Analysis and Opinion By ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell
We've been doing a lot of hinting… even offering a few
clues (some of them about as subtle as a Sherman Tank) here and
there, about an effort that has taken the better part of two years
to come to fruition. It's far from complete, but it's about ready
to see the light of day, and after consultation with hundreds of
industry experts and advocates (literally), I'm modestly confident
that now is time to start speaking about it all -- and in just a
few days… God help me, I will.
These efforts are geared to one thing -- and one thing only -
truly aggressive, persuasive, occasionally radical, and supremely
effective transformational change of an industry that has been
broken for many years and is, with all honesty, swirling the
drain.
I don't mean to sound overtly alarmist (though I know that this
is the effect such pronouncements have) but we live in a day and
age where many of the things that we grew up with simply no longer
fit into the world that we live in. It is a new day… warts
and all. In many cases, that is something to rejoice about, and in
some other cases we can, and should, feel a sense of loss for a
time and an age that is passing us by (so damned FAST!). But the
aviation world that we knew, the aviation world that we all grew up
with, and (YES) the aviation world that we loved, is just about
gone…
And we can either sit here and
bemoan that fact and attempt to vainly regurgitate what will not
survive the 21st century, or we can get smart, get busy, and
re-craft the next generation of aviation as an altogether new,
living, breathing, valuable, durable, and viable entity.
But…mark my words… it will not be like that world we
once knew… not at all. We need to get over that here and
now. But that's OK… because if we do our jobs, it could even
(dare I say it?) be BETTER.
All God's children have their dreams... I am no exception.
Before we get to all that, though, I want to address one
particular aspect of the "old aviation" that has troubled me deeply
over the course of my 40 years of personal flight. When I first
climbed into a little Schweizer glider (which looked to the younger
'me' as if it was a massive and foreboding behemoth the size and
complexity of a 747) at the tender age of 14, ready to solo,
despite dreary weather and a case of nerves that just wouldn't
quit; I would never have dreamed that the people I looked up to so
greatly, and that I would wish to surround my life with would
occasionally be some pretty bad apples. At 14, all pilots were
heroes, everyone in aviation seemed so much more smart and honest
and alive than the non-flyers -- and my trust in the innate
goodness of all of aviation and everyone in it remained uncontested
for a number of years…
And then, regretfully and reluctantly, I grew up.
As my life took shape as an aviation journalist, consumer
advocate, troublemaker, and overall aero-pain in the ass; I have
since come to find that the world of aviation, with all its
excitement and wonders and marvels, is occasionally blackened and
tarnished by those who have no respect and concern for the
well-being of their fellow aviators. And God help me, I have
experienced some of the worst times in my life trying to help an
industry that has occasionally been victimized by crooks and cons,
in an attempt to find a proper resolution of the wrongs done to
innocent flyers. I have watched so-called 'member associations'
turn their backs on troublesome issues that occasionally led to the
harm (even deaths) of their members. I have watched other aviation
journalists ignore clear-cut facts in order to avoid controversy
and negative feedback. I have watched the FAA and the NTSB refuse
to deal with easily provable wrongs. And I've watched our overall
system of government become increasingly uncaring about the welfare
of people who populate the aviation world. And if the associations
don't give a damn… if the FAA and NTSB won't step up and if
the government doesn't actually do one of the few things it should
actually be doing… well, then, it is up to us to protect and
care for each other.
Each time, I have encountered such evils, I have watched
aviation be hurt and minimized and made less wondrous than it
was… as victims of such ills were either cheated, defrauded,
fooled, injured… or even killed. I have personally witnessed
crimes and cons that have driven hundreds of aircraft owners,
pilots and personnel from our midst… and I am confident that
those sad shameful numbers are but the tip of the iceberg. And
worse, the tales of those who were conned and harmed have kept
thousands more from joining our ranks.
