Editor's note.

Editor's note. When the editors of Techniques decided last May to make aviationthe career focus of a special section of the November/December issue, wehad no way of knowing how drastically dras��tic?adj.1. Severe or radical in nature; extreme: the drastic measure of amputating the entire leg; drastic social change brought about by the French Revolution.2. our world would have changed bythen, nor could we have believed that aviation would play such a role inthat change. But, as the aviation stories that appear in thismonth's magazine were being written, the horrifying events ofSeptember 11 occurred. Like most Americans, our thoughts were notfocused on our jobs for a few days, but soon we realized that we werefaced with a decision. Should the aviation section run as planned, orshould it be replaced? For two important reasons, the career focussupplement remains in this month's magazine. In recent years, there has been a growing need for more aviationmaintenance technicians, and a number of career and technical programshave been stepping up to help meet that need by providing top-notchtraining to help more technicians become certified See certification. . Clearly, safety isan issue of even greater significance now, so that is one reason westill must give serious consideration to aviation education. The second reason for keeping those stories in the magazine isthat--in a way--it is what our nation's leaders have asked us todo. President George W. Bush and leaders in both New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Washingtonhave asked us to return to our daily lives and to not live those livesin fear. Part of that return to normalcy nor��mal��cy?n.Normality.Noun 1. normalcy - being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioningnormality means a return to flying.Ensuring the safety and security of our planes both on the ground and inthe sky may have become an even greater challenge since the attacks, butcareer and technical education stands ready to help meet that challenge. A friend returns to our pages Many of you will notice a familiar byline on the job shadowingstory in this month's magazine. Marlene Lozada is a former editorof Techniques. She now lives in Louisiana Louisiana(ləwē'zēăn`ə, lē'–), state in the S central United States. It is bounded by Mississippi, with the Mississippi R. where she and her husband, anofficer in the military, are stationed. Marlene still has a strongcommitment to career and technical education, and the current editorsare pleased to welcome her back to the pages of Techniques. ACTE ACTE Association for Career and Technical Education (formerly American Vocational Association)ACTE Association of Corporate Travel ExecutivesACTE Approvals Committee for Terminal EquipmentACTE Anodal Closure Tetanus Convention and Career Tech Expo As you will see from information inside this issue of Techniques,ACTE is looking forward to an outstanding convention in New Orleans New Orleans(ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded inDecember.