Leap of Faith

As moves go, I liken this one to the time I jumped from A Perfectly Good Airplane. That, by the way, happened to be the name of the propeller plane that took me up for my first solo skydive several years ago.

Last month, I thought of that jump as I made the rounds on the phone to inform various people in the industry that I had purchased CTE Publications Inc., which publishes this 70-year-old magazine. Along with numerous congratulatory remarks came a few comments about how brave I must be to take on a print magazine in an era of digital upheaval that has yet to reveal its full impact on a wide array of industries.

But when one person I spoke with lauded me for my “courage,” my mind flashed back to the moment when I moved to the outside of that propeller plane flying at about 13,000′. I had to get into position for my solo jump, along with my two skydiving instructors who were on both sides of me holding on to a set of handles sewn onto the arms and legs of the nylon jumpsuit I was wearing.

Then I waited for the jump signal from my instructors. The signal came. I let go.

That’s what went through my mind as I thanked the person on the other end of the phone for the kind words. As for how much courage it takes to run a print magazine these days, I have to say I took this step with a great deal less trepidation than when I stepped out of that plane.