What's the most fun you can have with your clothes on? I've always felt that having a job in the same area as your hobby would qualify and that's the rather enviable position I am in currently. I've always been fascinated by high-tech combat and my new job in Huntsville allows me to work in this area on a daily basis. And while any job has its hassles and drudgery, I can truly say that I'm enjoying here as much as I did in LaGrange. It'sa farcry from teaching, but it has its perks, you know. What I didn't realize until recently was how time-consuming a job like this can be. In addition to technical work, we are expected to produce proposals and other business-generating work on our own time. I'd like to think of myself as someone with good ideas and that means turning those ideas into proposals. I'd like to reach the point one day where I have my own stable of customers and people who help me do the things I love to do. All of this requires an investment of time from me that takes away from my hobbies, and unfortunately AIR POWER must be classed as one of them. In addition to time problems, there are certain conflicts of interest that must be considered. Working as a Department of Defense contractor often implies classified work. Any exposure to classified material prevents one from being able to discuss operational equipment or even to speculate about capabilities. A person is always free to guess about hardware capabilities when they don't have a clearance. So, unfortunately, I'm left in the position of working in the area that I enjoy, and doing it for good pay, be being left unable to pursue the same activity as a hobby because of conflicts of interest and time. As you might imagine, this can get pretty frustrating. And it's not just frustrating for me because I have been unable to give the proper amount of attention to the newsletter and that has been frustrating for the subscribers. I've tried to keep all the balls juggled for over a year now and it appears that it's just not possible for me to devote the kind of attention that AIR POWER deserves. I'm really proud of my accomplishments with this newsletter and I don't think you'll find many gaming publications that put out so much material and support. I think AIR POWER is unique within the community and J.D. is to be commended for coming up with the idea, pushing it as hard as he has, funding the publication, and convincing suckers like me to put out our free time for it's success and growth. With the next issue, I'll be stepping down as AIR POWER's Editor. I've made this decision reluctantly and am saddened to be ending my involvement with the newsletter. The helm is being transferred and there will be a new address, a new Editor, and probably new staff member or two (whose names you may recognize from ORIGINS Tournament summaries). I wish the very best for those who follow-keep the ball rolling, guys. And I'll see the rest of you at ORIGINS next year. Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 17 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by J.D. Webster This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com