Last September, when PilotMag was in Reno for the National Air Race Championships and sponsoring the National Aviation Heritage Invitational, a newspaper was thrown on the breakfast table one morning in the Eldorado Hotel. On the front cover was Thomas Frank’s cover story in USA Today. With obvious bias and a blatant pitch for major airlines, Mr. Frank’s story “Little Used Airports Cost Taxpayers Big Money” was published for the readers to make up their own mind about the state of general aviation. We were furious. We published a response to Frank’s cover story on PilotMag.com, PilotLounge.com and even contacted our Congressman. We wanted to take immediate action.

How dare Mr. Frank. Small, unknown airports receive needed FAA and Federal funding to train countless, future pilots and provide maintenance and training facilities that feed the industry as a whole. When something means as much as aviation, we wanted to act quickly to preserve our livelihood and object to the negative press that aviation has received over the last year.

All of us at PilotMag have endured challenges over the last year, and we have done our best to provide our readers with exciting, positive publications and websites that bring the romance and adventure back. Over the last year, we have taking you heli-skiing, to the sands of Turks & Caicos, flying float planes in Central Florida and we have introduced you to many pilots making a difference in our community. As we reflect on the last year, and now, as we delivery of our 8th issue, PilotMag has realized some very valuable lessons. We aren’t perfect, but we’re persistent in our pursuit to being the leading adventure resource in aviation.

We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our publication over the last year. The list is too long, but you know who you are. Taking what we have learned, PilotMag moves into the new year with changes that will perpetuate our success. Jeff Berlin, a frequent contributor to PilotMag, has been named Editor for 2010. A multiengine and instrument rated pilot since 1994, Jeff has flown a multitude of aircraft ranging from ultralights and LSA’s to cabin-class turboprops and jets. He enjoys keeping an eye on how technology impacts the flying experience and has contributed to magazines including AOPA Pilot, Private Pilot, Private Air, Aerokurier, and Aviation et Pilote in the past. We look forward to Jeff’s energy and his help with Pilot Magazine, LLC’s mission.

As we speculate what will come in 2010 after a year of record –breaking for airshow attendance, young pilots winning big at Reno, CEO’s coming and going, miracles on the Hudson and more and more products on the market, PilotMag makes some picks that will get you re-engaged in flying. With much deliberation, our editors and contributors have worked hard to bring you PilotMag’s Best Picks for 2010. Take a peek at our picks from the Fixed-Wing and Helicopter Best Picks to Headset Best Picks and from The Best Pilot for 2010 to the Best Aviation Movie. PilotMag has spoken. Also, we have assembled our all new 2010 Gadget &Gear Guide for all of your piloting needs.

We take a trip to the Holy Land, go skiing in our airplane, fly the P-750 XSTOL and even look into resurrecting a VLJ in this our last issue of 2009. We continue to go out on a limb and find the best adventures, the best stories and some of the best pilots. So, what are you waiting for? Tell us your story. We want to hear it.

All the best to aviation in the New Year!

Since the beginning of the year, all of us in the general aviation community have noticed a “miracle” on the Hudson River, the devastating loss of 228 lives in the Air France Flight 447 accident of the coast of South America and some twenty-two other major aviation accidents so far. Each accident has garnered hours of television time, thousands of inches in your daily and national newspapers, countless blogs and even more online forum attention.

The media follows with the speculation of what caused these accidents or incidents . Opinions are proffered by experts and eyewitnesses all trying to anticipate the NTSB’s investigation. Along the way the facts get bent and twisted, hyperbolized, making each individual event more sensational, and unfortunately, better read and viewed.

What does the media think

Now, we all know that Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger and his crew did an incredible job by evaluating options quickly to put that Airbus A320 into the Hudson River, sparing every passenger onboard a miserable fate. It was, for once, a favorable end to what could have been the worst aviation accident in American history - at least according to the American and international media.

