This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016

Thunder Over Georgia

On behalf of the Middle Georgia Military Affairs Committee and the residents of Middle Georgia, thank Col. Jeff King, Commander 78^th Air Base Wing for bringing the Thunder Over Georgia Air Show to our community. It was a remarkable weekend of excitement for all ages as we enjoyed this tremendous event that showcased the incredible agility and capabilities of both the United States Air Force and Robins Air Force Base.

Robins Air Force Base is certainly the economic engine that drives Middle Georgia. We are continually mindful of its immense economic impact in our region and thankful for the opportunity to provide a home to Robins AFB. Yet, it’s the work and mission of Robins of which we are most proud. The everyday duties that Team Robins performs and many take for granted, ensure our freedom, support the American way of life, and promote peace throughout the world. We, the residents of Middle Georgia, are proud to support you and this vital mission. Thank you again for sharing this special event with us and for your service to this country.

Fix the bullet point fix

There’s nothing like a good air show to bring an Air Force town together on a clear-and-a-million blue sky weekend. I can’t count the number of air shows I’ve seen in my life, having grown up in seacoast of New Hampshire, where the (former) Pease Air Force Base was home to the 509^th Bomb Wing.

Watching the Thunderbirds perform is one memory I’ll always cherish from my childhood — and I shared that with my own young kids Saturday. But the last two air shows I’ve attended have one glaring problem, and it’s a shame, because it’s one that is so easily solved: moving a large crowd from point A to point B is not a top-secret hidden art. Disney does it every single day with its eyes closed.

I am not writing as some disgruntled citizen. In the 1990s I served three consecutive times on the Robins Air Show committee. I supervised a hundred or more Civil Air Patrol cadets and senior members from all over Georgia. Obviously, 9/11 changed everything, security-wise. No longer can most civilians park on base, and that means large numbers of people have to move from remote parking to and from the flight line. What I saw Saturday tells me that the disease of “we have to do what we did last time” has infected the air show organizers.

In 2014, the air show added 40 buses from the previous event to move the estimated 180,000 people from remote parking. In 2012, the long lines and hot sun caused several people to pass out. The lines were up to three hours long. Not much had changed in 2016 — the lines were just as long and the sun was just as hot. Except this year, the Air Force passed out free water for attendees leaving the base. This is an example of “change nothing but the one lessons-learned bullet” attitude. Nobody wants to rewrite the book.

Take it from me, there were plenty enough air show volunteers and personnel to handle the crowds. They were just doing it wrong. Here are some pointers from the crowd handling bible that could be used for the next air show, if someone is willing to do more than just fix things one bullet point at a time.

▪  Set up one line entry point at the parking lot and at Robins Air Force Base. Don’t let the line grow organically — manage it using real estate. Don’t make people walk to the end of the line, manage where the line starts.

▪  Those “cattle pens” used at Hartsfield airport and Walt Disney World are there for a reason. Lines move better when they start wide and then narrow down. Managing the line using a switchback also makes it easier to strategically place water stations or fans with water vapor to keep attendees cool while they wait. Use the hangars on base to manage the departure lines so nobody waits in the sun for an hour or more.

▪  Make it very clear where the “no bags” and the “have bags” line begins. Many people with no bags were unnecessarily standing in the very long “have bags” line.

▪  Double or triple the number of people searching bags. I saw lots of people in uniform standing around or walking back and forth. There’s no need for all the line marshals if switchbacks are used. Put them on the search tables.

▪  Have one “dispatcher” for the line and one “loader” for each bus. The dispatcher counts people and directs them to a bus line until that line is full. The loader gets them on the bus. Train the dispatcher and loaders in 10 minutes. Maybe this was the plan, but it wasn’t being done.

▪  Monitor line length and place “minutes to wait” signs. If I show up at noon and the line is three hours long, I’m not going to bother. But if I don’t know the line is only an hour, how can I plan?

▪  People who parked on base were standing in the bus line. Have two lines: on-base parking (just leave) and bus with different entry points.

I absolutely love going to the air show and plan to continue bringing my family. I think the selfless volunteers and air show committee members cannot be thanked enough for their sacrifice. Most parts of the air show are done perfectly, which is why so many people come. Hopefully, the one area that can ruin a first-timer’s day can be fixed next time if someone is willing to throw away the bullet point fix.

Get out of the way

In response to Carolyn Effie’s recent letter urging readers to support Amendment 1 in November’s election, I must disagree. For those unfamiliar with Amendment 1, it would — if approved by the voters — allow state government to label any school as failing, if that school does not meet target test scores for its entire student body. This would lead to a state takeover of local school systems, meaning that principals and teachers could be replaced by people from outside the local district, all in the name of improving student achievement.

I have been a Georgia high school teacher for 37 years and I can say this about test scores: They tell you only one thing, and that is how well one student did on that one day, and on that one test. And for Effie to state that poverty is a “lame excuse” is flat wrong. My colleagues and I work with every high school student in our county. Some have special needs and many are poor. These are realities, not excuses.

Effie also refers to “pathetic teachers.” Let her come and try to do what we do, for just one day. She’ll find out, first-hand, that the only thing we’re not is pathetic. If Gov. Deal wants to improve education in Georgia, he and all the other politicians should get out of our way and let us do what we do best: teach.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016."