Learn to Fly guides...SHOCK!!!

[eaglesqn]

Just bought the new Flyer Learn to Fly guide 2004/2005 and had a feeling of Deja Vue when i started reading it. Did some digging and found the one from last year and I was right, The editorial appart from 3 pages is exaclty the same, word for word, picture for picture as the last one.

Then the list of clubs etc, has 2/3rds of a page of ammendments 2 pages after it finishes, surely in the same magazine, these should have been incorporated in the main list?

This whole thing stickes me of beign ripped off. I am very interested in learning to fly, but are there many in this business that directly aim to rip off the customer like this? If so I don't thnk it will be worth my time and money. Anyone else noticed this with this "new" guide like i have?

[Icarus Wings]

Isn't the learn to fly guide free with the magazine?

[yawningdog]

Things don't change much in aviation. The magazines print pretty much the same things every month in different guises.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Defending the good Burghers of Seager Publishing, how often do you learn to fly?

If you wander into WH Smiths or John Menzies, you'll find a stack of guides in magazine format, along the lines of..

- Learn to fly
- Buying your first house
- Getting married
- Your first baby
- Your first car.

etc. etc.


It's hardly reasonable, in my opinion, to expect these (even if they are published in a magazine format) to be new and fresh each year - what's the point?

Even if, say 2 years ago you learned to fly gliders, and this year you have decided to learn to fly helicopters, you've by now got a fair grasp of the mechanics of learning, and the basics of what flying is about and all you really need is a list of schools and their details. This, one trusts, is entirely up to date; but I can't see why it needs reformatting in any way, nor should the general description of what it's like learning to fly a helicopter need to be much different to it was 2, 5 or 10 years ago.

As for the pictures, well presumably the publisher paid for them once, and I can't see how paying for another set of copyright pictures this year is going to improve what is supposed to be an information guide, not entertainment.

G

[TheKentishFledgling]

Well said, Genghis.

I'm sure they'll change what they need to change to make it worth re-publishing.

tKF

[J.A.F.O.]

Genghis

How touching to see that you list getting married as one of those once in a lifetime things.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Well I've not tried myself, but Mrs Genghis (to whom I'm not actually married) has done so and assures me that no rational person should try it twice.

G

[FNG]

By that reckoning, I am even more nuts than I thought.

[Irv]

I think it is primarily aimed at new people coming in to aviation and not understanding the newsagent trade, I don't understand why it only has a shelf life of a month or so! (personally I think they should advertise it it all 'I.T.' trade magazines- "not another daily review meeting? - why not read this instead and change your life" (added: mind you they'd go broke through advertising costs!)

And please don't say its exactly the same as last time or they won't pay my invoice for the 'jargon' page at the back.

I think you'll find each article has been reviewed for 'recency' and required changes made - for one example of quite a few, the "ground exams" feature examples show 4 possible answers to questions - how come if it hasn't been reviewed, as JAR exams only went to that format in Feb 2004?

(added: also, the learning to fly abroad article is a newone - USA instead of South Africa, different author, very recent experience - 2004 I think - but same TITLE as last time!)

I'm sure the next issue will have an article on the new 'co-pilots' licence. (Wonder if they will still call them pilots?? - 'Microsoft aircraft systems team certification' instead perhaps - I can hear it now - "I'm going for my MAST certification next year" !?! :yuk: :*

Mrs Genghis (to whom I'm not actually married) has done so and assures me that no rational person should try it twice.
But does she say the same to everyone else? :D :D

[Genghis the Engineer]

No idea, but as long as she doesn't say the same as she does about her ex, I don't mind.

G