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!