Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"They're like oversized model airplanes. This is definitely not something you want to fly in from here to Texas... They look like coffins with wings."

Source: Scott Rayburn, of Aerospace Refinishing, Inc.; quoted widely in various media outlets after a Formula One Air racer went down during a scheduled air race at Clarence Page Airport, west of Oklahoma City, OK. The sensational quote cast a negative image upon a segment of air racing that did not need such a negative characterization at a troubled time. ANN can not emphasize, enough, the care one needs to take when being quoted about aviation stories in non-aviation media. The lack of expertise inherent in non-aviation media often means that mis-quotes and errors will be published without correction and, worse, the most sensational aspects of a discussion are the ones most likely to see publication.

While ANN has a hard time equating the sleek lines of the typical Formula One racer with a coffin, the connotation delivered with such quotes is negative, misleading, and in light of the above reported accident, harmful to a segment of aviation that probably did not deserve such a characterization. Word to the wise... when dealing with the media, choose your words carefully and think them through.-- Jim Campbell, ANN Editor-In-Chief

FMI: www.if1airracing.com