2004 is history... and what a year it was here at ANN
Central
By ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell
Wow... did this year
REALLY happen?
I can barely enumerate all the amazing things that were a part
of our lives this year. This year we played with Spaceships, had a
ringside seat to history (time and time again), played in Lunar
gravity with Buzz Aldrin (the first time he had experienced that
degree of weightlessness since returning from the moon, as shown
below), took some of the most published photographs of the year,
flirted with a few pretty girls... some of whom actually flirted
back, wrote more stories than we can count, worked with amazing
people and darned if I didn't personally log more Zero Gravity time
than some of the early astronauts. Holy smokes...
Better yet, we at ANN played a growing and highly
visible role in keeping the aviation world informed, educated
and safer. We worked HARD, in partnership with some of the finest
aviators and aviation professionals in the world. We traveled to
nearly every corner of the globe, seeking the truth of the value
that aviation offers to our planet as well as the hazards
it must face. It was a staggeringly busy and complex year...
but despite all the excitement, hot aircraft and neat places, it
was the people that amazed us most of all. We met extraordinary
flyers whose love of aviation has spurred them on to amazing
things, and in return, given the aviation and aerospace world some
incredible moments. Best of all, we became good friends with some
exceptional people, most notably the folks of Scaled Composites,
the Zero G Corporation, The X Prize Foundation, Eclipse, AOPA,
Diamond, AEA, Cirrus, NBAA, Lancair, the FAA, EAA, and so many MANY
other bright shining lights in the aviation universe.
As fun as it has been, we've never worked harder in our lives.
20 hour days are not unusual. Holiday and weekend time-off is
a joke. We've gone days on end with little or no sleep
(especially during Oshkosh, the AOPA Expo, or the NBAA Convention).
We're nearly always tired and staving off burn-out. It's
not the highest paying gig in the world and we're always in need of
more help and staffing... but we're having the best time of our
lives. No kidding. This gig ROCKS.
The reason we mention
all this is simple... we're living good and valuable lives doing
something we love in the company of people we respect and
admire.
It's a good life... No, it's a GREAT life -- and as 2004 ends
and 2005 starts its takeoff roll, we wish you the same... a GREAT
life... filled with great people, a valued mission, people who care
for you, a sense of fulfillment and a true understanding of
your place in a world that benefits from the good and decent work
you do... That's about the nicest things we can think of to wish
upon those we care for... and if you're a part of ANN, that means
YOU.
Thank you for the trust you place in us and the responsibility
you've given us... we won't let you down.
Happy HAPPY New Year...
All the best...
Jim Campbell, ANN Editor-in-Chief... on
behalf of the amazing people who comprise the Aero-News Network...
Pete, Juan, Kevin, John, Aleta, Rose, John, Chris, Birgit and the
rest of the funny farm!