AirVenture Oshkosh ’99 Staff and Contributors

CarlMarbach is aco-founder of AVweb and its Publisher. Carl is a 4,000-hour pilot, andcommutes between homes in Boca Raton, Fla. and Aspen, Colo. in his 1978 Aerostar601P. Carl was the founder and CEO of Professional Press which published fivecomputer magazines including DEC Professional. After Professional Presswas acquired by a venture capital firm, Carl founded Internetwork PublishingCorporation and now devotes himself to the emerging field of electronicpublishing via the Internet. A lifelong resident of Philadelphia until 1994,Carl and his wife Helen now live in Boca Raton, Florida.

Mike Busch is aco-founder of AVweb and its Editor-in-Chief. Mike is a 5,000-hour pilot,CFIA, CFII, CFIME. An aircraft owner for 28 years, Mike presently owns apristine 1979 Cessna Turbo 310, and performsvirtually all the maintenance on it himself. He is an instructor for the CessnaPilots Association, a long-time sysop of the AVSIG aviation forum onCompuServe, and was formerly a Contributing Editor for TheAviation Consumer and IFRmagazines. Mike and his wife Jan live in asemi-rural area of the central coast of California between Santa Maria and SanLuis Obispo. Prior to founding AVweb, Mike retired from a long andsuccessful career in the computer software business.

Bob Kaputa isManaging Editor of AVweb. Bob started out as a staff photographer fordaily newspaper, working on feature articles and writing a weekly motor sportscolumn. Moving on to a second career in electronics at a large company in theMidwest while also obtaining his private pilot certificate and instrumentrating, he brought his skills as a senior maintenance specialist to the airport,working on his own airplane and as a part of the "annual team" at thelocal FBO. Now, as an independent computer consultant and 10-year veteranmanager of the AVSIG aviation forum on CompuServe, Bob brings his unusual blendof skills and experience full-circle to electronic journalism here on AVweb.He lives in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.

JosephE. (Jeb) Burnsideis AVweb's Executive Editor. An active pilot since 1973, Jeb has earnedhis Commercial and Advanced Ground Instructor certificates and holds Single- andMulti-Engine Land and Instrument Ratings. Prior to joining AVwebfull-time, he served for two years as AVweb's Washington bureau chiefand news writer. Previous writing credits include service as a contributingeditor for Professional Pilot magazine and responsibility for thatpublication's monthly news coverage.

Since Jeb's professional background is in government relations - he has morethan 20 years' experience on Capitol Hill as both a staffer and as a lobbyist,plus lengthy service as NBAA's chief Capitol Hill representative - he bringsgreat legitimacy and deep insight to AVweb's coverage of governmentaffairs. Jeb's perspective on FAA, DOT and Congressional happenings - andunique insights on the aviation industry - has been invaluable in helping tomake AVweb an effective instrument of change in aviation. He owns a1966 Beech C33A Debonair.

Jennifer Whitleyis AVweb's Copy Editor. A student pilot based in Austin, Texas, Jen fliesa C-152 Aerobat and enjoys being upside down at every available opportunity. Shehas also been known to jump out of airplanes, on occasion. When not debating thefiner points of style with the AVweb editors, Jen turns her love oflanguage to her linguistics studies at the University of Texas, to a deeply-heldconcern for adult literacy, and to a perennially unfinished novel. She can oftenbe found at a bar down on Sixth Street, trying to explain the aerodynamics of aspin to her non-pilot friends, who listen graciously for a while beforesuggesting that she get the next round.

LizSwaine is amember of the AVweb news writing team. A private instrument-rated pilot,she owns and flies a 1966 Mooney M-20E affectionately known as "Mike."Liz's love for aviation began some years ago when, as a reporter at a TV stationin Pensacola, Florida, she was assigned the Blue Angels beat. From there, shemoved to Shreveport, Louisiana, and as news anchor at the ABC affiliate, coversmilitary happenings at Barksdale AFB. She has deployed all over the world ontraining missions and war games, and has flown in just about every cargo haulerand transport in the military inventory. She knows the discomfort of sleeping inweb seats and the surprise at the contents of the notorious military "boxlunch." Liz has traveled to Russia to cover the fall of communism, to SaudiArabia to report on the build up to Desert Storm, and to Israel to look at theArab-Israeli peace process up close. The fast pace of her life extends to herplay ... she is a former triathlete and bicycle racer. Getting her Commercialand Multi-engine ratings are on her short list of things to do.

