I’ve retired … sort of.
With a winding career in aviation writing and journalism that dates back to the mid-1980s with Flying Magazine, it’s time to get off the treadmill of regular news writing that I have trod over the past four-plus years. My separation came at the close of AirVenture 2025, so the decision pre-dates recent significant events. But the fact that this appears here on AvBrief.com is a measure of my support and admiration for Russ Niles, Larry Anglisano, and all those participating in the “movement” to continue supplying relevant general aviation content written by seasoned, committed experts.
They are more than just colleagues. Unlike Russ and Paul Bertorelli (Paul’s outreach got me involved with the final chapter of my career), my academic degree is in English Lit rather than journalism. Somehow, I managed to squeeze the round peg of my childhood fascination with flying and storytelling into a square hole and eke out a career writing about airplanes and aviators. Along the way, I learned “journalism” largely by getting my nose swatted with a proverbial rolled-up magazine when I made a mistake.
But what I mostly learned was to appreciate and show respect for my audience. People who fly (especially in personal airplanes) look to writers for much more than entertainment, though it can be fun to be entertained at times. They are keenly aware—even if subconsciously—that many subjects we write about can involve fatal consequences if they make a mistake. Some mistakes in aviation are economic and significant, but others are far more costly to our readers and those who trust their judgment.
That’s one reason even minor errors are scrutinized and called out. It’s why readers frequently respond with a heightened sense of outrage— and occasionally appreciation—for what we write. It’s why there is a high bar to scale when sitting down at a keyboard and exploring a topic that could be on the fringes of the writer’s experience and knowledge bank. That’s a minefield I will not miss navigating.
I will be open to continuing to do some scribbling if the right project comes my way or when something significant comes to my mind. And I expect you will see my byline on this site from time to time. But for now, thanks for listening all these years.
Wise, thoughtful and moving words from an enormous hearted man.
Thanks, Tom. Kind words, indeed.
All the best writing the next chapter of your life, Mark!
Thank you.
Congratulations Mark on decades of writing excellence—even for a guy with an English Lit degree. Always a pleasure catching up with you at the shows back in the day.
Thanks, Pete,
Always good to see you, too. Even if only on FB.
Hey Mark – sorry to see you go, but maybe now you will have time to come join our EAA chapter out of N40. We would love to have you.
Thanks, Joe:
I’m working on getting some stuff sorted, but would love to visit soon.
Come on in! The retirement water is fine.
I’ll get flying again soon and come on down with the 182 and get you in a high wing some day.
If you’re so damn retired, what the hell are you doing up at 6:34 a.m.?
Must be a time zone thing, something to do with computers. I used to know that stuff…
😂
Hi Mark, congrats on your “retirement”. Great words about your colleagues here. I hope to see content from you as time permits!
You’re gonna love it!
Excellent!
Hi Mark,
Glad to see you made it to the party. I was hoping you’d join the gang over here. Even if we only get to see the occasional piece from you, that will be greatly appreciated. I’ve been reading your articles (wherever they were) for a while, and I’ve truly enjoyed the journey. When I would see your byline I was sure to read that article (or more recently, click on it) because I knew it would be well written and something of interest. Good luck in semi-retirement. Go out and enjoy your well earned time-off… and make sure you let us know what kind of fun you’re up to from time to time.
In some way this reminds me of athletes signing with a franchise for one final single day to retire as a player with that franchise. While AvBrief is new, Mark was able to return to the posse that road along with him into the sunset. It’s good to be among friends when you finally hang it up. Thank you for all your contributions, Mark.
I don’t believe a word of it, Mark. You still have all the tools you need (pencil, pad, brain, experience) to craft compelling stories. The dirtiest little secret of retirement is that you will be busier than ever. Everyone knows that “since you’re retired, you must have time to (fill in obligatory noble cause) …”. The trick is to have (fabricate if necessary) an unassailable “nobler cause” to which you can point, when you say, “Oh, I’d love to help out, but I’ve got to work on _____”. Memoirs, novels, finish the boat, whatever you can plausibly assert with a straight face. As long as you keep flying, or simply hang around pilots, story ideas will find you.
And we all hope to find them here.
Congratulations! You are now officially part
of the “disappointing job numbers”!
Congrats, Mark. It’s been an amazing run so far and I’m sure more still to come, only at the pace of your choosing. Welcome to this new phase of life where you can be more selective of what you do. Come on in. The water’s great!
Paul has rolled up all the good guys. Great job!
Knowing when it’s time to gather your toys and head home is an underappreciated skill.
Suddenly realizing how much BS you were putting up with at that last job is one of the great blessings of retirement.
Welcome to the third act, which at 80 I feel lucky to have enjoyed longer than too many of my friends and colleagues who have already flown West. I’ve enjoyed your wonderful writings more than I can properly express, but I’ll try. You have always emphasized the positive things in aviation, and while reading your stories I often thought I could detect a twinkle in your eye.
Thanks for being so supportive of folks doing wonderful things in aviation, such as those who carry its lessons and inspirations into classrooms and museums, and to fly-ins and other aviation events like AirVenture. Thanks for telling the stories of the volunteer pilots and their groups. Often your stories are like parables – telling engaging and wonderful tales while also letting them illustrate some important life lesson or leave the reader pondering the sublime rather than the mundane.
If you ever happen to be winging your way across Northern New Mexico I hope you have a little time to drift into NM99 on the Continental Divide to sit under one of the Ponderosas for a spell over coffee or whatever and say hi! Three Cheers!
Congratulations, hope this means we will see you flying more (at SMQ). Great writer, great friend, enjoy!
Good day, Marc, Marino Boric from Germany. I read that you are kind of retiring and this action remind me of my decision to retire a year and a half ago. According to my official documents, I retired but………I simply can`t quit doing my avaition writing activity. Marc, we simply can`t retire because there are not enough other persons which can take our place in the aviation world. I spent few years with you at AirVenture Today Newspaper and enjoyed every single seccond – Your calm art and your professional behavior impressed me deeply. I simply can’t quit working and you might be of a same breed, actually, after you and simillar guys like James Wynbrand (just to mention an example) leave this aviation world, there are no new faces following us and filling the gap. Yes, there are young people arround trying to do good on fairs and exibitions but their payment is so poor that they simply can`t live of it and then the result is that posted stuff is short, incoplete and superficial. You leave a vacuum which is difficult to fill. Your presence was not only fueled by your written words but you and the whole generation of writers were driven by the passion, actually love for flying and for aviation, for the stuff you were producing over years. Hoping to see for more years arround, Marino