We bring you up to date with all the comings and goings at Global Aviation Resource as we gear up for a busy 2014.
It seems hard to believe that we are now closing in on our fifth birthday but, as has always been our intention, we want to keep moving forward and ensure that GAR continues to grow and cement its place as one of the ‘go to’ online destinations for aviation news, features and imagery.
2014 is the Red Arrows’ 50th display season © Gareth Stringer
The best way to do that is, and has always been, to bring you great content, and the only way to guarantee that is with a team that is as enthusiastic and as knowledgeable as you are, and is committed to delivering the words and pictures that are our bread and butter.
While a number of us on the GAR team have been here since day one, we have naturally seen a number of additions, and departures, over the years and the past few weeks have seen us making a conscious effort to bring some new blood on to the team ahead of what will be a hectic year with a whole host of events, shows and anniversaries.
2014 is also 100 years since the start of the Great War © Gareth Stringer
I am delighted to say that we’ve been able to do that, and you’ll be seeing content and contributions from the people below, as time goes by:
Kieran Lear – writer and photographer
Dean West – writer and photographer
Mike Shreeve – writer and photographer
Amelie Windel – writer and aerobatic pilot
Bill Ramsey – writer, consultant and Vulcan display pilot
David Gledhill – writer, consultant, photographer, pilot, ex-RAF Phantom / Tornado navigator
In the next few days we’ll be adding their biographies to the website so you can learn a little more about each one, and I am sure you will join us in welcoming them all to GAR.
The F-16 is 40 this year – as is the Hawk © Gareth Stringer
We are also going to be restructuring the team a little and adding editors and deputy editors with responsibility for different sections of the site. These people will be your first port of call if you want to contact us to cover something specifically and we’ll be publishing more details in due course.
In terms of other parts of the GAR family, our podcast Xtended is going great guns and Get into Flying is doing very well for itself, and Jon and the team have had a great start to 2014, publishing some excellent content. The Hangar, on the other hand, is just sitting there, and I for one am undecided what to do with it. There is a substantial user base, the majority of whom don’t actively use it, but I remain convinced that it is a powerful tool and might be worth a re-launch. I’ll keep pondering…….
The 70th anniversary of D-Day will be covered in depth © Gareth Stringer collection
Another uncertainty is Global Aviation Magazine. You seem to agree with us that it looks fantastic and that the content is very strong, but it takes a huge amount of time and effort for Karl to put it all together, and for us to keep it as free product, which we would like to, it really needs more regular advertising or, ideally, a sponsor. So, if you know anyone would like to sponsor the UK’s only solely digital aviation magazine, please get in touch or put them in touch.
All that remains is to wish you a slightly belated happy new year, and we hope you enjoy a healthy and aviation-packed 2014.
Gareth Stringer
Editor – Global Aviation Resource