Could you imagine if Sullenberger didn’t have the wherewithal to safely land that US Airways flight in the Hudson? What kind of story would that have made? Our thanks go out to Sullenberger and his crew for their regimented safety and simulator training and the strength to get that flight down safely. His safe return to the Hudson is the epitome of the sophisticated aviation training that our industry brings to the flying public. But when the praise is over, and Sullenberger becomes a recent memory of the collective media viewing population, will the media just move on to the next disaster, leaving our un-educated, non-aviation population to conjecture their own opinion on the safety of air travel?

Availability Heuristic

Because we remember the most recent experiences or reports, the news media has a significant effect on our decisions and understandings. Various factors can affect availability. Things which are easy to imagine, or those that are very vivid, make themselves more available. Things that are uncomfortable or not as vivid can push people into denial, making these thoughts unavailable. (OK, enough with the psychological babble.) Availability Heuristic is the theory that a judgment is made based on what we remember, rather than complete data. It is the vividness, or lack thereof, of the event that molds our decisions. The availability and priming of the news media on the topic of corporate and airline crashes and the increasing accessibility of this information are what make our non-aviation brethren believe that air travel is extremely dangerous.

Many people have tried to tackle the aviation vs. automobile safety comparison to come to an understanding and justification of our discipline’s impregnability. In spite of the best efforts of GAMA, NATA, and NBAA, the high-profile news reports of these accidents continue to deliver a spate of commentary from a speculative, non-trade and non-expert press on what actually happened. When we make the comparison of the number of automotive related fatalities and those of aviation, please stop. We always compare the numbers, which are, by the way, calculated and analyzed on completely different scales (Miles Driven vs. Hours Flown). What we need to do is compare the improvements that both industries have made to stem the loss of life.

Focus on the Improvements

In 2008, the number of car crash deaths in the United States dropped 9.7% from the year prior. Passenger car fatalities have decreased for the sixth year in a row with the lowest number since 1975 when the NHTSA began collecting data. On the flip side, from the period of 2002 to 2006, the number of general aviation accidents declined 10.8%, from 7.19 accidents per 100,000 hours flown in 1997 to 6.32 per 100,000 flown in 2006. The fatal accident rate in general aviation has decreased over 7.4 percent since 1997. Chalk it up to safety and insurance standard, better aircraft and automotive designs, better trained drivers and pilots and, most importantly, manufacturers dedicated to making their products more safe. Leave it to the media to exclude the carnage on highways and main streets every year from their top stories and front pages. The relative rarity of air disasters makes them novel, and hence news. Crashes of this size are, shall we say, photogenic. And this rarity and newsworthiness is sending the wrong message to the non-aviation population. It promotes an erroneous inference that aircraft are unsafe. Safety is a relative term and the statistics between automotive and aircraft safety are only a guide and reference for improvement.

Gil Wolin, V.P. of Communications for TAG Aviation said it best. “We all share the responsibility to minimize rumor and speculation, and to ensure that the reporting is accurate and authoritative, out of respect to the departed, at the very least. That’s the best way to tell the world exactly how safe and safety-conscious the professionals operating commercial, airline or general aircraft are…and ensure that the press gets the statistics right.”

I have a love-hate relationship with aviation. At one moment, you’re soaring through the clouds in a state of supreme-being, and the next you’re drudging through a difficult economy and working twice as hard to get back in the air. PilotMag celebrates its one year anniversary with one thought in mind. Failure is never an option.

Our staff has worked diligently over the last year to add a new twist to aviation and to deliver a fresh product to countless enthusiasts. We are proud of our subtle introduction to the community and feel that we are on the cusp of something big. Like many other start-up publications, we have struggled with refining and improving our copy editing process, garnering advertising support and promotional partners. In many of our staff meetings we have discussed ways to survey pilots and aircraft owners and find out what they want to read, what they want to watch, what they want to learn, and where they want to go. In order to concentrate on the needs of aviation enthusiasts, we need to interact with them every day to determine how best to serve them. So, please let us know what general aviation media is missing. What more do you need?

