'March' Pilot mag

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

'Pilot' has taken a bit of a slating on this forum of late, but IMHO the latest issue is quite excellent. Super articles on flying the Buccaneer, an interesting look at the Yak formation aerobatic team, flying the Tiger Club's Tiger Moth G-ACDC, and lots more including a great reminiscence by nick Bloom on Anjou aerodrome as it was

Well-done guys. Keep it up!

SSD

[BRL]

Seconded.

I dont think it went downhill that much to be honest in the first place and I think some of the critisism has been a bit harsh to be honest but hey, who am i to judge.....!!

[formationfoto]

Given that I have been quick to defend against the criticisms let me also offer thanks for this post. I know the current team is not complacent though. March may be improved but there is still a long way to go and there are plans for further improvement over the next few months as some of the people at Popham, Elstree, and Barton will know from their involvement in discussion groups. In the interests of fairness I also found the latest 'Flyer' to be a good read.

I have always maintained the view that we get the publications we deserve and support / helpful comments should result in improvemements.

SSD / BRL your comments are appreciated just as they would be if they were offering suggestions for improvement.


DECLARATION OF INTEREST:

FF is a member of the PILOT photo / web team, a PPL, and a director of the company which publishes the magazine.

[md 600 driver]

there still biased to certain things
there is a story on sherburn in that story the word helicopter was not even mentioned the nearest was r22 and r44 sherburn has lots of helicopter movements flyer is better it gives a more balanced view of all of the aviation sports

next time the subsciption comes due i think its time for change to flyer

[Hilico]

I was expecting terrible things of the new editor of Pilot. I was wrong. It's still number one.

Flyer (which used to be edited by the same chap and was then pretty so-so - work that one out) is now pushing it EVER so hard; brilliant range of contributors (top? John Farley - I read his stuff a sentence at a time, closing the mag in between; you simply can't hurry it).

Third - honourable third - Today's Pilot. Their diary last year was a fantastic idea, I still use mine.

Coming up fast on the outside - General Aviation, AOPA's mag. Quality shot up a little while ago and the editorial is concentrated and high-quality.

Still mystified as why Pilot would get slagged.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Still mystified as why Pilot would get slagged.

The slagging was, I think, an understandable reaction to the change of ownership. It dipped when the 'new guys' took over, and It will never again be the same as it was under independant ownership. But IMHO it is still no. 1. Just. Despite John Farley, for whom I would buy 'Flyer' if for no other reason. But 'Flyer isn't far behind these days, having been (again, IMHO) miles behind a couple of years back.

But the latest issue of 'Pilot' was especially good as I posted earlier.

Each is good for the other. Because of the competition, there's no room for complacency, and therefore we don't get complacency. Just 2 first class flying mags.

Aren't we lucky ;~)

SSD

[Evo]

Still mystified as why Pilot would get slagged.


I think most people agree that there was a dip in quality when it changed hands. What's reassuring is that formationfoto et al. seem to have taken the criticism on the chin and have been actively (and fairly successfully) doing something about it. It has been improving each month, and March is the best for a while.

Saying that, it is still not as good as it was (IMHO) - but it was very good under the old team. I thought about letting my sub lapse for a while, but I renewed and I'm glad I did... :)

[Crossedcontrols]

Excellent issue of Pilot, almost as good as the latest issue of Popular Flyer, but not quite.

CC

[formationfoto]

MD600
I think bias is perhaps a bit emotive - If you look at the titles in the market it is certainly true that FLYER tends to cover more rotary stuff than PILOT but this is part of the differentiation of the magazines. As someone with a rotary licence I would quite like to see more on all things capable of hovering - the R44 Raven II test this month was a bonus. I suspect the person who did the Sherburn article was a f/w only pilot so probably didn't think much about rotary. Probably not directed to ignore by the editorial team but I could be wrong.

I am with you though, so the more requests there are to not ignore the (albeit relatively small) rotary community the better.

Whirlybird is no doubt already on the case and with any luck is already thinking about another article - the last one was great.

[ozplane]

Call me biased but I would prefer not to see rotary stuff in a GA magazine. I'm not sure the UK market can stand 3 mainline mags so maybe an answer is for one of them to spin off (no pun intended) and call itself "Helicopter Pilot" to appeal to the chopper pilots.

[skydriller]

1. Quality articals, getting better this last few months I believe.

2. Arrived on 25th Feb. - much earlier than previous months..

So well done, obvoiusly someone listened....Keep it up!!

Regards, SD.

[High Wing Drifter]

I'm not sure the UK market can stand 3 mainline mags...
I know what you mean, but I seem end up buying all three come month's end :rolleyes:

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Call me biased but I would prefer not to see rotary stuff in a GA magazine.

I think I agree with this. I certainly never read 'rotary' articles in any mag - they might as well be about gardening for all the interest they hold for me.

Maybe I'm unusual in this, but if not and most other fixed-wing pilots feel the same, then there would be good case for a dedicated rotory mag. But are there enough whirly pilots to support a whole mag?

SSD

[md 600 driver]

oz plane
you said GA mag that includes rotor or would you want pilot to be not GA but fixed wing only

lots of fixed wing pilots are rotor too we use the same airspace ,rules,weather,airports ,ect. a magazine that encompasses all should be a winner

i suppose you dont want microlights or gliders too in pilot

we all learn things about each others sport by a balanced views
it also makes for a safer envoirnment for all

bye

[The Nr Fairy]

ozplane : / SSD :

Thanks ! If the current mags I subscribe to did no rotary stuff at all, I'd stop my subscriptions. As md600 says, I think knowing a little about the other forms of flight might actually help from ALL sides.

And if there was a rotary-specific magazine it would not cater for all aspects of rotary flight - GA, offshore, onshore, speciality - so the cost of such a magazine would be disporportionate as the number of readers would be smaller than the current circulation.

Live and let live, I say.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

TNF said:
Thanks ! If the current mags I subscribe to did no rotary stuff at all, I'd stop my subscriptions. As md600 says, I think knowing a little about the other forms of flight might actually help from ALL sides.

Fair comment. The market probably isn't big enough to split it down like that, anyway. Rotary guys buying 'Pilot' and 'Flyer' help to keep both viable.

SSD