I agree about ebb and flow through the years, but after 39 EAA annual conventions/fly-ins including 3 at Rockford, I detect ebb and flow during the course of these annual individual weeks as well, and sometimes even during individual days. This year’s airshows were great, I got to indulge my major crush on Julie Clark one last time, and the USAF’s recruiting tools/aircraft demos were impressively spectacular. The Workshop area had plenty of buzz. Many people I talked to as they passed through have pulled the trigger (financially speaking) and committed to beginning the homebuilt project of their dreams. Many of these folks were talking about building from plans, an area of interest that seems to be having a rebound over the past few years. Some were experienced RV builders who wanted another project that was “not an RV” so maybe, when they finish, the variety will be something more than how much $$$ in the panel and which hot rod shop did the paint. After a couple of years in basements and garages, maybe AvWeb will be reporting on a whole new crop of Experimentals out on the flightline with their proud builders. Because, though the “New & Improved” fades quickly from Product and Product Lines (ho-hum), each one of those airplanes will have been completed by a new manufacturer.