To close out a landmark and successful 2007, Vertical's December - January issue looks to the future, with its strong focus on flight training.

Amongst the training-related stories in this issue are Brent Bergan's profile on the Bristow Academy and Lyle Watts' look at helping low-time pilots gain the experience they need. Additionally, Michael Maya Charles examines whether students are truly being prepared for real-world flying conditions, while Guy R. Maher looks at the attitudes of young pilots today.

In Torque Talk, Shawn Coyle discusses common mistakes made by low-time pilots. Coyle also reviews Appareo's new flight path monitoring software ‹ which is being touted as a valuable flight training tool ‹ and reports in from Montreal, where he attended the International Helicopter Safety Symposium.

Amongst our other regular departments, our editorial in this issue features technical editor Gary Watson discussing the ongoing mechanic/AME shortage facing the industry; while Rotor Roundtable has part one of Kevin Nelson's look at unique ways to plan for untimely engine failures.

Finally, we complete this powerful issue with a comprehensive look at Southern California's devastating wildfires, featuring detailed reports from both Greg Davis and Mike Reyno, and a first-hand report from Tony Morris.