Looking At The Low Points Of The Last Year Or So Reveals Much To Be Concerned About… But Who, How, and When Will The Industry React To Correct?

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

-Winston Churchill

The last few months have been exceptionally busy… so please excuse my not reaching out to you in a timelier manner. Still, in the meantime, I have been heavily engaged in projects that I feel will improve the lot of the aviation community.

At least, I hope they will.

There is much happening at the ANN Family Ranch.

We have a serious refit coming for Aero-News (the same one we’ve threatened for years… though THIS time, we’re serious), as well as some exciting new features for the Airborne programs… the work with the Bob Hoover Legacy Foundation has been far more difficult than expected… but also FAR more rewarding, and we’re about to dial it ALL up in a big way… and best of all, the future is looking better for all of our efforts than we’ve seen in many a year…

That is, so long as we don’t get lazy, or drop the ball.

But; even with so much to look forward to, it’s hard to ignore the smoke on the horizon.

When you look at recent events, there is a compelling amount of evidence to suggest that we (the ‘Aero-Verse’) are in some trouble… and that many (but not all) of those whom we once entrusted with providing some reaction and leadership appear to be asleep at the switch.

In a recent chat with other concerned flyers, we’ve discussed a litany of ‘low-points’ – items or incidents that continue to signal that aviation needs all the help it can get…

And, we aren’t getting it.

Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater…

It’s quite a list… in this case let me start at the beginning with a very basic association that ultimately supplies much of the foundation that aviation’s future aviators build their dreams on… The Academy of Model Aeronautics.

Well… AMA and aero-modelers all over America just got screwed (royally) by the FAA. The Feds, after years of signaling restraint and reason, clobbered the model aircraft industry with onerous and unreasonable restrictions that bode ill for the model aviation world. Now… remember that many of us, from moonwalkers to that kid who may solo next weekend, got their start with a model airplane… and that much of the aviation’s current prosperity is owed directly to the men and women who crafted this industry, plane by plane, after getting their start as an aero-modeler. The FAA’s restrictive, expensive position is BEYOND stupid and without explicable reason… not to mention counter-productive… and will have a lethal effect on our future, without doubt.

I don’t understand it, I certainly don’t condone it… and I think it’s one of the most foolish things the FAA has ever done… and that’s saying a lot.

Obstruct the future of model aviation and you obstruct the future of all of aviation and aerospace… period.

Airports… The FAA’s New Kill Zone

Speaking of foolish… when I first received the text message admitting that the FAA was abandoning the fight over Santa Monica, I was appalled, shocked, and stunned that the ultimate arbiter of KSMO’s future came from those who should have been on ‘our’ side. The decline in fortunes that has occurred since, is a travesty that should have been fought to the brink… and not just by the FAA, but by EVERYONE in aviation. The slippery slope that has resulted, signals that no airport is safe and that special interests will be allowed to trump the future of the aviation community to serve America, whenever they scream loud enough and/or can con/buy enough politicians to do things their way.

Worst of all was the fact that the decision to abandon Santa Monica signaled to the aviation world that the relationship our regulators once had with our industry had changed dramatically and perilously.  While the mandate to promote aviation had been inexplicably and inexcusably deleted from the FAA’s mission several years ago by lawmakers… it’s clear that they did not understand the aviation world, and its importance to America. This bizarre decision had the FAA taking an active role in destroying not just an indispensable airport, but a symbol that the aviation world had adopted as an example of how badly mistreated and undervalued aviation had become.

Santa Monica was a rallying point… and we needed it.

In doing so, the FAA may have created a schism that may never be healed. And as touchy as the relationship between the FAA in the rest of the aviation world had been at times, it certainly took the most aggressive turn, for the worse, we’d seen yet.

And do not understate or under appreciate the damage that was done… Just in the last few weeks a number of pivotal airports have come under renewed attack, San Jose among them, and its proof positive that no airport can ever feel safe again. Damn…

The Decline of the Aero-Alphabets

While it’s no secret that I, and much of the staff at ANN, have come to believe that the Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association, in particular, does not do the important job nearly as well as it used to… that does not mean that we do not want them to get their act together.

