Say Hello To Aero-News E-I-C Jim Campbell!
With the final days before the official start to EAA AirVenture
2006 counting down all too rapidly... and, not quickly enough...
ANN's senior staff is all-too-aware of the Herculean task ahead of
us in reporting EVERYTHING that's news at The World's Greatest
Aviation Celebration.
Fortunately, this year we'll have some help... and some really
GREAT help at that. As we've already told you, Aero-News is
bringing its largest staff EVER to AirVenture this year... and over
the next several days, we thought we'd take the time to introduce
you to the staff members -- both full-time, as well as our
"stringers" -- who will be bringing our readers and listeners all
the news that's fit to pixilate from Oshkosh this year.
And now, without further adieu...
ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell
James R.
“Zoom” Campbell may be the world’s busiest
aviation journalist, having had his adventures and/or stories
documented in US Aviator, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Time,
Air Progress, Glider Rider, Sport Pilot, Kitplanes, National
Geographic, Private Pilot, Gulf Coast Aviator, Pacific Flyer, The
Aero-News Network and over 100 other publications. The author of
over 2000 magazine articles, tens of thousands of news dispatches,
the photographer of over 200 magazine covers, and arguably one of
the most experienced general and sport aviation journalist/ test
pilots in the sport and general aviation writing business, Jim
Campbell is driven by a passion for aviation that few can
match.
A commercially rated pilot who has earned Flight instructor
ratings (CFI/A/I/ME/H) in fixed and rotary wing aircraft, Campbell
has logged over 17,000 flight hours in over 1100 different
ultralights, jets, multi-engine A/C, helicopters, gyroplanes,
autogyros, sailplanes, seaplanes, kit aircraft and general aviation
birds.
Among Campbell’s many other lofty accomplishments are his
1981 Ultralight World Record High Altitude flight to 21,210 feet
over Lakehurst, New Jersey; flying on behalf of President Ronald
Reagan as an airshow pilot during the 1981-82 Air and Space
Bicentennial; several years of film and TV aviation stunt work; his
1981 Ultralight Flight Across America; 17 published books in the
aviation field (with three more in the works); and is often the
first aviation journalist to solo and evaluate a number of exciting
aircraft, many of them still quite experimental. He is hard at work
on the next edition of the “SportPlane Resource Guide”
and some aggressive aerospace literary projects. He is also heavily
involved in a number of television, radio and other media projects
utilizing his aviation expertise.
More recently, Campbell led the news and photography team that
provided primary media pool services for the Ansari X Prize
competition, including most of the SpaceShipOne air-to-air photos
that were published all over the world following the three
successful suborbital flights of Burt Rutan’s world-changing
spacecraft. He has also served as principal Zero-G photographer
during several hundred parabolas for the Zero-G Corporation’s
Zero-Gravity flights.
A graduate of the National Test Pilot School, he was named in
2005 to be one of the four founding rocket pilots for X Prize
founder, Peter Diamandis’ Rocket Racing League. Best of all,
in the last few days, Jim has added a new member to the ANN
family... a 'bouncing-baby', fire-breathing Glasair III, with the
unique 'N' number of N411AN! Keep an eye out for it and for some
great stories about the amazing people who helped him get this
airplane airworthy and ready for action....