PeterYost earned hisPrivate Pilot certificate the old-fashioned way by handpropping a TaylorcraftBC-12D at a small grass airstrip in southeast Pennsylvania. He has since added aCommercial Glider rating to his collection. Peter's college experience earnedhim a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University. He then worked asa civilian engineer with the U.S. Navy for 15 years, primarily in developingsafety and life support equipment for Navy and Marine aircrew. So far in hiscareer, he has worked with all branches of the military, with NASA and mostmajor aerospace companies in the U.S., and with companies in England and inRussia. He has been a member of the EAA, Soaring Society of America, and theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for over 20 years. When notsoaring from the gliderport of the Philadelphia Glider Council, Peter finds timeto enjoy skiing, sports, and travel.

Mary Gradyis the newest addition to AVweb's news team. Mary's editorialbackground includes five years as desk editor for The Providence Journal,a daily newspaper; one year as science writer/editor for the University of RhodeIsland Graduate School of Oceanography; one and a half years as a book editorfor the National Geographic Society, in Washington, D.C. and numerous free-lancewriting credits. Her aviation credentials include certification as a Privatepilot in airplanes and as a Commercial pilot of hot-air balloons, plus anAdvanced Ground Instructor certificate. In addition to her work as a writer andas an editor, she served as as operations manager for a flight school inFlorida.

AVwebgraphic artist, Randy Jenkinsis a 1996 graduate of Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Mo., andholds both an Associate's and Bachelor's degree in art. He has held down variousjobs from assembly line worker to hotel desk clerk before coming to AVweb.Randy started working for InterNETWORK Publishing in 1997 and came to the AVwebteam full-time for Osh '98. Randy, now a student pilot has almost a whole 30hours of flight time. Someday soon, he hopes to get his private ticket and jointhe rest of the pilot community and learn the secret handshake. He lives inPompano Beach, Fla., with his wife Jacque, their son Marcus, their (125 lb.)Great Dane Milkshake, and three lovely littleratties (Abigail, Gabrielle, and Willow).

AVwebcolumnist John Deakin started in aviation as a hangar-rat and line boy, worked his way up the aviationfood chain via charter, corporate, and cargo flying, then spent five years inSoutheast Asia with Air America. He joined Japan Airlines 31 years ago and isnow a very senior 747 captain with over 32,000 hours. He also flies his ownimmaculate Robertson STOL-equipped V-tail Bonanza (N1BE)and is very active in the war bird and vintage aircraft scene, serving as aninstructor in several aircraft and as an FAA Examiner on the Curtiss-WrightC-46, his all-time favorite.

AVwebcolumnist Howard Fried tarted flying with the Army Air Corps in WWII, where he served both as amulti-engine instructor pilot and in combat piloting B-17s. After a stintteaching sociology and on-the-air and management jobs in the radio businessafter the war, he turned to teaching flying again full-time. Over 40,000 generalaviation hours later, he is still instructing and running his own flight school.Along the way he administered over 4,000 flight tests as a Designated Examiner untilvictimized by rogue FAA officials.

You simply cannot survive all those student pilots without learning a greatdeal along the way and he has generously shared that hard earned experience overthe past few decades in articles, a long-running column in Flying magazine, twopopular flying books aimed at student pilots and instructors, Flight TestTips and Tales and Beyond The Checkride, and a series of audio tapes,Checkride Tipsfrom Flying's Eye Of The Examiner.

AVwebcolumnist Michael Maya Charles made it to the left seat of a major airline via the long, slow flightinstruction-charter-corporate route, but never left general aviation in theprocess. He is still an active GA pilot who has flown hundreds of differentaircraft in his 30 years of flying. MMC also holds an A&P certificate andrestored and maintains the beautiful red 1979 Cessna 185 Skywagon (N301MC) thathe currently owns. He is an established aviation writer who is perhaps bestknown for his "Pro's Nest" column in FLYING magazine andnumerous features in AOPA Pilot. He offers his varied expertise as anaviation consultant and expert witness for the legal and insurance industry.

AVwebcontributor Brent Blue, M.D.is a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner who writes for several aviationpublications. He is a 5,500 ATP rated pilot and regularly flies a Cessna 340 andan antique experimental biplane called the Flaglor HighTow. Dr. Blue is on theEAA Aeromedical Council and created the EAA's AME Pilot Advocate Program. He wasthe team physician for the U.S. Aerobatic Team at the World Competition inHungary in 1994. Brent practices medicine in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, andfrequently lectures on aviation medical topics. He is married to Nancy who keepshim in line and has three children. Dr. Blue is also the sysop for CompuServe'sAVSIG (aviation) Forum Medical section.