As we put forth our upcoming, massive, Aviation
Transformation concept (in concert with some of the most respected
people I know--really, I think you'll be pretty damned impressed),
to remake the world of aviation into something that can endure the
many challenges that are sure to come, I'm going to put it to you
simply -- what kind of 'new' aviation do you want?
Are you willing to see the next generation of aviation continue
to have to deal (now and then) with the liars, the cheats, the
crooks, the cons, and all those other mean-spirited little bastards
who would hurt our fellow flyers?
I think it's time, here and now, for ALL of us, to take a truly
aggressive, even incontrovertible, stand…
I'm not talking about the old battles many of you watched us
fight… I'm talking about issues that plague us RIGHT
NOW…
I do see hope here and there. We saw how just a little organized
resistance from concerned people was able to (somewhat) ameliorate
the heavy-handed games played by FlightPrep (though I strongly
believe that we have yet to hear the end of THAT story), but such
efforts are few and far between and certainly the exception to a
regrettable rule in which most of the industry turns it back and
chooses not to see what's wrong with others in our midst.
For instance, I'm putting the finishing touches on one of the
toughest and most worrisome stories we've ever done, about an
aircraft manufacturer, Cirrus Aircraft, that has been run by some
folks with little respect for the truth or the overtly negative
effect they have had on others… Most especially in regards
to the damage that they have been alleged to have done to their
vendors, customers, and associated parties (and our research
strongly suggests DID occur).
I am amazed that I am (pretty much) the only one tackling this
story right here and now. Cirrus Aircraft, once a bright and
shining example of the potential renaissance of GA, and a fine and
upstanding company led and staffed by visionaries, was taken over
by a "Bean-Counter" after its founding/visionary CEO was ousted
under questionable circumstances -- and whose conduct in the 2+
years since then is (to my observation and analysis) absolutely
reprehensible, often dishonest, incredibly destructive (for the
company as well as the industry), and strikes a new low in the
recent history of the general aviation world.
For some reason, the "good guys" really do seem to finish last
in many cases where the GA world is concerned… Visionary
Cirrus founder Alan Klapmeier was kicked to the curb and is now in
the process of proving that lightning can strike twice with a new
company/aircraft and a whole lot of psychic bruises from his
Cirrus experience… And you can add that to the regrettable
circumstances surrounding one of the most courageous GA CEOs in
recent memory, Cessna's Jack Pelton, who was 'retired' under sudden
circumstances -- at a time when he had more than proven himself to
be one of the few plain, honest, forthright aero-statesmen willing
to take on the Washington establishment and the political
decision-makers that have victimized aviation again and again over
the last few years.
In the meantime, the Cirrus Bean-Counter appears to have
victimized countless suppliers, lied to the public, run up millions
of dollars in debts, conducted highly questionable business
practices, created legal skirmish after legal skirmish, and
pocketed some pretty decent paychecks for his effort (while laying
off hundreds of his staff… and pleading with them to
recognize the "shared sacrifices" needed to help the company
survive - sacrifices he did not seem to want to share). And if his
bizarre machinations work out later this summer, he stands to
pocket an even bigger paycheck when a company he (in my opinion)
helped to tarnish to the point where it HAD to be sold, gets
scooted overseas and takes with it the hopes, dreams and
aspirations of a uniquely American industry that once burned so
brightly… and now seems intent on selling its soul, not to
the highest bidder (because there are darned few of those anymore),
but to the lowest, and occasionally only, bidder.
This did not have to happen… and in my opinion, it took
place due to greed, arrogance, dishonesty and a startling contempt
for the welfare of the rest of the industry… and its hardly
a secret from where I write this.
When the postulated sale of Cirrus (to China) broke in the news,
(courtesy, first, of our efforts here at Aero-News);
Cirrus said we were wrong, that we lied --
they attacked us, threatened us, quite specifically harmed us, and
have engaged in a bizarre (but well-documented) course of conduct
that seems specifically directed to damage our ability to tell you
all what we know (and they've pretty much said so). I'm not going
to get into all that right now (that is another story for another
time… and BOY, is it a doozy)… But suffice it to say
that we have not backed down, and that we will not back down. And
for the moment, we find ourselves absolutely mystified to be the
only ones (not counting some rare but none-the-less courageous
individual protesters and bloggers) at this point willing to tell
the world that the Emperor has no clothes.
