Assistant Editor's Note

The sirens sound, the confetti floats down from the rafters and the man in the top hat shouts "The One, the only!" just as the curtain opens and the crowd sits in a hushed awe at the sight of the 2007 Ground Support Worldwide Industry Showcase. That's right. It's back and better than ever with a complete listing of the hot commodities on the ground support market.

As a fresh face in the industry, I've been enrolled in a four-month crash course on all things ground support and I've entered your world with the bulging eyes of an eager four-year-old meeting Mickey for the first time. Ground Support is an exciting industry that many of those peering out the airplane's windows know little about.

An amateur's skepticism in the airline industry turned to utter fear after my hair gel transformed into a possible weapon of mass destruction, but since said incident I've gained exponential respect for the ground handlers working double-time to make sure wedding dresses make it to the alter on time and little Bobby receives his toy tug the morning of his fifth birthday. It's troubling and frustrating every time a wound is reopened a day after the stitches are taken out, but ramp rats alike have a way of duck-taping a gauze pad and playing through the pain.

Like the many pieces of hardware that keep this industry moving forward, the Industry Showcase is meant to be a tool, a resource cataloging the many items that will top the list as the holiday season approaches. In addition to this issue, GroundSupportWorldwide.com maintains an online Buyer's Guide that is updated daily with the latest products and services the GSE industry has to offer.

Please enjoy our offering and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions feel free to shoot them our way. We love hearing from anyone in the GS family.

Thanks for reading,

David Mantey, Assistant Editor.