Soon after moving out to the airport, I noticed the FBO host here (Landmark Aviation in 2010) received four copies of Wall Street Journal every day, a courtesy to visiting pilots and passengers who were welcome to read and even take a copy with them as they continued their flights. At the end of the day, often there was at least one copy remaining on the lobby counter, and when there was, I was welcome to take it and read it. . . . . and clip articles I considered important to future AKM researchers. Clips included captioned pictures, snippets of news, large articles, full-page advertisements, book reviews, interviews and more. I personally subscribed to Springfield’s news daily, The State Journal Register, and clipped items of interest. The local aviation-related coverage was generally very good. After about two years of receiving four copies, the FBO reduced the daily WSJs to one issue, and that was often “gone” by they end of the day, almost every day.
As AKM nears its sixth year of presence here, sometimes the line crews save WSJ for AKM and, at the end of the day, put it under my office door, eight feet from the lobby counter. Sometimes it’s not saved and put under the door, and often by closing time, the fuel-purchasing customers have (absolutely appropriately) taken the copy for themselves. During the prime, multi-issue-delivery times, I often clipped articles from four, or even all six Wall Street Journals. (Their “weekend edition” comes on Friday and is good for Saturday and Sunday.) These days, I consider myself lucky to harvest two or three issues every week. The irregularity of saved issues is a matter I cannot solve because the only answer is to personally subscribe, and I cannot justify subscribing because of the cost.
Sometimes pilots and passengers leave copies of USA Today and dailies from far away places with the “traffic director” at the Horizon Aviation counter, where she saves them and gives them to me. That is a MAJOR favor, and I hope she knows how much I appreciate it.
In recent months I have set issues of both newspapers aside, and poured over them on Saturdays, finding articles that will e . . .v. . .e . . .n . . . t . . .u . . . a . . . l . . . l . . . y be filed appropriately in the Research and Local History Rooms here. On May 14, I poured over the week’s stack of newspapers. Here is what I saved.
From left to right, top to bottom . . .
1. The jetBlue advert appeared in the middle four columns of a section’s center-spread. It’s newsy (about the award won) and demonstrates an unconventionality about the company and its advertising agency.
2. This full page (A7) ad for the company that mass produced the A6M Zero fighter of Pearl Harbor and Pacific renown, is a “shot over the bow,” so to speak; the rattle sound portending danger. The airplane pictured is Japan’s new airliner. The text doesn’t even mention the airplane or its name, but those in the know, KNOW about it. It’s a clarion wake up call to the US aviation industry.
3. About an airline wireless firm, it is prime current events for investors and industry watchers. Some day, when an AKM researcher wants to know about wireless companies in dire straits, this article may be a first step in greater understanding of the providers.
4. WSJ reports the most interesting news for everyone who travel by air in any way: aircraft ownership, charter, airlines vacation travel. This is a superb article that continues on page D2 of the May 12 issue.
5. Airbus, major competitor to US aviation industry, is diversifying. You can be sure everyone in the US av industry read this excellent article. That’s why it belongs here at AKM.
6. The same May 12 WSJ that had the center-spread advert for jetBlue also had the newsy picture here. It shares additional information which was not part of the ad. The excellent picture alone must have drawn interest from airline flyers.
7. Apologies for the fuzzy picture, but the headline gives the major point of this snippet, now part of the airline files at AeroKnow. Often, The State Journal Register shares much more aviation-related news. This was just a slow week for aviation news.
The terrific part of newspaper coverage is the immediacy, ink kissing the newsprint and getting to readers in a day or less. Newspaper coverage is important here. If you agree, please consider DONATING a subscription to Wall Street Journal or other major newspaper (New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times) to AeroKnow Museum.
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Abe Lincoln's Air Force 