Let's Hear It For The Good Guys (and Gals)!
Thankfully, 2005 was a good year for the best and brightest
among us to step forward and work tirelessly on behalf of us
all. While the severity of the threats we faced in 2005 was stepped
up a mite, so was the quality of expertise and passion brought to
our defense by those who heroically demonstrated to the the world
the very best side of aviation... via their deeds, words and
actions. Herewith, ANN's picks for the Aero-Heroes of 2005.
Thank you folks... we really needed you this year and you didn't
let us down.
Didier Delsalle
Didier Delsalle was on top of the world in 2005 -- although
Delsalle "only" reached an altitude lower than where most
commercial airlines fly, it's where and how he did it that puts him
above the rest.
On May 14, Delsalle piloted a Ecureuil/AStar AS 350 B3 to the
very top of Mt. Everest -- and then landed there, at 29,035 feet
MSL.
Think about that for a minute. A helicopter -- which typically
cruises at altitudes just slightly higher than the base camp's
9,403 feet -- flew to the very summit of the planet Earth (and even
that lofty altitude was still some 4,000 feet lower than the record
altitude of 33,500' MSL the helicopter attained during flight
testing.)
Perhaps even more astoundingly, Desalle then lifted off, and
returned to the camp -- only to fly up to the summit once again the
next day. In both cases, Delsalle remained on the ground at the
summit for more than two minutes, as required for certification as
a record flight by the FAI.
"To reach this mythical summit definitively seemed to be a
dream," said Desalle, "despite the obvious difficulties of the
target to be reached, the aircraft demonstrated its capability to
cope with the situation... sublimated by the magic of the place."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Alphabet Association Gurus: Bolen, Boyer, Bunce, Coyne,
Poberezny
With every passing year, general and business aviation comes
under attack by legislators and the media with greater urgency,
ever-louder (and completely bogus) allegations of inflated threat
risks, and staggeringly mediocre coverage of GA's role in aid and
rescue efforts.
It's a sad trend that shows no sign of abating anytime soon --
which is why ANN is comforted to know that we pilots have some VERY
heavy hitters (pictured above and below, alphabetically) in our
corner, fighting against these efforts.
It would be easy to single out AOPA President Phil Boyer for his
battles against the Washington ADIZ; or the EAA's Tom Poberezny for
his relentless efforts to make Sport Pilot a reality; or NBAA's Ed
Bolen for standing tall and proud in the face of questions over the
safety record of business aviation (it helps that he has the truth
on his side -- biz-av is safer than ever); or the efforts of NATA's
James K. Coyne to get commercial pilots back into DCA, along with
the agency's donation of $13,000 to Hurricane Katrina relief; or
GAMA's Pete Bunce, for overseeing something akin to a rebirth in
the health of general aviation, as well as spearheading the fight
against user fees.
We COULD have recognized only one of these guys, and justifiably
so; it's far more gratifying, however, to recognize them all -- for
just as the Allied nations battled the Axis in WWII, these guys are
all fighting for the greater good of general aviation. The only
difference is that, they -- and their organizations -- approach
those same battles from different angles.
The war is far from over -- but the guys on the frontlines are
doing their jobs, giving us the 110% we so desperately need, so
without a shred of doubt, they deserve our thanks.
Eileen Collins
Commander Eileen Collins showed grace and leadership under fire
-- the fire of the earth's atmosphere. As commander of the shuttle
Discovery's Return to Flight in July, Collins already carried the
unenviable burden of commanding the first shuttle flight since the
2002 loss of Columbia. It was after the shuttle was in orbit -- and
foam breakage problems cropped up that were eerily similar to those
that doomed Columbia -- that Collins's job became all-the-more
difficult.
In a situation unlike any since the days of Apollo 13, Collins
and her crew were in the spotlight every moment they were in space
-- handling such tasks as the first-ever spacewalk underneath an
orbiting shuttle -- and they all showed the world how they earn
their paychecks.
That drama played out up to the moment orbiter landed back at terra
firma -- at Edwards AFB, as the event had been delayed
three times due to weather at Cape Canaveral -- in a spectacular,
glorious, and beautifully routine nighttime landing. (We dare you
to watch an infrared feed of a shuttle landing at night, tiles
still glowing from the heat of reentry, and not have a tear come to
your eye -- or a shiver to your spine).
Throughout the entire ordeal, Collins lived up to the mantra,
"never let 'em see you sweat."
Peter Diamandis
It is impossible to spend more than two minutes around Peter
Diamandis, and not share his enthusiasm for whatever the topic of
discussion may be. The guy simply has more energy than any three
10-year-olds you're likely to find, and he combines that
effervescence with a shrewd mind and insight into human nature.
It was Diamandis who made the idea of rewards-based private
spaceflight a reality -- for while he could neither afford the $10
million or design a rocketship himself, he was able to sell the
idea to such people as the Ansari family (who funded the inaugural
X Prize) and Burt Rutan and the gang at Scaled Composites (who
happily took their money).
As SpaceShipOne now sits in a museum, the spirit of the X Prize
lives on in such ventures as Zero-G, the X Cup and Rocket Racing
League. Private spaceflight isn't going anywhere but up -- and
Diamandis will be recognized in history as one of the key people
who made it happen.
