What is your favorite GA magazine ?

[sternone]

What is your favorite GA magazine ?

Plane&Pilot, Pilot, Flying, Flight Journal, ....

I personally like UK's Pilot alot, but i'm looking for new subscriptions.

Thanks for your reaction...

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Loop; it's free!

[aerobatic_dude]

Pilot for some strange reason despite half of it being full of advertisements.

Flyer is also on the top of my list.

[Rans Flyer]

Flyer, especially the December issue (http://www.flightforlife.co.uk/images/Flyer-Dec06.pdf) ;)
& Today’s Pilot, as it seems to cater more for the low and slow brigade (microlighters).

Rans,

[Newforest]

The Pacific Flyer published in California is a superb G.A. paper written like no other aviation magazine is written. If it needs comment or criticism, the Flyer will do it!

http://www.pacificflyer.com/

[Rod1]

I have been subscribing to Pilot since 91 and am not much of a fan anymore. I also get Flyer and the PFA mag plus Loop and I do not get time to read all of them. Under normal circumstances I would have stopped Pilot but I have not as it would cost me far more to cancel than to carry on!

With Pilot giving 6 free landing fees a month and Flyer 4 I can justify buying both on this alone. Turning up to an airfield with a free landing is a very different experience from arriving on an ordinary day. It will be busy and there will be at least one “forum” fly in going on. This is in sharp contrast to some GA airfields which are completely dead most of the time.

Pilot is the one I now read least as I think it contains far more basic errors than Flyer.

Rod1

[Captain Smithy]

My favourite has always been Pilot:ok:

[High Wing Drifter]

Pilot is the only one I will buy as WHS without flicking through the contents first and generally, on average, provides more material of interest. Today's Pilot does have some great stuff occasionally as does Flying, but without those individual great articles I often find little of interest.

I will buy a copy of Flyer at when Gatwick or some such, but what looks like a set of great articles usually becomes a boring and turgid read and I can't put my finger on why exactly.

[Barshifter]

Today’s Pilot, as it seems to cater more for the low and slow brigade (microlighters).



Im sure the guys over at Todays Pilot may argue different but as one of the "Low and Slow" brigade I do like the microlight stuff that they feature.


Regards


Barshifter

['Chuffer' Dandridge]

They're all cr@p. I used to subscribe & read Pilot mag cover to cover but recently it's become a bit dull and now i pick the 'interesting' articles and either read them in WH Smiths or at work. Flyer has got better, and Todays Pilot seems to be better too.

The problem as i see it is that they all try to cram too much in and appeal to everything GA. Why not have one specialising in Vintage and Classic, one specialising in the average spamcan/PPL types and one dealing with the IR chaps who roar around in fancy twins and biz jets. The main titles cover all of this in one mag.

[hobbit1983]

I've got a sub to Flyer, but I normally check out Today's Pilot & Pilot in WHS when they come out; if there's anything I like the look of I'll buy it.

Generally find them a good read! I quite like the "spread" of article topics.

[IO540]

I get the U.S. "Flying (http://www.flyingmag.com/)" magazine, plus the U.S. AOPA magazine.

"Flying" is a good interesting and educational read for an instrument pilot; this subject is not adequately addressed by any UK magazine, presumably because the market is too small.

This subject has been done to death here and elsewhere a number of times. My own suspicion is that the UK mags are read by a lot of people who don't fly (i.e. plane spotters, and ex PPLs) - it's the only way I can explain a lot of the content. They are also very "British", in the anti aspirational sense; I am sure that if they wrote a piece on some new £300k plane they would get a full bag of complaints from readers who can't afford one of those.

[Julian]

I agree with IO, I dont get any UK mags now as they read like comics - not really much useful info in them. I subscribe to

Flying (US)
AOPA(US)
IFR
IFR Refresher

J.

[tangovictor]

I will not subscribe to any, prefering to have a quick look though, and buy if something interests me, my pet hate, is, the "reporting " of whats happening in America, jurno's flying to America, to test, a/c's that will never see the light of day here in the UK

[Flash0710]

Pilot of course...............

Loop not bad but crap in bath....

luv

xxxxx

f

[IO540]

a/c's that will never see the light of day here in the UK

They may never appear at one's local grass strip, which is not suprising since anybody buying a half decent equipped plane will want it hangared and will prefer tarmac.