AVwebcontributor Rick Durdenis a practicing aviation attorney who holds an ATP Certificate, with a typerating in the Cessna Citation and Commercial privileges for gliders, freeballoons and single-engine seaplanes. He is also an instrument and multi-engineflight instructor. Rick started flying when he was fifteen and became a flightinstructor during his freshman year of college. He did a little of everything inaviation to help pay for college and law school including flight instruction,aerial application and hauling freight. In the process of trying to fly everyold and interesting airplane he could, Rick has accumulated over 5,400 hours offlying time.

In his law practice, Rick regularly represents pilots, fixed base operators,overhaulers, and manufacturers. Prior to starting his private practice, he wasan attorney for Cessna in Wichita for seven years. He is a regular contributorto Aviation Consumer and AOPA Pilot magazines and teachesaerobatics in a 7KCAB Citabria in his spare time. Rick makes it clear he is partowner of a corporation which owns a Piper Aztec, because, having flown virtuallyevery type of piston-engine airplane Cessna manufactured from 1933 on, as wellas all the turboprops and some of the jets, he cannot bring himself to admitactually owning a Piper.

AVwebcontributor Joe Godfreyis an instrument-rated private pilot who flies a 1974 Bellanca Viking. Joe hasbeen hooked on flying since age 6, when his parents bought a house in thepattern of Blue Ash airport in Cincinnati. He composes music for commercials,films, broadcast and corporate media and has composed and produced thousands ofmusic tracks for America's largest advertisers. In addition to contributing to AVweb,Joe has written for The Aviation Consumer and IFR magazines. Heteaches a one-semester graduate class in broadcast production at TheAdvertising Arts College and is a director, mission coordinator, and pilotfor Angel Flight West, a non-profitorganization that uses private airplanes to fly indigent patients forspecialized medical treatment. So far, Joe is the only AVweb contributorthat has logged time with Ella Fitzgerald and conducted the London Symphony.

AVwebcontributor Tom Greshamis a private instrument-rated pilot who passed his private checkride at dawn,New Year's Day, in Anchorage, Alaska. As editor of Alaska magazine, heused his 1947 Luscombe 8E to tour the state for three years. Having upgraded toa newer plane, a 1959 Cessna Skylane, Gresham now operates out of centralLouisiana, flying his "straight tail" 182 over much of the easternU.S. A magazine writer, editor, photographer, book author, television host(ESPN) and national radio talk show host,Tom ranks flying as first among his many loves.

AVwebcontributor Nancy Hattaway Miller earned her private pilot certificate last September and is now working on herinstrument rating. Nancy was the fourth employee at PCWorld Online and was instrumental in developing their web site andnewsletter products. When the bleeding-edge online environment began toseriously interfere with her flying time, Nancy moved to the print side of PCWorld magazine where the pace is merely frenetic. After working her way throughsix primary CFIs (and flying with 22 more when her main CFI-du-jour wasn'tavailable) in 9 different airplane models, Nancy bought her first airplane, aPiper Archer, in an attempt to make future training a bit more predictable. Sheand her husband Patrick, a student pilot, enjoy the temperate climate and blueskies of Northern California.

AVweb contributor Matt Paxton started flying gliders in 1970 at age 16 andlater earned his commercial glider certificate and CFIG. Mattinstructs or tows most every Sunday for the Springwood SoaringAssociation. He also holds a commercial SEL certificate and isinstrument rated. He is a partner in a 1962 Bellanca 260. He hasflown to Oshkosh four of the past five years and has worked as avolunteer for the past two. He is president of The News-Gazette Corp. in Lexington, Va.,which publishes newspapers, a regional travel magazine andoperates a commercial printing operation. In 1997, The News-Gazette won an honorable mention in AOPA's Max Karant aviationjournalism competition for coverage of an effort to build a localGA airport. This year, The News-Gazette went on-line and thecompany began offering website development services. Matt never buys lottery tickets because he used up all his`luck of the draw' by winning a flight on the EAA's B-17"Aluminum Overcast" in 1995. Matt and his wife, Margaret Ann,live in Lexington, Va. with their two daughters.