Dec 14 2020

Editor's Letter - Good Riddance 2020 Posted 4 years 8 days ago ago by Admin

I think that most people would agree that our holiday card pretty much sums up how many of us feel about 2020.

Not really helicopter themed as our previous cards have been, but if it causes a bit of a chuckle and captures the lighter side of the human spirit, then we achieved our goal.

There can be no doubt that 2020 has been an interesting and challenging year for most all of us, not only in our personal lives, but in our work lives as well. COVID, civil unrest, a divided nation, and a seemingly never-ending stream of contentious elections have cast a cloud of uncertainty over not only the U.S. economy, but the global economy as well.

I recently took a quick look at my November-December 2019 editor’s letter to reflect on the sentiment at the time. For the most part, the helicopter industry economy was firing on all cylinders and it seemed to be rainbows and flying unicorns (with rigid rotor systems of course) as far as the eye could see. Then boom, in March of this year the pandemic caused the world to collectively pump the brakes on the economy.

As for me, I am a glass-half-full kind of person. Although I acknowledge the negative aspects of any situation, I try to look past it for the silver lining knowing full well that seasons will always change.

Academy Award winner Viola Davis once said, “I guess they say, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ because you have two stark choices when you find yourself in a really desperate situation. You can either fold and cave-in to it or you can become really passionate about getting out of it.”

With that sentiment in mind, I’m feeling optimistic about 2021. It appears that the COVID vaccines will be the light at the end of the tunnel for many aspects of recovery, i.e. travel and tourism. Also, talking to our customers, we not only see how most of them have been negatively affected in one way or another by the current situation, but we also see how adaptable and resilient they have been. Shrinking revenues, tightening budgets, and the inability to travel has forced many to reinvent how they do business. Some companies will actually come out of this period stronger for it. For example, 10 months ago, the word “virtual” was just a cool, futuristic buzz word and now it’s a way of life and business.

As for Rotorcraft Pro, we have had to adapt as well and looking back on 2020 we are grateful for the support of our media partners and readers, all of which have contributed to the growth and success of the Rotorcraft Pro Media Network.

So, as we head into the New Year, we join Santa as depicted in our humorous holiday, and raise a toast to all the hard-working rotorheads and leaders of industry who always manage to adapt and overcome no matter the situation. Cheers!