There is a truly distressing situation underway in that once proud organization. While they have some very serious staff and morale issues to deal with, and an HR nightmare or two (or three…), what’s particularly disturbing is that since the height of Phil Boyer’s outstanding leadership of the organization over a decade ago, the fortunes of the Association have dramatically declined. At the present time, and depending on whose information you trust or are listening to, the organization has lost a massive number of members.

The result? It is not remotely the organization it used to be.

Mind you, this is while Mark Baker pulled down some $1.5 million in benefits and salary in the most recent IRS form 990 report, and a number of other pivotal staffers are either pushing or exceeding a half million a year.

You really have to wonder what the organization’s membership is actually paying for. And whether they’re getting their money’s worth.

We’ve received hundreds of complaints and critical remarks about this organization… one’s in which they feel that AOPA has lost its mission focus, and is not nearly as responsive to the aviation world as it was in prior days. The decline in AOPA’s fortunes cannot be laid down to one problem, but several… But it’s clear that the organization seems to have lost much of its way, that an increasing number of its membership has become disenfranchised, and that its value to the community has been diminished.

Insiders tell me that the atmosphere in the organization can often be a negative one, and that they have little hope for change without a massive overhaul of its leadership and guidance. I see their point.

Hard Times

A number of noble aviation entities have hit hard times… Mooney had a frightening shut down, that appears to have been temporary though the company admits they’re looking for additional funding…

The Open Airplane project was recently shut down, and Redbird’s foray into the FBO business was shut down several months ago. I can give you another dozen examples of once proud aviation businesses that have run into serious issues, all for a variety of reasons, but centered around the fact that the aviation business, overall, is not nearly as healthy as it once was.

It has become convoluted, complicated, WAY over-regulated, exceedingly expensive -- and the result is that predicting the success or failure of an aero-business has become an erratic game of chance. I have the highest respect for anybody who wades into this business and tries to make a go of it… Especially having run ANN and associated enterprises for over 23 years now, but I can tell you without a doubt that there are far easier ways to make a living.

And… few in the aviation community are willing to face up to that fact.

Aero-Editorial Declines

On our side of the fence, I have to tell you that the precipitous decline in the health of aviation communications and journalism continues its breakneck dissent towards destruction. Far too many, if not a perilous majority, of the so-called publications that still exist have little interest in ethics and veracity, and are willing to do virtually anything for a buck. Admittedly; many do this because they have to. Publications that once ridiculed our decision to go online, full-time, over two decades ago have pretty much all made the decision to do so themselves… But at the same time, the once proud journalism that they presented to the aviation world has all but disappeared.

We read fluff where there should be expert detail, we read hype where there should be valid and credible judgment, and we read sensationalism where calm and rational analysis should have otherwise prevailed. I was recently astounded to read a so-called news site’s marketing page in which their editorial products were clearly for sale, without differentiation from the rest of their so-called reporting. Worse…many in the industry accept that… I have recently been asked by aviation companies how much it would cost for them to place stories in our editorial programming… i.e., “Paid Content.”

For those of you that have read ANN for more than a few days, it will be no surprise to you that I find that absolutely disgusting. ANN survived a lot of hard times, some that we created for ourselves (admittedly), but all accomplished in the name of trying to do the “right thing.”

Our ethics are not for sale.

Our professionalism is not for sale.

And our credibility is not for sale.

And we may be the only one left who can say that.

We proved that in fighting the Cirrus war (among other battles… though this was the worst)… and the brutal, unfathomable fact that we did it alone. Where other publications and associations should have joined our fight to conduct proper ethical journalism while under attack by that Chinese government-owned company and a vicious management structure that resorted to lies, threats, legal assaults and other types of interference; the rest of aviation hid their heads in the sand, thanked God that they weren’t the ones under attack, and cashed Cirrus checks without any hesitation. Since then, the editorial prostitution in this industry has escalated dramatically… and Cirrus still BS’es much of the aviation world with little fallout.

Online Smoke and Mirrors

As the first true adopter of the online world for aviation media and communications, the Aero-News Network knew that the online revolution was likely to be a double-edged sword.

