All Hail The Aero-Heroes of 2010!

Final Compilations by ANN Editor-In-Chief/Trouble-Maker, Jim Campbell

Aero-Note: SORRY to keep dragging this process out... but for reasons that will become evident shortly, these are BUSY days at ANN. Still; I wanted to finish these before the end of January and I'm not quite there yet... though I hope to finish the final two in each category this week... we shall see. In the meantime, wait til you see what we've been up to... -- Jim Campbell-ANN E-I-C

It is both the most "fun," and most difficult, task facing the ANN staff at the end of every year -- determining who, or what, did the most to promote the cause of aviation in the past 365 days... while also chastising those people or entities that did all they could to undermine the many successes the aviation/aerospace community has managed to accomplish.
 
Thankfully, 2010 was a year in which we saw the best and brightest among us step forward and work tirelessly on behalf of us all. No doubt about it... the challenges we faced in 2010 were numerous, and ongoing... so was the quality of expertise and passion brought to our defense by those who heroically demonstrated to the world the very best side of aviation... via their deeds, words and actions.
 
It is ANN's honor to recognize persons/organizations or groups that qualify as our Aero-Heroes for 2010...  in something of an informal order -- Saving the 'best' for last. Let us know what you think of our selections... whom YOU would have liked be included or omitted from such a list. In the meantime, we thank the folks who made this year's list. Thank you, folks... we really needed you this year, and you didn't let us down.

ANN will finish our Top choices over the next few day's, but let's enjoy another selection from our Heroes List for 2010...

Aero-Hero: Cessna and Jack Pelton

Heroes are getting hard to come by... and sometimes they show up quietly and make themselves known with a series of sensible good deeds that keep coming and coming and coming... while all those around them seem to be do little more than run around in circles bemoaning the falling skies.

That might be the best way to explain how we feel about Cessna... both the company and its leadership. While no one will call this the most exciting company in GA, they have this amazing habit of not always being the first to market with the latest thing... until they study it carefully and get it right... often a bit after all the Johnny-Come-Latelies have folded their tents. 

Cessna has had a tough few years... they've been decimated by the Washington dunderheads that screwed up the economy and then victimized the same brand of aviation that they covet for their own use... standing up to mouth ridiculous barbs that were short on fact and heavy on knee-jerk hysteria... while heading off to go home on BizJets paid for by you and I. Through all this, Cessna has stood steadfast, made the tough decisions and managed to stay alive and make headway wherever they could... while still getting their LSA to market, developing an exciting new generation of Citations, and starting work on an exciting single-engine turbine project. Bowed, they may be... but beaten, they are not -- Heck, not by a long shot.

And yet, when you need guts, Cessna, and in particular, Jack Pelton, seems to find it. When the rest of the industry was afraid to confront Washington Cessna and Pelton stood up and spoke truth to power. There are only a few who could do this with the credibility of Cessna and Pelton and its good to know that he stands ready to do so again.

Thanks, Jack... keep up the good work.

FMI: www.cessna.com