After 23 Years of HARD Aviation Journalism, We Find It Exhausting To Keep Up Our Best Efforts

News/Information/Commentary by Jim Campbell, ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief

“How many times can a man turn his head, pretending that he just doesn’t see?” – Blowin’ In The Wind, Bob Dylan, 1962

It’s been a turbulent few weeks/months as the ravages of getting past the age of 60 (which some people bet big money I’d never see…) presented me with some pretty obnoxious medical stuff that took a while to deal with, and thankfully would appear to have done no lasting damage, despite the miserable effects of the malady… but the down time hasn’t meant that I’ve been idle… not by a long shot.

Unfortunately; in this period, an increasingly familiar series of complaints made to this news organization has accelerated, appears to be more pervasive than thought, and will present immense difficulties in researching and preparing these stories for publication -- if they meet the burden necessary for such.

The story is brutal… and is but one of hundreds that we’ve listened to over the years that makes us wonder how this industry can survive when such deplorable things occur… and in an industry that seems all but ignorant of the damage such travesties present.

As usual, I can predict that we will take serious heat for the story, if published, and some idiot(s) will drag us through the mud for daring to speak truth to power… in an industry that we KNOW to have been eroded immeasurably by the BS that has afflicted it from time to time. But that doesn’t mean we’ll back away from it all, or that the stories (if proven), shouldn’t be done.

Over the course of over 23 years of Aero–News history, it never ceases to amaze me that what has distinguished us over the years, is also that which afflicts us. It has occurred to me more than once, that we could have simply been a quasi-happy little aviation news site, and never stuck our nose into anything remotely controversial, and thereafter had a calm and happy life that would have been devoid of some of the hazards we’ve dealt with over the years.

It would have been safe… It would’ve been calm… It probably would’ve been boring as hell…

And, as safe as it may have made us, it sure as hell would’ve been worthless.

It ceased to be a surprise to me many years ago to get so many calls or emails that have often start so cautiously… “You’re the only one I think I can trust with this” or “everyone tells me you’re the only one who will even touch this story…”

In quite a few cases, the stories aren’t that difficult to deal with, and in many cases we haven’t had to do a story at all… Simply made some calls, studied the situation carefully, helped some conflicted people make sense where they couldn’t make it for themselves, and then stepped back. No story needed… but nonetheless a good result, instead.

Because we’ve always felt that it was better to do good things for aviation, then just good stories; we’ve missed the chance to do a few stories when we negated the very need for them by trying to be good aero-citizens and finding a solution.

And I’m comfortable with that…

Actually, I’m more than comfortable with that. I was born in a family of people who were heavily involved in the world around them, refused to ignore what was wrong, and helped to right things… and always celebrated what was right to begin with.

And so, my life mirrors much of that.

And yet, here we go again… we are again started on a troubling process that may be turn out to be one of the most brutal we’ve dealt with, in a long while. A serious set of complaints and reports has reached us that may, if true, cast a serious shadow over the aviation world.

I need to be very careful here, for the moment, not because of the flack we may take, but because people are trusting us, people believe in us, and the subject matter is so serious, that we dare not let them down.

Aviation, by and large, is truly a wonderful world, filled with amazing people – people who have been enriched and emboldened and encouraged by the fact that we work in a world that is pretty mostly wonderful… And rarely pitiful. But even aviation has its dirty little secrets… The things that have damaged it and will damage it far into the future. In the stories that have been related to us over the last several months, which has culminated in a decision on our part to pursue them, carefully, studiously, and responsibly, must be dealt with for fear that things can even get worse than they are.

And yet, I must admit that it’s amazing that we don’t suffer from PTSD as a result of some the stands we’ve had to take over the years… both for the viciousness that has befallen our fellow flyers here and there, as well as the attacks that have been aimed at us when we dared tell the Emperor it was time for a fashion makeover.

I know this is kind of mysterious, for that I apologize – for now. But when we come up against one of these really tough stories, we take a deep breath and remember just how dearly we’ve paid the price for being good journalists in a community that frankly (often) couldn’t give a rat’s ass about it. Mind you, I realize there are great many of you that appreciate this… But the sad part is there are a great many who do not – and many of them are people of influence, or who run associations, or who have voices that are all about maintaining the status quo -- not shaking things up, but avoiding the very hint of impropriety.

The problem with avoiding such issues, is that such problems often cover-up the damages and injuries that have occurred to real people with real feelings and real value inside and out of the aviation community… And I find such hesitation, if not ignorance, to be inexcusable.

Worse: I’ve heard from hundreds of people over the years that have been driven from this industry because of the bad deeds they’ve fallen victim to… and I know the actual number affected has to far exceed that which I’ve dealt with, personally.

So here we are… Ready to take on the dragons all over again, wondering if aviation will ultimately come to approve and support one of the last journalistic entities in the Aero-Verse that is willing to tell the truth even when it comes at such a high cost.

And so far, the evidence is not impressive.

Independent media (what’s left of it) is struggling and some pretty heavy handed tactics from some of the alphabets and other entities is part of it… but you’ll NEVER be able to depend on them for truly honest reporting—that’s never been their job and they plainly haven’t been interested…

So, what happens when the last of the independents, especially if that means us -- as the last and apparently only real journalistic outlet left willing to speak truth to power, decides it’s easier to make a living elsewhere? When no one is left to do the hard stories and everyone has devoted sponsor dollars to the associations because “you have to” to get their attention -- what happens to an aviation world that’s left to defend for itself against the noise, the lies, the cheating, the frauds, the bull, and the hype – and it doesn’t have an honest mouthpiece left with which to do so?

I think we represent something important… but more analytically, I think we represent a vital, if not critical, asset desperately needed by this industry… especially with the kind of stories we’re working on now.

At the same time, our path is more difficult than ever… more isolated than ever… and we truly worry that our efforts may not be all that is necessary to pull aviation out of many of its challenges. So long as we’re the only ones left to take on the really tough stories, and so long as we get attacked by those who think silence is better than corrective action and the light of truth, I worry about our collective future.

What say you?

Does this matter?

Is aviation truly salvageable?

Will the truth win out when troubling issues seek to bring us down – again and again?

Let me know your thoughts on this as we wade into the next series of battles for the soul of aviation… it’s YOUR welfare we prize and it’s YOUR access to aviation we’re trying to preserve. Let us know if we’re doing any good…

FMI: jim@aero-news.net