Virally and personally, we have made many introductions. Every new introduction leads to someone different in the community. As we ponder over story and content ideas, we are baffled of where to start. There are so many pilots, lineman, A&Ps, flight instructors, and aircraft owners that want to tell their adventurous stories. I am so appreciative of the participation and support that we have received over the last year. Many see aviation as a locked gate or inaccessible, or even “dangerous”. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are plenty of people out there that are willing to help you. You just have to seek them out.

After my father’s death in 2003, I woke up one morning and determined that I wanted to become a helicopter pilot. With an over-zealous and spine-tingling revelation of possibilities, I started a career in general aviation. Spurned by father’s love of flight, I visited my first Heli Expo. I met as many people as I could, soul-searching to see what aviation had to offer. Many years later I realized that’s all it took. Just introduce yourself to as many people as possible. I had no job, knew absolutely no one, and barely had enough hours to solo. After many years of perseverance, now the whole PilotMag team now has a chance to shine; our hearts pouring out all over the hangar floor. With a tireless and imaginative effort, our team has no other choice but to make it. Locked gates are no match for our undying pursuit of success. And, a “no failure” motto has been branded in every PilotMag employee’s soul, promoting aviation in an adventurous and compelling way. So, we would like to make your acquaintance and hear about your flying adventure.

Now that we have determined that aviation is in fact accessible, we do realize that some hands are tied. The current economic captivity has got us all a little grumpy. There seems to be a gentle and quiet hum that has permeating the ramps and hangars throughout the country. At times we feel our hands are tied to governmental ways and means, the cost of aircraft maintenance and insurance. It’s the journey and not the destination, right? That makes perfect sense. The recent grumpiness comes from not appreciating the ride. People who fly are not looking forward to the destination. They want to experience the journey itself. So, everyone at PilotMag wants to take advantage of this economic trough and immerse ourselves in today’s transformation of aviation. Who will fly the old P-51s in twenty years? Who will tour the B-17 around? Who will design an aircraft that runs on garbage? These questions will get answered. PilotMag wants to be patient and be part of those solutions.

As millions of patrons swarm regional airports throughout the country this summer to catch a glimpse of the F-22 Raptor or the Aeroshell aerobatic team, PilotMag will be there meeting as many enthusiasts and pilots as we can, trying to find the nuances of a changing industry. We are looking for answers to questions like: How can PilotMag be the best? What types of stories and video do you want to see? We aren’t backing down. This trough where we currently rest will swell once again, and PilotMag will be there to capture and resurrect that spine-tingling feeling for many years to come.

Rich man's toy. I hear this description a lot as I make my way around to various aviation businesses and talk with folks that fly or sell aircraft. The discouraging part about it is, this descriptive reality is a manifestation of the general population’s misconception of our industry. When I was looking at a newly refurbished Waco Classic Aircraft in a hangar near our offices recently, someone leaned over to me and said, “That’s a rich man’s toy.” Also, when we made a visit to Kenmore Air in the Pacific Northwest in search of some subject matter for our seaplane feature, we were taking a tour through a maintenance hangar full of piston Beaver rebuilds. The head mechanic said to me, “These are rich men toys.”

Granted, the Waco and Beaver are expensive airplanes and something of a collector’s item, but, I have to admit, I am really tired of hearing that phrase.

In today’s economy, “rich” is out. As the irresponsible display of wealth plays itself out on Wall Street and throughout corporate hangars across the country, being rich should be replaced by a far less gregarious, more conservative and humble attitude. Flight students across this country are spending their hard-earned savings, taking out massive loans they expect to be on their balance sheet for a long time, and borrowing money from their grandmothers to learn how to fly. Most of them are not rich, but they are determined to find a place in this community. Least we not forget that these strapped, dedicated individuals are putting much needed money into our general aviation system, supporting the small businesses—flight school operations, educational supplies, and headset manufacturers—for a modest chance at building a career.

