ANN Salutes Those Who Did The Most For Aviation And
Aerospace
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 who did all they could to undermine the
successes the aerospace community has managed to accomplish.
Thankfully, 2006 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 2006 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 our final three Aero-Heroes
of 2006. Thank you, folks... we really needed you this year, and
you didn't let us down.
The Civil Air Patrol
If you think
volunteerism is all-but-dead in the US... we offer the following
proof to the contrary.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is an all-volunteer aviation
auxiliary of the US Air Force. Though perhaps best known for their
efforts to locate aircraft crash sites, CAP pilots volunteer their
time to fly in a multitude of relief and recovery efforts
throughout the nation. The service saw extensive duties in 2005,
flying along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of hurricanes Rita and
Katrina.
CAP's 24/7 command post coordinated crews and search teams with
local and federal agencies, and oversaw 1734 CAP members in four
states aiding in the relief effort. Civil Air Patrol pilots flew
more than 1850 hours during recovery operations.
The reasons ANN honors CAP for 2006 are twofold. One, CAP was
honored in 2006 with the prestigious Summit Award, the highest
award given by the American Society of Association Executives, and
the Center for Association Leadership, for its efforts in hurricane
relief. The Civil Air Patrol was one of six winners selected from
250 nominees.
The second reason for recognizing Civil Air Patrol as one of
ANN's Aero-Heroes for 2006 isn't joyous. In November, the
Civil Air Patrol lost two of its members in an Oklahoma C-172
accident. Seventeen year-old pilot Ryan Sageser died with his
father Markham, 46, when their Skyhawk crashed in a pasture about
30 miles northwest of Tulsa.
They were not on a CAP flight when their plane crashed, but
rather heading home to Wichita from a concert, along with two other
teens who survived the accident.
Local reports said Ryan Sageser had followed in his dad's
footsteps... both as a pilot, and as a CAP member. He had only
logged about 60 hours of flight time.
Think about that for a minute.
While we were saddened to report on the loss of two pilots who
had volunteered their time to assist others through aviation... we
were heartened to be reminded not all of "these kids today" are
only concerned with themselves. Some, like Ryan, choose to give
their time, and in flight. What a loss.... what a great loss... to
us all.
On average, CAP saves 100 lives every year. "Well done,
everyone" doesn't begin to say it...
Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing
No doubt about it -- the folks at Columbia Aircraft
Manufacturing got a raw deal from Mother Nature when, in early
June, a freak hailstorm unleashed its fury over Bend (OR) Municipal
Airport -- and on more than 60 Columbia aircraft awaiting delivery
to their owners.
Industry rumors of significant damage to the composite-bodied
planes quickly caught fire -- rumors ANN confirmed to be absolutely
untrue, following our own examination of the damaged planes in
July--in which they gave us unsupervised and unimpeded access to
ALL the damaged birds. No rules about disclosure, no caveats, no
hiding, no nothing -- we went from plane to plane to plane...
without any limitations or interference from Columbia. That's
gutsy... and cool. The damage was entirely cosmetic -- in fact,
with but a few exceptions the damage amounted to little more than
the faintest ripples on the smooth surfaces of the wings and
horizontal stabs. (Company officials had to point out much of the
said "damage" to us -- "See this right here? No? Look CLOSELY.
Still no, huh?")
What followed, in our opinion, is an example of the
consideration this company gives to its customers. First off,
Columbia committed to fixing ALL the "damage," regardless of
severity -- no "hailstorm specials" for the folks from Bend. That,
of course, led to delays for customers waiting for their planes --
and Columbia made amends by including affected depositors in its
SummerFest free fuel promotion, as well as locking in the interest
rates those owners likely would have received if financing had
occurred at the projected date, prior to the hail storm.
Of course, it's in a company's best interest to placate its
customers all it can during an incident like this... but we're
struck by the fact Columbia could have opted to do much less. You
know, fix the obvious damage (itself not an easy task on a
composite bird); make it just pretty enough to pass muster with the
customer under the bright showroom lights; and hurry it out the
door -- but Columbia opted to do what it could to make those planes
perfect.
That decision has had ramifications for Columbia... as
production slowed due to the company's efforts to fix the damaged
planes, instead of building new ones (that said, Columbia was still
able to beat its 2005 delivery figure for 2006... in September.)
Planes the company has been able to produce after the storm are
still in line for delivery -- resulting in an inventory glut, that
led Columbia to temporarily cut hours for many of its
employees.
ANN believes this, too, shall pass... and also that owners will
remember the efforts Columbia made to keep them happy -- in all the
right ways. That bodes well for the future, we think.
ANN News-Spies, And The Journalists Who Got Their Facts
Straight
And finally... Aero-News would like
to tip our hats to ALL of our ANN News-Spies, who really rose to
the challenge this year in alerting us to breaking news.
Just as the title suggests, a News-Spy is a reader who notices a
news item -- be it in the newspaper, on television, or something
they came across at their own airport, town hall, at the office
water cooler or just by walking down the street -- basically, any
item a reader may think is newsworthy, that pertains to the world
of aviation.
We just can't say enough about our News-Spies. Thanks to you
folks, Aero-News was able to confirm vital information on a series
of breaking news events for 2006 -- ahead of ANYONE else in the
aviation media (you know who you are.) In addition to providing ANN
with a much-appreciated "leg-up" on breaking news, our News-Spies
also tipped us to news stories that may have fallen through the
cracks otherwise -- perhaps odd, sometimes local, and always
interesting items that deserve to reach a wider audience within the
aviation community.
We salute ALL our News-Spies -- past, present, and future -- for
2006. They are a valuable resource in our quest to get the story...
and, to get it right. Which brings us to the co-honorees within
this group: reporters in the "general" media, who actually make an
attempt to get their facts straight when reporting on
aviation-related topics.
Aero-News has been contacted by hundreds of news outlets over
the years, seeking to clarify facts from the most mundane, to the
most specialized. Often, these calls have been the difference
between a news outlet producing a factually accurate,
aviation-themed news story... and reporting a story involving a
Cessna Cub (Or Piper Skyhawk, or Cirrus turboprop twin... the list,
sadly, goes downhill from there). We're happy to help, and provide
insight and comments relevant to the story... but most of all,
we're grateful for reporters who take the time to seek out THE
FACTS, versus reporting what they "know" or have heard from other,
less-than-reputable sources.
We'd also like to tip our hat
to the one person who, at this time, is the most visible
representative of the aviation community in the news media today:
CNN anchor and reporter Miles O'Brien (right).
A GA pilot himself, O'Brien already brings significantly more
knowledge to most aviation topics than the average "talking head"
-- but where O'Brien truly excels, is his willingness to gather
comments from the aviation community on relevant topics, and
attempt to convey the story accurately.
No question, O'Brien is a bright guy... and when he isn't sure
of a particular fact, you know what he does? He SAYS SO... and then
seeks out the answer. What a concept, that.
From his careful reporting on aviation accidents, to his
exuberant coverage of space shuttle missions (which appears to be
his favorite 'beat'), to his insightful series of features after a
series of airspace violations over Washington, DC in 2005... when
it comes to aviation, O'Brien flies higher than his counterparts in
the general media.
Coming Tuesday: Our Last Three Aero-Heartbreakers
For 2006
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.16.24)
See All