Author: Margaret Evans

Story & Aerial Photos by Mark ShafferGround Photos by Susan Shaffer   I’m sitting in the back seat of a 75 year-old World War Two trainer preparing to take off from the Marine Corps Air Station with several other media thrill-seekers for a bit of wing-tip-to-wing-tip aerial derring do with the precision pilots of the GEICO Skytypers. We’ve all signed the requisite disclaimers, suited up and been briefed on the safety protocols. Skytyper Steve Kapur helps with my parachute and life vest and runs me through the procedures in the unlikely event we have to jump or ditch. “So what do you do if you hear Bail! Bail! Bail!?, he asks. Well, realistically I’d lean toward sheer panic.

Story and photos by Jeff Evans, publisherIt was getting hot. And it was cramped. But more than anything else it was loud. Really loud. Teeth-rattling, bone-jarring loud. And squeezed into one of the little metal jump seats below the top turret of a vintage B-25 Mitchell Bomber, I was right between the twin engines hanging just outside under each wing. The noise made it impossible to communicate with the photographer crammed into the seat right next to me. I was thankful for the ear protection I was given. And I was thrilled.

Most of us, no surprise, spend at least some time on a regular basis thinking about money. And not just at tax time which is upon us with TV ads suggesting essential (uh-huh) things to buy with our refunds.

  Leading world experts and thought leaders will convene on Hilton Head Island in May for a special three day conference to address a number of today’s most critical global issues. The conference brings together many of today’s most influential leaders in education, economics, politics, healthcare and business – and presents a rare opportunity for the public to have direct access to the thought-provoking discussions, presentations and insight offered through this prestigious gathering of some of the top minds in the world.