James Fallows
Noted journalist, author and occasional aviation writer James
Fallows did the near-impossible in a November 2 column in the
Washington Post: he spelled out the reasons the Washington DC ADIZ
doesn't work for pilots -- and is a generally bad idea for
everyone, except for bureaucrats -- in a clear, concise, 839-word
editorial that was insightful for all readers, educational (and,
more importantly, understandable) for nonpilots, and a rallying
call for flyers all over the country.
Fallows cites several examples of needlessly complicated
restrictions imposed on pilots attempting to navigate the ADIZ,
including the lunacy of spending 40 minutes on the phone with
controllers to get a clearance for a 20-minute flight. And without
resorting to scare tactics, Fallows also cites the potential danger
posed by several aircraft -- orbiting overhead while awaiting their
clearances on crowded frequencies -- occupying the same airspace
along the ADIZ's perimeter. It was provocative, and cautionary...
and completely devoid of hysteria.
Fallow's closing says it best: "The mindless ADIZ policy shows what
happens when the modern security apparatus operates unopposed by
public scrutiny, or common sense." If you haven't seen this fine example of
op-ed writing, check it out for yourself.
Jimmy Franklin
One of the tragedies of growing up is that the world gets
smaller now and then... with each loss of a treasured soul. Our
dear friend and a continual inspiration, Jimmy Franklin, was doing
what he usually does at an airshow... having a helluva good time,
showing the world how intensely cool the aviation world is, and
thrilling thousands of people at a time.
But... God called him home, with his good friend Bobby Younkin,
and the bright shining star that was Jimmy Franklin now resides
among the heavens.
Yes, he died in an accident... something that would have
severely disappointed him had he known it was coming... but we can
not discount the thousands of flawless flight he undertook, the
phenomenal professionalism he brought to the craft, and the joy he
gifted upon all those who were witnesses to each display of
skill and daring. He will be missed, and he'll always be know to us
as a hero.
Jeff Greason
XCOR co-founder Jeff Greason certainly understands the
significance of the Chinese axiom -- some say curse -- "may you
live in interesting times."
In addition to building an innovative and world-class rocket
propulsion development company, Greason's had quite an interesting
year for 2005... but 2006 looks to beat it by about 100 fold. The
company is currently working on the EZ-Rocket, which will carry the
four founding Rocket Racers (one of which, as our readers
already know, is ANN's own Jim Campbell) into the skies and around
the circuit.
The rocket-powered, heavily-modified Long-EZs are only the
beginning, though, as development will then shift to the next
generation of rocketplanes -- which besides just being really,
really cool, also demonstrate the viability of small rockets for a
variety of applications.
"To Las Cruces -- And Beyond!"
Vern Raburn
2005 ended on something of a sour note for Eclipse Aviation,
with their December 22 announcement confirming rumors that had been
circulating since NBAA: that the Eclipse 500 would miss the
company's original March 2005 goal for FAA certification, now
anticipated for May due to supplier hangups.
What is unique here, is that those rumors were started by CEO
Vern Raburn himself, during an NBAA press conference -- and
combined with the timing of their announcement (the company could
have "hidden" the news in the Christmas news cycle, where it might
not have received as much attention -- a common ploy in the media)
shows the forthrightness and honesty of both Raburn, and his
company.
Something we've always appreciated in our dealings with Eclipse, is
that you know where you stand -- from the initial falling out with
Williams, to September's gear-up landing of 505EA at ABQ
(attributed to pilot error,) and now with the cert delay, Raburn
shares his company's miscues and misfortunes as readily as he
shares its successes -- of which there have been far, FAR more
of.
That level of honesty (some would say brashness -- and they're not
wrong, either) tells us that Eclipse WILL fly, and WILL be
successful. It will just take a little longer than previously
hoped.
Drew Steketee
BE A PILOT's Drew Steketee had 250,000 reasons to celebrate in
2005, and the organization chose to celebrate in a most appropriate
locale. It was at Oshkosh 2005 where Steketee announced the
250,000th participant in the BE A PILOT program, Rick Roberson. The
50-year-old dairy farmer from New York state took his first lesson
three months prior, and received a complimentary trip to Oshkosh as
a result (to which Roberson reportedly replied, "that's great...
what's Oshkosh?") Roberson added that he planned to complete his
training within six months.
Steketee also announced at Oshkosh BE A PILOT's first private
donor in the organization's eight-year history, and continued
corporate sponsorship by industry heavyweights Jeppesen and
Boeing.
While Drew is moving on somewhat, he promises to continue to stay
involved with this GREAT program -- it was a $49 BE A PILOT intro
flight that hooked ANN's Rob Finfrock three years ago -- and it
deserves to succeed.
Steven W. Squyres
Called the "Father of Spirit and Opportunity," NASA's two NASA's
two Energizer Bunny-inspired Mars Rovers, Cornell University's
Steven Squyres is the lead investigator of data collected by the
roaming rovers. That means Squyres is responsible for all
scientific activities involving the landers -- and it was his team
that first saw evidence of the existence once of water on the Red
Planet, in images returned from Opportunity.
While both rovers are certainly a little worse for wear (they've
ONLY lasted eight times longer than their 90-day design intent)
Spirit and Opportunity continue to chug along the Martian surface.
The rovers serve as the best examples of what NASA is capable of...
and Squyres' team continues to analyze the data they gather.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.16.24)
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