All Hail The Aero-Heroes of 2007!
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, 2007 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 2007 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 a solid dozen of our Aero-Heroes
for 2007... in something of an informal order, starting from 12th
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.
From the Hero's List #3: NBAA's Ed Bolen
Few people got to work the "hot seat" this year, as did Ed
Bolen... who, as the head of NBAA, fought many a battle on behalf
of business aviation when it became a popular whipping boy for an
airline industry looking for a convenient villain (not to mention a
cheap shot).
Face it, the airlines tried to kick the crap out of business
aviation by portraying the whole bizjet industry as a rich boy's
toy chest and flogged the media and public opinion with an
intellectually flawed rich v. poor game plan. Their tactics were
often riddled with hyperbole, error, and misdirection... and it
soon became obvious that the embattled airline industry was
willing to burn anyone and everyone it could in order to get what
they wanted. But, NBAA (and others) sprang into action with a
classy, reasoned, and thoroughly credible approach that shot down
the airline innuendo with great accuracy and followed through with
extensive outreach/education of the media folks who seemed prepared
at one point to swallow what ATA and the airlines were handing
out.
This has been a tough fight, folks, mostly because it has
to be waged on a number of fronts... and
particularly between those in the media and those
with leadership roles in the government. It took exceptional
organization, extensive expertise with both camps, and a
thoughtful, reasoned approach to break through all the "BS" and
reveal the airline stories for what they were... pure fiction. NBAA
has a tough sell when it comes to trying to get the sympathy of the
public or our law-makers... I mean, how sympathetic does a guy look
when he's trying to defend his RIGHT to fly his business jet around
the country?
BUT... when you realize that the CEO trying to use that business
jet is doing so in order to make sure that business is done, jobs
are maintained and/or created, and the commerce of the nation
continues unimpeded; then you know how critical the battle was that
NBAA continues to wage... It isn't just about allowing businesses
to use airplanes the way that they'd like... it's about protecting
critical tools of inestimable value to the financial well-being of
this country. THAT, my friends is an immense responsibility and Ed
Bolen continues to prove he's got the right stuff to do the
job.