If You Have An Event/Announcement To Publicize, Tell Us Now

For you, AirVenture 2004 in Oshkosh will be a chance to see the latest and greatest in general aviation, check out some very informative seminars and hear some of the brightest lights in aviation speak on topics ranging from SpaceShipOne, to the latest GA wunderships, to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

For us, it's going to be another kick-butt year of covering the single biggest event in GA. At Oshkosh, we'll have a presence unlike any other news service. Oh, sure, you'll still see us walking just about everywhere; but you'll also notice our prominent on-site headquarters, located in the Press/Media compound. The "ANN Mobile HQ" isn't any kind of booth, where we'd ordinarily be handing out trinkets -- it's a 21st-Century electronic marvel, where we will communicate with the WOW (World Outside Wisconsin).

This Mobile HQ enables us to do even more for you, to provide a great place to conduct interviews, learn about new products, conduct business, and get the message of Oshkosh out to the world, while affording the world some way to get its information to us. We plan on posting "visiting hours" throughout the show, when we'll be available to meet you! We trust you'll like what it can do, even though (unless you're at Oshkosh) you probably won't know it's there!

The Team For 2004

ANN ushers in the next century of aviation with a mixture of OSH veterans and newcomers to AirVenture 2004. Among them:

Publisher/E-I-C Jim Campbell

For over 30 years, Jim Campbell has told the world of aviation what no one else dared to... the truth. He's worked as a test pilot, stunt pilot, flight instructor (CFI/A/I/ME/H), you name it... he flies fixed wing, rotorcraft, single/multi-engine, gliders, balloons, ultralights, jets, warbirds, antiques... the works. In addition to his highly acclaimed flight tests, product reviews, personality profiles, editorials, photo essays, exciting magazine covers, and amazing stories about the world of aviation, Campbell also told the flying public that there were products and manufacturers out there who did not tell the truth or were actually dangerous, and that many of the entities that we had learned to trust as Aviators, especially the FAA, simply could not be trusted. To many, he was a hero, to a few others, he was the loudmouth who screwed up their scams... so he fought many battles, and while he never actually lost a single fight, he sure got his nose bloodied a few times... None-the-less, Campbell is the guy that never gave up on doing the right thing for the world of aviation... and all the flyers he's come to care so very much about. That's why he's the guy "who takes the blame" at ANN.

Editor Pete Combs

A veteran broadcast journalist, IFR pilot and aviation enthusiast, Pete Combs took over the editorial duties at ANN earlier this year. In addition to his work with ANN, he's been a tireless advocate for aviation among the working journalism community.. and become the guy "in the know" to many who now look to him for info on all things aeronautical. He's promised to bring more hard-hitting news to our news service, with concise and pertinent stories that range from aerospace to sport aviation (or "asteroids to ultralights," as we like to put it). Pete's done amazing things in his time with ANN and has been instrumental in shaping it into one of the most powerful forces in aviation and aerospace news.

Associate Editor Juan Jimenez

ANN owes a lot to the great work done by Juan Jimenez--even if it has almost killed him once or twice...

The (self-described) 'crazy Puertorican' in the picture has been flying or fixing things in airplanes since 1974, and currently owns a BD-5J Microjet built in Australia and now being prepared for the airworthiness inspection.  He has flown a variety of aircraft, including Grumman trainers, Cessna singles and twins, Mooney's, Aeronca's, Citabrias and even a Stinson 108 experimental in Argentina, on a day where airports were categorized by how many dogs and cats came out to greet you after landing.

He served in the US Marine Corps from 1978 to 1982 as a line avionics and electrical systems technician, and worked on CH-46A/E/F's, CH-53D's, U-11's, T-39's and C-9B's in the Station Operations and Engineering Squadron at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina, and in HMM-161 at the now-defunct MCAS(H) Tustin in California.

He is married to a beautiful Argentinian artist, Liliana Folta, and has one 13-year-old son, Gustavo. If you see him during the show and have a story to tell or new product to talk about, flag him down, he's always looking for something cool to write about -- and he's an easy to talk to.

Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien

Kevin O'Brien was born 13 years to the day after the first nuclear explosion. (Einstein knew no good was going to come of that). He grew up in a flying family. Later on they began to use airplanes. As a boy in Massachusetts (which is an Algonquin Indian word for "sneeze"), he grew up in the heady years of seemingly limitless aerospace progress -- and Beatle hits. Kevin brings a remarkable ability to ferret out the best stories in aviation and a penchant for research that usually floors the competition.

