Available Positions Include Associate Editor, Mktg. Mgr., Volunteer Event Correspondents

E-I-C Note: We've got a few REALLY solid leads for our Oshkosh 2005 slots and we should be announcing selections by the middle of June (and boy, have we gotten some IMPRESSIVE responses!). If you're still interested in any of our openings, get with us ASAP to make sure that you're in the running for consideration... and if any of you haven't returned calls for final interviews as yet, be sure to get hold of ANN's peerless leader, Jim Campbell, ASAP.

As journalists and a pilots, we have to tell you there is no better marriage of vocation and avocation than working as an aviation reporter and editor. Seriously. The late musician Harry Chapin once told ANN's Pete Combs that his biggest fear was that someday, someone would walk up to him and say, "Harry, the jig is up. It's time to get a real job."

Now that we do what we love, we can understand. The truth is, if you love your work, it's like hardly working at all.

That's what working at ANN is all about.

An example: Pete Combs started out here as a volunteer correspondent at Airventure in Oshkosh, WI, a few years back (as did a few of our more esteemed colleagues). For him, it was a great way to get to the big show and see all the sights. He got great access to events and people you generally don't get to see up close and personal as a mere spectator. ANN paid for the transportation, lodging and meals. And, heck, he was going to Oshkosh anyway!

There were other opportunities to "go to the show" on ANN's ticket, see the sights and write stories: ICAS, AOPA Expo... ANN covers all the big events and a lot of the smaller ones as well.

Pete became the associate editor, writing and posting stories on the weekends and when needed to fill in during the week. That was a paying job and, like Harry Chapin, his worst fear was that someone would find him out. He worked just a few hours on the weekends, yet carried a byline and a slot on the masthead for one of the most prestigious online publications in all of aviation.

Pete, an award-winning reporter, is now the Senior Editor at ANN, putting together everything that he's learned in almost three decades of reporting and almost 20 years of flying general aviation. Pete says that, "It's been a great ride and I'm glad I climbed on board."

Here's YOUR Chance

If you're interested in either testing the water or jumping right in, let us know. Send us an email telling me what you'd like to do -- either act as a volunteer correspondent for major aviation events (we're selecting Oshkosh writers as we speak) and other occasional assignments, or working as an associate editor primarily responsible for putting together our weekend edition. Let us know something about your experience and include a sample of your writing.

ANN's editorial staffing is shaping up rather nicely. With the addition of Kevin O'Brien to handle some ANN functions as well as the directory database compilation for the next SportPlane Resource Guide, and some other hires that we're hoping to undertake, things are filling out rather nicely. ANN has become populated by a good solid FUN group of people who generally work pretty well together (so long as we keep them away from sharp objects). But, it's time to add more people to our staff.

Searching For ANN's Next Associate Editor

We're earnestly looking to hire two new people for paid positions... and we know that we'll need a few more more, thereafter, in short order. As noted above, we need an Associate Editor to fill Juan Jimenez' immense shoes (Juan still writes for ANN, but his full-time computer gig has expanded a bit and he needs to devote all his resources appropriately... believe you me, he's a TOUGH act to follow). It's a weekend gig... needing several hours each day, on Saturday and Sunday, on a flexible schedule. You can work from anywhere so long as you have a good high-speed net connection and the appropriate tools to pursue the day's stories.

The qualified respondent needs the following… SOLID aviation/aerospace writing and journalism credentials/abilities, SOLID photographic/graphic web smarts, Good basic web skills (light HTML know-how and some grasp of photo-editing) and E-Mail skills, a strong work/journalism ethic, and an ability to meet and adhere to tight deadlines;as well as RELIABLE full-time access to a fairly speedy Internet connection (DSL, ADSL, T1, T3, Pipeline to the Almighty, etc...), a computer with the ability to keep up with a number of graphic chores and editorial efforts, and the ability to work with a very strange crew of ANN weirdoes. Since this job is computer based, it does not matter where you live and we are, of course, unconcerned about your workspace so long as the job gets done (and the less info we have about someone working in pink shorts and fuzzy bunny slippers, the better).

Searching For ANN's Marketing Manager

We have another major staff position to fill -- and now's the time to get serious about it. Since ANN started, we have enjoyed the amazing support of a group of sponsors who have, by and large, been generous and visionary. As a matter of fact, most of the sponsors you see on ANN called us first -- leaving us little to do but to finish some paperwork, and get them started. You have no idea how wonderful that has been for us... leaving us (mostly) to work on the editorial end of ANN and build it into what is generally recognized as the Aviation World's Most Widely Read Daily News Service. Thanks to them, we have served the aviation world aggressively and comprehensively for five years... and an amazing sixth year is now upon us.

It's nice to be able to count on this kind of support... but we're about to REALLY step up the action (and expense) here at ANN (not that the pace hasn't always been fast and furious -- believe you me, it IS). The next edition of the SportPlane Resource Guide is underway, Real-Time News delivery programs and products are ready for deployment NOW (no kidding as soon as our senior Web-Geek gets back form vacation, we're going to be taking the wraps off half-a-dozen really cool new goodies), news syndication programs are already done and ready for distribution, and the world-renowned daily aviation news coverage you depend on has already shown promised increases in both quality as well as quantity (nope... despite what your mamma told you, you CAN'T get too much of a good thing!).

What this all means is that it's time to take our marketing goals as seriously as we took our editorial. And that means that someone has to take on the job of guiding and managing the marketing and promotional growth of ANN. We're looking for a Marketing Manager... an aggressive, ethical, honest, well-spoken, smart, web-savvy, marketing and promotions oriented person who can help ANN introduce a whole new generation of aviation businesses as our partners in growing the Aviation World's Daily News Service, as well as to brainstorm and manage a number of promotional and industry programs that are under way, or will be, shortly. This is going to be a busy job. It's going to require excellent sales skills, solid marketing smarts, a solid work ethic, a keen insight into the aviation world, a great imagination and a TRUE communicator... someone who also GETS just how important ANN is becoming to the aviation world, and can be counted on to help us grow our services and abilities so that we can do EVEN MORE than we do already. But most of all, we need a TEAM player... ANN has never been about one person... it's been about an amazing team of people with great goals and (truly) amazing skills doing extraordinary things for the aviation world. If you think you have what it takes, get in touch with us...

Please send your resume, an intro letter, and contact information to ANN right away... as this position is ready and waiting for the right person, right now.

And that's all you have to do! We'll be in touch!

FMI: ANN Opportunities