Good Bye FolksI’m more than a little ambivalent. At midnight of December 31st we usher in a new year, and as I do it, I’ll be closing the door on the way out, as publisher and founder of The Air Charter Guide. As most of you know by now, I sold to Penton Media two years ago (then “Prism”) and stayed on as publisher during the transition period. That has been completed now, and going forward, The Air Charter Guide will be in the capable hands of Frank Craven, who is also publisher of AC-U-KWIK and The Aircraft Bluebook, and my same great staff in Cambridge, who are responsible for our success to date. In some ways it’s a relief, in others quite depressing. But I’m sure going to miss all of you. (Even the subset of you who wouldn’t pay your bills or just drove me faintly nuts!) So have an extra drink for me at “Schedulers.” I know you’re all capable of it. I remember my first NATA show in 1987 in Orlando, where some of you, after quite a few drinks (names withheld to protect the guilty) abducted the Peabody ducks and held them at ransom in a closet on the thirtieth floor. (The front desk was called at 2:00 A.M. and a release offered in consideration for a sum that well exceeded eight figures.) The rest, as they say, is all history. I actually started the business in 1984 – 85, in my basement with one employee. The industry back then was casually and officially called “air taxi.” We rechristened it “Air Charter” with our book title because I didn’t like the association of America’s finest corporate jets to yellow rattling Checker Cabs that always smell a little funky. A lot of our success (which is typical of most business success stories) occurred simply through luck. Good timing allowed us to create The Air Charter Guide before someone else did. Jet aircraft were just starting to replace the Navajos and Chieftains which made up the “air taxi’ fleet. We chose a good publishing instrument (a directory as opposed to a magazine.) We played a key role as we introduced many of America’s small charter operators to each other through the pages of the guide, and then proceeded to do the same in Europe. We were first with a CD-Rom, first on the internet. We helped the associations and industry fight back against bad or careless regulation. And you all reciprocated by participating in these efforts and ensuring our success. So that’s what this “adios” is really about – a thank you note. A public acknowledgement to an unsurpassable group of employees, many of whom have been with me for more than thirteen years, and a solid thank you to the industry that allowed us to serve it. The Air Charter Guide has indeed been a joint effort – from the days of the advertisers’ editorial board, from which we got some great ideas, right up to the present. We aren’t any different than any other business insofar as we had to earn our stripes to get noticed. But having earned them, I can say that one would be hard pressed to find a more loyal and involved group of customers than the mostly family owned charter businesses around the world. You were there to greet me on my small plane trips across the Atlantic and into Europe. And I cannot count the times I have flown over some European, Canadian, or US airport to call one of you by sat-phone, power back, and enter the airport traffic pattern for an impromptu, interesting, and informative lunch. My self created job has provided me a network of many friends and a few enemies, about which latter group my father would have pointed out that if you don’t have these, you probably haven’t done much with yourself anyway. So thanks to all of you: charter industry, associations, and employees alike. I’ll miss you. And if you find yourself in the Bedford Massachusetts area, give me a call. It’s my turn to buy lunch! I can be found through the office here at The Air Charter Guide or at fgevalt@gmail.com. Fly safely, and have a very merry Christmas. And for you duck eaters out there, (and you know who you are) I hope they’re tasty! – FCG - To receive the Air Charter Journal e-mail:
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