Each year during this time of year we have Thanksgiving here in the United States. This holiday was made to represent our having arrived at Plymouth Rock after our initial journey from overseas.

In the fall months it was fabled, as I’m not sure it was verified, that the settlers got together with even the indigenous peoples of this new America and had a feast of feasts.

The tradition was passed on down through the hundreds of years since, and has now become the bane and excuse for eating at least triple the amount of normal food in one sitting. Besides, that’s all we Americans do, right? Eat and get fat?

Regardless of the fact that I too admitidly eat my triple amount, and several pies on my own, I take this time to reflect on the previous year and all the things I have to be thankful for.

I’d like to now share my gratitude, both in general and specifics, that relate to my work here at AOA. You won’t be getting an account of my personal gratitude for things, just things to do with YOU and with this wonderful work I get to do with some amazing people.

Many people go to work to earn a paycheck and then prefer to keep their personal life and professional life completely separate. Although there is certainly nothing with this, and also some wisdom in keeping them apart, I have always been a person that liked to do meaningful work that I was passionate about.

I have been very blessed to have had not only the foresight to start AOA, but the wherewithal to keep going when things got really difficult. It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I’m grateful for this meaningful work I’ve been able to do.

You’d think the fat paycheck (which doesn’t exist) or the opportunity to get to deal with aviation every day would be what kept me going all these years.

But that isn’t the case. What has kept me going are the emails I get daily thanking our team for things like Aviator90 (a free course that was a huge risk for me to produce) or one of our pay products.

It’s the relationships and friendships I have gained, and the purpose I’m able to have, that keep me going.

I often get to relate to fellow flight simmers on a personal basis. We discuss our challenges, our similarities, and our passion regardless of the fact that we have a language barrier, distance, and cultural differences between us.

Passion is a language, passion through aviation, that has kept me going all these years.

And it all caught me by great surprise. I thought I’d be fulfilled by working with flight simulator all day, but really, what I love the most is getting to know you. Your name, your situation, your challenges, your story about how you fell in love with airplanes, and your passion of course.

To a certain extent I’d be lying if I didn’t also say that I’m very grateful for the monetary investment and trust that people, probably you, place with Angle of Attack. This year has seen some AMAZING progression in the company; a new website, MD-11 completion, AviatorPro content doubled, 737 Started, team growth, and so much more.

We realize we couldn’t do what we do without that, and for that, we’re grateful. Our goal is always to make sure that exchange rate is more worth it for you than it is us, and we hope it shows.

So apart from all that, I just want to end in saying, on behalf of the entire Angle of Attack team:

Thank You!

Thank you for your contribution to the FS community, thank you for sharing your passion, thoughts ideas, and some of your time with us. We’re truly grateful and honored to have such a great community of followers, and to be able to do what we do each day.

Throttle On!

Chris Palmer and the Angle of Attack Crew

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