All Hail The Aero-Heroes of 2009!

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

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, 2009 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 2009 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 Ten persons/organizations or groups that qualify as our Aero-Heroes for 2009... in something of an informal order, starting from the 10th to the 1st. 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 list our Top Ten choices over the next few days's, but in order to kick off the New Year right, let's enjoy another selection from our Heroes List for 2009...

Aero-Heroes #8: America's FBO's and Flight Schools

While the deteriorating state of our nation's GA airports is more than a heartbreaker to us, we cannot but admire the day-to-day heroism (in our minds) of those who seek to serve the General And Business Aviation community with quality, dedication (and God help us), some sacrifice. I speak of the quality FBOs and Flight Schools that are struggling to stay alive in 'the economy from hell,' that are attempting to produce quality products at a time when sales are in the tank, and the nation has turned its back on them. One of the things that was truly evident in the dozens of airports we visited in 2009, was that there are phenomenal little companies running airports and flight schools, and providing outstanding service for surprisingly small dollars.

Like every pilot, I'm looking for the best deal I can so that I can fly as cost-effectively as possible, but I've also learned that paying for quality and service is ultimately the best value I can find. While I'm looking for the best fuel prices I can find (as are we all), I often deliberately use a number of known FBOs whose fuel prices are a bit more expensive than a nearby airport with a self-serve pump... but those are the same places that allow me to do my business as effectively as possible, provide the support that I need when I'm on the road, and save me far more in time and trouble than I might have saved at a self-serve pump a few runways away.

I am in awe of people who choose to make a go of running an FBO, or a Flight School, as I can't think of a more frustrating endeavor -- in this economy and with the attitudes in place on the part of our government officials -- not to mention being part of a community that flies not nearly as much as it used to and is more price-oriented than ever before -- even to the point where it's willing to pass over some airports with excellent services, in order to save $.20 a gallon of a self-serve pump at an unattended airport.

All across the country, I found FBOs run and staffed by people who wanted to help me get my mission done, who offered me great service, and who helped me get problems solved when I was hundreds and thousands of miles away from home. A good quality FBO is a jewel of no small measure, and like most jewels, the truly valuable ones are created by dedicated craftsman with great expertise and talent. I truly respect the majority of the FBOs that we ran into, who were trying to produce the most quality for the least bucks, and did it with astounding professionalism. So long as these FBOs can survive the current economic downturn, the future of GA can have great potential. Without them, we are lost.

On the other hand, the plight of today's flight schools are just as amazing and ponderous. The FAA has turned flight training into a game of rules instead of a skillset to be taught with passion and professionalism. As the cost of flight training skyrockets and the economy tumbles, it is becoming harder and harder to convince 'Mom And Pop America' that learning to fly is a great idea... but there ARE Flight Schools that are unwilling to take shortcuts, or otherwise do anything less than the best they can do, and once again these are the facilities that are going to grow a new generation of aviation -- if we support and encourage them. I call upon the aero-associations and the powers-that-be in the General Aviation and even the BizAv community to encourage and empower our flight schools with a great new tool that has the capability and capacity to revolutionize their livelihoods and the future of private aviation.

 I speak specifically of the Sport Pilot Program and Light Sport Aircraft... programs and concepts that heretofore have been bastardized and poorly sold for often bizarre reasons and not adequately supported by this industry. LSA has great potential. It also has a number of problems and complexities that need to be worked out before it can reach its true value, but the sooner this industry gets behind the concept of a more economical and positive Light Sport Aircraft movement, the healthier will be the business environment for flight schools, and help us all build a path that can bring more people into the aviation world at a time when we desperately need their numbers, their participation, their business, and their interest.

FMI: Comments/Criticism?