Deciding that the Army was a better hobby than a living, he soldiered on in the Reserves and Guard while building a variety of second careers successful (engineer, investor and board member) and not so (Aero-News flunky). His network design business gasped its last while he was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Tourism, where he became the only man in the history of modern conflict to be medevaced for dog bites. (No purple heart, though -- it was a friendly dog!) He still has nightmares involving helicopters and mountains. (Did you know that in your sleep, mountains can chase you?) His fascination with flying machines, and more so, flying people, has never flagged, and he has been known to indulge in the sport himself, from time to time, when the FAA lets up on him.

Tyson Rininger

Tyson first began working as a contract photographer for the Point Mugu Air Show while still in high school. In 1991, he took up studio and location photography for corporate clientele while expanding his aviation coverage which has included becoming the head photographer and web-designer for the California International Air Show, Salinas since 1996.

Currently, he is the head photographer for the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), Sean D. Tucker & Team Oracle as well as one of the staff photographers for Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey. On occasion, Navy Third Fleet in San Diego also contracts him for civilian work for the military. Such prior assignments included coverage of the USS Constellation, USS Boxer, VFA-125 & VFA-122 at NAS Lemoore and most recently the 146th Channel Islands Air National Guard out of Point Mugu (CA).

Aleta Vinas

When she told ANN Publisher Jim Campbell she would "write for an Oshkosh pass, she didn't really expect he'd take her up on it. That was over a year ago and her "newbie" status has long since been demolished. She's now a grizzled old veteran (with much to learn) but still more than willing to write for a pass to the Big O.

Aleta says she's known since she was a little girl that aviation was where I wanted to build a career. She just didn't realize it might not be up in the air. Aleta graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a BS in Aeronautical Science and an AS in Aviation Management. She spent some years as a flight instructor and now lives vicariously through a few of her students who have become airline pilots. She chose a different flight path for her career, but maintains her CFII and flies occasionally as a weekend pilot.

John Ballantyne

An accomplished pilot, instructor and examiner for ultralights (three-axis and weight shift) and hang gliders, John is the past President of the US Ultralight Association and also a commercial pilot and flight instructor for gliders (sailplanes and trikes). He has extensive experience with balloons, paragliders and powered parachutes and is the FAA Aviation Safety Counselor for the Washington Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).

Rose Dorcey

Rose's interest in aviation began when she was a young girl watching crop dusters fly over the cranberry bogs near where she grew up in Central Wisconsin. It wasn't until 1991 that she started flight training, on her 30th birthday, after twice winning a national amateur motorcycle hillclimb championship, earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and completing 500 bicycle rides.

An instrument rated pilot, Rose is President of the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame, and Editor of the organization's newsletter, Forward in Aviation. She has written several articles on Wisconsin's aviation history, and lectures on the same subject. Her passion for aviation is evident by the location choice of her wedding, she and her husband John were married at the EAA's Fergus Chapel.

John Dorcey

John, an Air Force Veteran, is an Aviation Consultant with the WisDOT Bureau of Aeronautics and holds ATP, CFII, A&P, and IA certificates. A Wisconsin native, John knew aviation was his calling at 8-years-old when he first flew in the Penny a Pound airplane ride program.

John is well known throughout Wisconsin for the aviation safety programs he has given in his 19 years with the Bureau. John is on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame, and webmaster for the organization's website. He has flown over 60 missions in the EAA Young Eagles program.

Christopher Armstrong

Christopher John Armstrong is a new contributor to the Aero-News Network, joining them for the 2004 Airventure Convention.

Chris graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics with emphasis in Aerodynamic Stability and Control, Composite Materials, and Aircraft Design. During his diverse career in the aerospace industry, Chris has worked at General Dynamics Fort Worth Division/Lockheed Fort Worth Company, at Cessna Aircraft and as a consultant to Powersport Aviation.

...And You!

We need your input. If you have an event or want to see something covered, please don't hesitate to let us know. You can send them in an email to ANN's Editorial Staff (editor@aero-news.net), or follow the simple instructions on the website to submit your news-spy/calendar events. If you wait until the last second, your news will have to contend with what's already there!

ONE MORE TIME: Make sure you alert ANN to your news releases, press conferences, media events, seminars, speeches and other special events so that we can schedule your staff to cover them... we're runnning out of time and room on the schedule. Make sure we have your info... NOW!
Contact: editor@aero-news.net

We're looking forward to a great Oshkosh adventure this year! See you there!

FMI: editor@aero-news.net