Shortly after the official news of the Cirrus sale to China
broke, there were a number of articles and opinion pieces that
trumpeted this deal as a good thing - without the benefit of any
real factual data and little research into what was REALLY
happening in Duluth… For the moment, Aero-News really
doesn't have an opinion on the China deal right now, but in all the
hyperbole and fluff written about the Cirrus sale and its
postulated future, there was little or no mention about the fact
that this was a company that seemed as if it was driven to its
knees by massive failures in honesty, ethics, and proper conduct.
One gushing association column lauded the Cirrus Bean-Counter and
pseudo-CEO for pulling off the China sale -- without mentioning
Cirrus' victimization of L3, BRS, Tornado Alley, airshow pilot
Patty Wagstaff, Avidyne (the list goes on and on), or the many
misstatements of the aforementioned Bean-Counter -- who promised
refunds to Jet Depositors that did not materialize (as promised, if
at all), grandiose statements about the company's performance
and/or research and development that didn't seem supported by fact,
or were later contradicted by other statements they made, or just
the simple fact that this was a company that denied up and down any
possibility of a deal with China before their contradictory
announcement -- often claiming that it "made no sense" and other
such drivel --
even in recorded interviews. That gushing
columnist looked at one side of a very complex equation and failed
to do the requisite homework that should have called so much of the
Cirrus/China deal into question.
In another case, the once mighty (now fading) AOPA is doing PR
events with Cirrus and holding this company out (still) as one of
the bright shining stars of a teetering GA industry without any
hint of the many problems this company has, the problems it has
foisted upon others, and the stunning damage it has done to an
industry that has been stumbling for a number of years, and most
certainly since the economy started tanking. I KNOW they know of
these problems... and from more than one source... and they've done
nothing that we know of to minimize or correct the damage this
company has done.
It's not right, it's not honest, and to be perfectly straight
with you… it's bewildering.
The Cirrus mess is but one such story (and we are at work on a
few others as I write this... some nearly as worrisome)… And
over the years I have beat my head (thanking my genetic heritage
for an overly thick skull) against the walls of the associations,
government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and others when I've
seen something going perilously wrong with the industry and tried
to warn others of it. I won't say that we've never been successful
-- and as a matter fact we've had some hard-fought victories at
various times with various critical issues -- but the plain fact of
the matter is that our win/loss ratio is depressing -- and
that wouldn't be so bad if there was anybody else out there that
was even trying, much less succeeding, in any attempt to protect
the general welfare of the aviation public.
I could go on and on… but enough is enough. I ask you
simply this -- I am prepared (and so are many other fine and
upstanding members of our aviation community), to put a great deal
of our time, effort, expertise and resources into a truly committed
endeavor to rebuild the aviation world… But if we're going
to do this, much less succeed, we simply must demand that this
industry seek the highest possible standards, behave with the
greatest ethical posture, and be more than willing to look
critically at any aspect of aviation that is letting any of our
fellow flyers down, in any way.
If we don't demand honesty, if we don't demand ethical behavior,
if we don't demand transparency, if we don't demand a true
examination of suspected wrongs -- and more important than that --
demand a path to resolution when those wrongs are discovered, we
are doomed to repeat the cycle we are attempting to subvert right
now.
It's heavy stuff… it's not pleasant to talk about, and I
can't possibly tell you the personal trauma I have watched and
documented over the years while the people we call our brothers and
sisters in flight have been victimized, hurt and and
even killed by the wrongdoing of others… If we, as an
industry and a community, don't demand the very best in conduct and
behavior, we are doomed to failure.
So I put it to you…
What are you willing to stand for? …
Or, failing that, what are you willing to fall for?
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.14.24): Maximum Authorized Altitude
See All