Whether they are young kids or retired adults, all small businesses that cater to training and education should realize that these individuals are next in line to grow this industry. Of course, there are still ridiculously wealthy pilots and collectors out there buying these toys (which, in some cases, they’re fly under 25 hours a year), but this large group of aging baby boomers won’t be around for much longer. According to the most recent census, it is estimated that individuals over 50 years old control about 70 percent of the country’s wealth. And, unfortunately, the legacy left behind by these boomers for a younger generation has dwindled due to exorbitant and outlandish spending, most present in the aviation industry.

Creating a voice of encouragement is what PilotMag and PilotLounge.com are all about. Your financial wherewithal will only dictate what type of aircraft you can fly and one’s economic clout has nothing to do with the growth of this industry. On the contrary, aviators’ continued exclusionary and protective attitudes will kill general aviation as we know it. So, whether you fly a Citation or a paraglider, whether you own the oldest aviation business in the country or plan to open a new one, do us all a favor and teach someone else how to do it. Open your doors to the starving, “will-work-for-nothing” pilots, mechanics, dock boys, and flight dispatchers who just want a chance to prove themselves. Whether you realize it or not, we are all in this together—for richer or for poorer. Check out the 5th issue of PilotMag as we learn to sail a plane, pigeon race, fly trikes around the world, and much more!

Visit PilotMag Visit PilotLounge.com We need your adventure stories!

Last weekend, PilotMag had the opportunity to visit one of the most sophisticated, computer based training facility in the United States; The United Flight Training Center in Denver, Colorado. The only flight training center for United Airlines, the Denver Flight Center is the home for recurrent and primary training of the company’s flight officers. Over 7,000 individuals come through this facility every year with mandatory visits every nine months for most captains and first officers. Each United Airlines flight simulator is an exact replica of an airline cockpit and is capable of duplicating virtually any hazardous condition or in flight emergency. The flight center is known for helping United build the strongest reputation in the industry for flight training, safety and innovative flight training for thousands of the industry’s airline pilots across the globe.

Hosted by a former Navy pilot who never flew a aircraft he didn’t like, Pete Vinton, one of United’s Instructor Pilot, we took a tour through this amazing facility. Pete is a graduate of Aviation Officers Candidate School and served 12 years in the Navy (a true officer and gentleman) and fellow advocate of promoting general aviation by offering this once in a lifetime access for PilotMag and its readers. A lot has happened to and around the United Airlines Flight Training Center since the facility opened in 1968 in Denver. Yet it remains the principal training site for thousands of United pilots. Open 24/7/365, UAFTC remains among the largest commercial airline training facilities in the world, occupying three buildings spread out on 23 acres. The 610,000-sq.-ft. complex has a staff of approximately 728 and houses 36 simulator bays with 25 active full-motion simulators: Five A320s, three 777s, three 767s, three 757s, four 747-400s, one 747-200, four 737-300/-500s and two 737-200s. In 2004 the center posted 9,387 pilot training events, 27,789 emergency procedures and security TEs and 5,500 maintenance TEs.

This is the stage for PilotMag’s 777 Challenge. On October 2-4, 2009, here’s your chance to fly one of the most complicated and sophisticated aircraft simulators in the world. PilotMag’s 777 Challenge will test your skill, your snap decision making and your tolerance for stress. So, let’s see if you will be chosen for an all expense paid weekend in Denver, Colorado (that includes a airfare and lodging) and a cash grand prize. PilotMag will choose (3) lucky individuals who’s applications and resumes impress our CFI and Pilot Instructor panel of judges. An entry fee will be required and there will be a protocol to follow when submitting your application for 2009’s most exciting aviation challenge. PilotMag is currently looking at three challenges for our contestants: (1) Taxi from the gate to assigned runway in the Boeing 777 (2) To Take off in the Boeing 777 (3) To Land the Boeing 777 from Cruise Altitude . Each challenge will be performed with little or no briefing. You will be in the hot seat! Keep your eyes out for the launch of our official website and registration package coming on April 1st.