But, it’s more convoluted than we feared.

Over the last few years we’ve watched moronic instant experts start populating social media, the video syndicators, and other media outlets, with some of the most God-awful tripe we’ve ever seen.

Looking over YouTube recently, we see videos getting a massive amount of attention, from people making enormous pronouncements about the suitability or quality of products, a number of which don’t even exist anymore, or for which they have no specific experience, producing qualitative judgments without the proper credentials.

I see scads of ‘10 best planes’ videos (or similarly styled offerings), produced by people who barely have a private pilot’s license. I see some of these produced by people who have never flown the airplanes (and aren’t even qualified to do so) … And relying on outside B-Roll footage and older videos questionably remixed to get the most hits. Mind you, some of these people are highly entertaining, and may be pretty good on camera or in other social media venues, but they present insufficient credentials, no credible background, and so little reliability that I fear for what happens to the people who actually believe this “Bravo Sierra.”

Garbage In… garbage out.

And On The Other Hand, Much of the Aero-World Can’t Communicate

On the other hand, when it comes to proper marketing and communications within the aviation community, I have to tell you that the quality of what we’ve seen in the last few years has taken a dramatic turn for the worse.

From massive high dollar communities such as that found at NBAA, to Oshkosh and Sun ‘n Fun -- and even to the sport aviation community; the ability of companies and their staff to effectively communicate what they do, who they are, and transmit credible detail about what they want to do for the aviation world has become something of an amateur hour.

We go to trade shows, where companies who spent big dollars to exhibit, have no clue about how to talk to potential customers, don’t even understand their own product lines, use poorly trained booth personnel or salespeople, show little inclination to reach out and engage a potential customer, and simply have lost focus about how to make a contact and build a relationship with the potential customer based on solid info, and true professionalism.

Looking over a few recent tradeshows, we found glaring lapses in over two thirds of the presentations and programs we sampled. The aviation world has become a tough place to do business… But one of the principal reasons for that is that too many of the people in it have forgotten how to do business, to begin with.

Some years ago, our dear friend, Dr. David Juwel, termed the issue as being ‘ITBOA BNITBOB’ -- an acronym that stood for “In the Business of Aviation… But NOT in the Business of Business.” Dave is a smart guy, and what was true some years ago when he coined that phrase is even more so, now. I have to wonder how healthy our aero-business might otherwise be if we ‘upped’ our game in terms of the quality, credibility and professionalism of our marketing and communications.

Another Enemy – General Media and Other Instant Experts

The aviation world has become the whipping boy for sensationalist general media pseudo-journalistic meatheads who are looking for a splashy headline that has little or no basis in reality. And it’s not just that they don’t know any better, it seems that they just don’t give a (expletive deleted). Upon reading their aero-ignorant drivel, the groundhog world thereafter makes up its mind about the value of aviation based on what they read from these general media idiots – and is tragically misled as a result.

A few recent aviation tragedies not only saw errant/poor coverage from the so-called popular media, but came under extraordinary criticism within hours of an accident by elected officials who I’m fairly sure couldn’t spell the word aileron without looking it up in a dictionary, much less the AIM. The gut-wrenching B-17 crash in Connecticut, a few months ago, was a particularly low point… With one anti-aviation lawmaker in particular, (the ever despicable Senator Richard Blumenthal--shown here) spewing forth rhetoric, hyperbole, threats of overt over-regulation, and guesswork -- while the general media (who should have been looking for answers that were to come from experts like the NTSB over a proper period of time), negated all that and just made it up as they went along.

It was a vicious affront to our community, a horrendous insult to the memories of that extraordinary crew and the people on board, and a continuing example of how aviation has failed to get the respect of the outside world.

Politicizing Aviation Certification and Other Processes

One of the most egregious series of stories undertaken by the general media and splashed across media publications the world over, has been the continuing guesswork and sensationalism surrounding the Boeing 737 Max.