The pilots also may not appear on one's favourite internet pilot forum, which is also not suprising since most of the really high time pilots I know personally do not participate in the general forums like this one. They have families, businesses, etc. They might do a quick dive into a type-specific user group, once a week.

But the business is there. For example, from forum postings alone one would have never believed that there are something like 60-70 Cirruses in the UK today, but it's true (according to COPA Germany, which has a similar number over there).

It's logical to suggest that there should be a separate vintage publication (which there is), and a separate "grass strip scene" publication (which there isn't, AFAIK). But I think that while the former would have plenty of readers among people who have never flown anything, and many long retired pilots, the latter would not have much of a market because what is there to write about? Carb heat, carb heat, how to best cut the grass, etc.

IMHO, Loop has the best formula, of the UK mags.

[AC-DC]

None.
Used to read Pilot and Flyer, now read at W.H.Smith, if like what I see I buy it. The problem, G.A is too small, we need Mr. Clarkson to put some life into it.

[scooter boy]

I could keep our open fires burning 24/7 through the winter with many of the publications I receive. This is known as Cornish recycling. My Mrs would like to put them straight on the fire without giving me the opportunity to read any of them. Personally I would like to return the favour with here celeb worship rags like Hello, OK etc...

I subscribe to Pilot and Flyer. I prefer Pilot but I don't think either of them get close to the quality of the US mags such as Flying.

I get these through subscription to associations AOPA - General Aviation
Popular Flying, PFA, PPL/IR Instrument Pilot.

These are sent to me FOC:

Loop
Helicopter Life
Helidata
Business and Commercial Aviation
GASIL/AAIB report/GA Feedback

I try to get through most of the above but like dreaming about the flash bizjets best that feature widely in B&CA - one day perhaps.

SB

[bingoboy]

Popular Flying and Microlight Flyer (through membership of PFA/BMAA) are always good.

Loop is OK as it is free.

The newstand mags tend to be very similar , not surprisingly, in terms of news and articles. All product reviews seem to be increasingly extended adverts.

Todays Pilot is current subscription but the others are bought either for a specific article or more likely the free landing vouchers.

ps Pilot still seems to have the most active classifieds

[DeeCee]

I think Pilot is quite good and generally keeps my interest. I've just cancelled my subscription to Flyer - it was losing my interest. Today's Pilot is not bad.

BTW, what is Loop? I've never heard of it (sorry).

[Newforest]

BTW, what is Loop? I've never heard of it (sorry).
Sorry, you must be out of the loop then!:D
It is free mag. distributed to aircraft owners and flying schools in the U.K.

[DeeCee]

Thanks. I've been reading 'Roll'.

Are we the only two on this thread?

[fly_sd]

For student pilots the AOPA "Flight Training" is a nice magazine full of interesting info and articles but since it is geared towards the FAA license some of the stuff may not be relevant elsewhere. Also the AOPA offers a 6 month free subscrption to this but it may be only for US based students.

[rustle]

General Aviation - AOPA UK magazine
Instrument Pilot - PPL/IR magazine
FLYER - GA Magazine

All good reads: All on subscription ;)

[flyboyike]

AOPA Pilot.

[ContinentalC85]

I subscribe to Pilot and Flyer - although I enjoy both I did question whether or not to keep subscriptions going on both , but what swings it for me is the freee landing vouchers
There is rarely a month when I do not use at least one voucher from each magazine , and quite often it could be more .Even using one voucher of course cover the cost of the magazine

[flugholm]

Subscriptions:
aerokurier (German GA "must read")
Segelfliegen (German soaring "must read")
FLYER
Air & Space
Aviation International News (for free if you "qualify") (including AINalerts e-mail service)
GA Buyer (free)
Get for free from colleagues:
Der Flugleiter (German ATC union mag)
transmission (official DFS (German ATC) mag)
Loop is only for free for UK delivery. :sad:
And if anyone says I spent too much on magazines... correct! But I like it! :zzz:

[formationfoto]

I read all the UK ones. We are lucky to have them in such a small market.
They all differ - slightly - and I write for one so would be wrong to offer an opinion on the best.