Touring Singapore’s new Boeing 777-300ER, just last week
Given the success and growth of AirlineReporter.com, I thought it would be both fun and informative to check in with David Parker Brown (@ARdpb), Editor-in-Chief and Founder of the site.
It is possible that many of you have found AirlineReporter.com recently and discovered more AvGeek goodness than you could possibly imagine. Some of you have been reading and commenting for years. A small group of early adopters have been reading since the early days. Undeniably, AirlineReporter.com has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and it’s all because of amazing readers, dedicated writers, and a unique focus on airlines, airplanes, travel, and the interesting parts of the industry.
I don’t remember exactly at what point I found AirlineReporter.com, but it was in the early days. I remember taking the time to go back and read all the archived posts, fascinated that someone was writing stories about topics I was so interested in. Once I commented on a post, David realized he and I had a connection – we had mutual friends in college and lived in the same residence hall for two years. After my 77-hour trip to Singapore experience, I started writing and editing for the site; most of my work is done behind-the-scenes to help our team bring you excellent content, and help David formulate and refine story ideas. I pitched him the idea of this story, and he (reluctantly) agreed! Here is our interview…
What is an AvGeek? Well, since you are reading this, the chances are high that you might be an AvGeek. Is that a good or bad thing? Oh, have no worry, it is a very good thing and you are among great company.
It is hard to really know when or where the #AvGeek idea came from. It took off (pun intended) via social media and derives from “Aviation Geek.” Some folks might take offense to being called a “geek” but in this case, it is a way for people who are fans of aviation to easily identify themselves.
You do not need to be a pilot, you do not need to work in the aviation business, heck you could even be afraid to fly and still be an AvGeek. An AvGeek is someone who is passionate about aviation and that passion can be shown in countless ways.
A Korean Air Airbus A380 visits me at home
For nearly my entire life, I have lived in the shadow of one of the busiest airports in the country. Draw a straight line from my house and you end up on JFKs runway 22L in almost 2 miles. Arrivals glide across the sky mere seconds from landing, while departures roar directly overhead. When people ask me “why are you so into aviation?” my answer should be “the real question is what took me so long?”
JFK and airplanes are a daily fact of life in this area. Most people are so used to A380s at 500 feet over their backyard, they don’t even look up. For many years of my life, I was one of these people. DC8s, 727s, 707s, Concorde, all the classics you might now find in a museum were all right over my head, but I just never looked up.