People from within the flying communities that have true knowledge of that airframe, and the systems in question, are rarely quoted, and often misunderstood. The so-called reporters thereafter have turned some admittedly sloppy engineering into one of the worst political footballs in aviation history. Aviation certification programs, by and large, work reasonably well, and while they are not without their faults, the resultant media and political hysteria has brought current certification programs to their knees and signaled the aviation world that things are not going to get easier, timelier, or more cost-effective in the future. Seriously; this is going to get MUCH uglier, people

Rather than conducting a careful and dispassionate look at the highs and lows of our certification environment these days; what will undoubtedly come to pass as a result of the political football game in place, is a highly bureaucratic, politicized, mess that will cost the aviation world dearly and may make things less safe, as a result.

Airline Greed and Misbehavior

Mind you, as difficult as some of these issues have become, much of aviation’s current poor public image is the fault of some of those within our ranks.

The decline in service, the escalation in costs, and the often cantankerous way people are forced to travel by airline… via TSA manhandling, airline money grabs, cramped seating, surly and mistreated cabin crews and airport staff, gross scheduling delays and many other factors, have given the once somewhat glamorous world of air travel a new reputation somewhat akin to traveling on a Greyhound bus in rural America. The airline industry’s credo of greed, adhering to the bottom line, incessant cost-cutting, mistreatment of their personnel, and the desire for 100% load factors, has made aviation, and specifically airline travel, yet another punchline in the awful joke that much of the industry has become.

OK… The Rant Is Nearly Over… For Now

Okay folks… This is not necessarily the time of year for such a long rant.

However, I see a common thread in ALL of this.

I find myself thinking back to the aviation community that existed as late as the 1990s, especially at a time when I was fighting to get Bob Hoover reinstated after the FAA conducted a medical certificate style lynching.

This was back in the days before Aero-News, when my paper magazine efforts took upwards of 90 days to see reality and get into the hands of our readers… But it was also a time when the aviation community came together in ways that I so very sincerely miss.

We cared about each other.

We cared about our future.

We got involved.

We talked with each other, mostly respectfully, and certainly critically and politely -- and when one of us was threatened, especially in the Bob Hoover case, it wasn’t hard to get the support of others in aviation in the quest for a solution.

I miss those days more than I can tell you.

So… Let me tell you this… What I’m trying to get to, in a pretty circuitous and long-winded way, is a simple fact: if we want to have a better future for aviation, and aviators from all walks of life, we dearly need to rebuild our community.

We need stronger organizations.

We need to respect the lessons we’ve learned.

We need to respect each other.

We need to work together.

And we need to be involved, actively and aggressively, in the future were trying to build.

We need not be overtly afraid of bad news or unsolved problems – we should embrace them as the path to better solutions and a more prosperous future.

We need far better and more honest marketing and communications from the companies that are trying to build good businesses within aviation.

Aviators need to reach out to each other and support those who are running into difficulties.

We need to look for and embrace new tools to reach out to and relate to one another… and build the knowledge, comradery and dedication to the good of the Aero-Verse that once existed…

And ultimately, we simply need, again, to rebuild our community into a powerful, synergistic, friendly, entity that seeks the well-being of all flyers and other members of the aviation world, so that not only will our own interests be protected, but we will be building a better future for the next kid who walks up to an airport fence and dreams of doing what so many of us have SO taken for granted… or forgotten.

Some time ago, I had a pretty solid idea about one small but significant effort that could be made to jumpstarting the rebuilding of the community that aviation needs and deserves… We even had some backing for it and support that ultimately failed us.

It was a crushing disappointment… But an excellent lesson.

I haven’t given up on it, I keep honing the concept, but I’ve also come to the realization that unless something unexpected happens, we’re pretty much on our own in creating a next-generation effort to jumpstart the aviation community and give it back its spirit and backbone.

And yes, I’m working on.

I’ll always be working on it.

And someday, maybe, I may even succeed.

But in the meantime, please understand and appreciate what we’re trying to do, the truth were trying to tell, our passionate embrace of all things that are good and right in aviation, our dedication to skipping the ‘Bull’ and tell you what’s wrong as well, and our truly sincere desire to be a part of the solution in a fragmented community that has been torn apart by dissension, BS, and a lack of concern for the future.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

More to come…

FMI: jim@aero-news.net