By Ed Downs

The customary greeting for a January editorial would be “Happy New Year.” And, so be it!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  2012 comes upon us with the same promise carried by every new year.  All beginnings contain “good news” and “bad news.”  It is up to the individual to write history and decide how each day, or year, turns out.  But 2012 comes with special promises of good or bad.  It is a Presidential election year.  The FAA, federal budgets for aviation, private flying and business aviation are going to be topics for political controversy and we, the average flying guy or gal, are going to have an audience as never before.  Let’s take a look at the “bad news” first, and then offer some creative solutions.  We can make this a winning year for aviation, no mater who wins the election.

With political campaigns now well underway, it becomes clear that our major political parties will continue to ignore the real problems and opportunities facing our country.  Instead, the PR firms hired by the DNC and RNC will focus upon inflammatory sound bites, insulting TV commercials, and daily “talking points” memos issued to those seeking election, to be quoted to “target voting groups” like trained parrots (apologies to parrots!).  And what, you may ask, do any of these insulting realities have to do with you and your airplane?