Thank you very much to Pete Vinton who will be our primary instructor to set up the logistics and characteristics of the challenge. Thank you, as well, to the folks at the United Flight Training Center for the access and education on these highly advanced, computer based simulators. We hope to reach out to not only the general aviation pilot, but to the remote control aviation community and the Flight Simulator users. Some say that the simulator community will clean house. But, I can’t wait until the winner is crowned. Now, everyone can see for their own eyes what it takes to fly these incredible ships. So, thank you for your support of our publication and I always appreciate your feedback as we forge a message of excitement, adventure and accessibility in our community.
Gates L. Scott – Publisher of PilotMag
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PilotMag recently visited the 2009 Heli Expo in Anaheim, California. Hosted by the Helicopter Association International, North America’s largest helicopter organization, this year’s event broke attendance records with over 17,000 attendees and over 550 exhibitors. In our pursuit to expand the message of our brand and seek editorial content, our staff encountered a very upbeat and energetic crowd at the event. I’m not sure if this positive vibe that circulated the event was suffering from a delayed reaction to our current economic downturn, or if in fact the helicopter segment is truly healthy and somewhat immune to current conditions.

No matter what the reason for the show’s optimism, as we walked the halls and talked with exhibitors, sales managers and industry professionals, everyone was very pleased with the show’s attendance and interaction. Despite the optimism, certain manufacturers were very cautious and focused on cash preservation. Companies like Eurocopter North America have improved their cash positions and have dramatically reduced production lead times by some 35% over the last year in an attempt to exceed efficiency goals. The industry seems healthy and the manufacturers seemed upbeat. However, the rumor mill was also present with the whispers that Bell Helicopters could in fact be for sale. Richard Millman, CEO of Bell Helicopters vehemently denied any such rumor. Agusta, Entrom, Sikorsky and everyone else sees a significant slide in civilian aircraft sales. However commercial applications, law enforcement and military sales seem to be what’s driving the industry.

I have to say that the helicopter industry is a very competitive environment for manufacturers. Each CEO was going out of his or her own way to joke and jab the next guy. As I sat in on a CEO briefing on the industry and each manufacturer’s newest technology, there’s a jovial camaraderie between the companies. Lynn Tilton of MD Helicopters based in Mesa, Arizona is obviously a fan favorite. She is a hard-nosed, pragmatic businesswomen who has brought MD back from the dead. However, her choice of revealing clothing and “hangin’ with the boys” attitude can be interpreted as tacky and obnoxious. As she preached to the audience that “she is turning dust to diamonds” with the resurrection of MD Helicopters, I am not quite sure if she’s a gluten for fame and “rock” stardom, or if she can turn the company around and affectively compete with the like of Eurocopter and Bell.

The crowd that circulated around the event, in our eyes, was made up of three groups. The first group was the young helicopter pilot who had just earned his CFI or private certificate looking for some opportunity. The second group were the “looky loos”. These people were either guests of exhibitors or general patrons coming in to take a look at the amazing display of aircraft. The third were the “suits”. The suits were the owners, operators, buyers and big players coming to conduct business. It’s unlike any other crowd you may see at Oshkosh or Sun n’Fun or at the AOPA Convention. These guys are the players. I am not sure how many countries were represented in the show, however I know that attendees from each continent came in droves. The diversity of the helicopter’s mission is the saving grace to this segment of the industry. Although some segments of aviation are seeing reductions, industry professionals don’t feel that helicopters will see such drastic slides. The usefulness and mission specific properties of helicopters make them a unique and viable aircraft for the future. The future may just be in vertical lift.

PilotMag is growing quickly. We have just published our 4th issue and, our social networking site, PilotLounge.com is announcing a format change and upgrades. We have moved offices to a sweet location on the field at Centennial Airport and we are starting to get press. This is all being done with no debt. We have set clear expectations and goals, and we live by them. We are building exciting mediums that bring the adventure back to aviation. So, thank you for your support of our publication and I always appreciate your feedback as we forge a message of excitement, adventure and accessibility in our community.
Gates L. Scott – Publisher of PilotMag
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