Aero-Linx!

Scouring the information super airways can sometimes be a tough, if educational, task for the Aero-News staff... but it also allows us to check out some truly neat and exciting sites, so it's not that bad a gig. On any given day, we may check dozens (and often hundreds) of different sources for story ideas, and facts confirmation. And, as is the nature of our business, much of this is done on the Internet.

The ANN gang decided we probably shouldn't keep some of the neat sites, info resources, and organizations we've discovered to ourselves... so we decided to bring you Aero-Linx. These are the sites that WE check out -- when we need added perspective, a new spin on a day's topic... or just want to escape into cyber-aero-space for awhile.

Look for some of our favorite sites, coming each day to ANN via Aero-Linx. Suggestions for future Aero-Linx segments are always welcome, as well.

Aero-Linx: The US Coast Guard Aviation Association

The organization called the Ancient Order of The Pterodactyl is the result of the hopes, aspirations and hard work of a small band of kindred spirits. In the spring of 1977, Andrew Wall, George F. Thometz, Marion 'Gus' Shrode, and Norman L. Horton, all retired Coast Guard aviators, informally organized a fraternal association open to all pilots who had flown or were flying Coast Guard aircraft. The organization was later expanded to include all personnel who flew in Coast Guard aircraft under official orders. Only those who have willfully placed themselves in harms way and have known that innermost feeling which comes from the personal experience which results in the saving of life or property can understand the bonding and uniqueness of Coast Guard aviation crewmembers.

FMI: www.aoptero.org/