny in 1959, and the two became friends. Soon, Scottie good-naturedly says that he was "roped into" setting up communications at Rockford, and then in Oshkosh.

"It started out, there were three of us at Rockford," Scottie recalled. "Paul borrowed four handheld radios from the Guard, and we had just six PA speakers."

Today, at Oshkosh, there are 86 speakers "on the line". There are PA systems on the Seaplane Base, the North 40, and the Ultralight areas, and on the vast AirVenture Tram System. There are 45 telephones up and down the flightline, and 250 radios. The group depends on local volunteers to set up and tear down. They operate the telephone switchboard 24-hours a day.

Scottie also works with the folks at EAA Radio - a low-powered station for folks on the AirVenture grounds, but broadcasted worldwide on the Internet.

Several weeks before each AirVenture event, the "Green Gang" assembles four-day work parties. They fix broken wires and damaged cables. During the event, they "put out fires" to keep lines of communication open. The group is self-sufficient, in that they provide their own food and parts. Among the gang are qualified, technically-knowledgeable people who can build something out of nothing.

"We have MacGyver-type people here," Scottie explained. "They make sure all communications are ready when the Convention begins. We have several families who come from all over the United States and Canada to help. Sometimes, all members of the family help out - moms, dads and kids."

"We have a lot of fun," said Scottie, as he walks to the green fridge for a soda. "There are about 55 to 60 of us who work here, men and women, young and old. We have known each other for years, and we all get along great. There is a lot of razzing among us, but it's all in fun. We're like family."

FMI: www.airventure.org