Best GA Magazine? [Archive]

Jepp

22nd Feb 2002, 18:50

My favourite has got to be the American magazine FLYING, loads of articles on private IFR flying and the like, my kind of stuff. Dont like British mags much PILOT is turning into a bit of a plane spotters kind of mag, with all those nose to tail pics and performance figures, no articles written from the 'heart'in it at all. FLYER is mainly aimed at the VERY light side of aviation, ultralights, paragliding,Kitbuilds etc, nothing wrong with all that, just not my particular type of flying.

Regards. . A happy flyer

Squawk 8888

22nd Feb 2002, 19:10

I'm partial to the US publication <a href="http://www.privatpilotmag.com" target="_blank">Private Pilot</a>. Lots of good stuff for everyone from the student to the Learjet owner- tips on flying, legals, product reports, etc. My favourite features are Destination, profiling a specific airfield and the surrounding region, and Flying Art. The only weakness is that it tends to be USA-centric, so most Destinations pieces are about North America and the procedures tips are based on FAA practices. Still, I do tend to read it cover-to-cover, not something I do with the average mag.

Shaggy Sheep Driver

22nd Feb 2002, 20:09

'Pilot' is my favorite (I'm UK-based). Of the other two UK mags, 'Flyer' is good, sometimes very good, but a bit of a 'light read' for my taste. 'Today's Pilot' is improving is still number 3.

The US mag 'Flying' is good if you're into turbocharged IFR transport -type flying. It's not for a grass roots aviator like me.

'Pilot' has some really good stuff (like the 'Lightning' article this month, and Alan Cassidy on power-on spin recovery). I can't agree that it lacks 'from the heart' writing. IMHO one of its main strengths is that is does indeed have lots of such writing.

SSD

FNG

22nd Feb 2002, 20:21

"Pilot" has been variable in quality lately, is occasionally fogeyish in outlook, and is very old fashioned in presentation, print quality and the like, but I agree with Shaggy that it does have some interesting and heartful stuff. I do not recognise the description above of "Flyer" as aimed at aviation lite. My main criticism of it used to be that it appeared to be aimed at the most unambitious of infrequent GA flyers, but lately it has been improving considerably. I have heard that its current target market is the PPL with a few hundred hours who is quite serious about flying and wants to get better at it. Newcomer "Todays Pilot" has started well although whether the market will bear three similar titles is perhaps doubtful. At least Todays Pilot contains less pointless whingeing about regulators, nimbies etc than do the other two.

It's worth looking at all three, at least initially. After a couple of years, you may notice that the same themes and articles tend to recycle. It's exactly the same with magazines for yachties, climbers etc. Same with Goat Fanciers weekly as well. Oops, wrong forum.

[ 22 February 2002: Message edited by: FNG ]</p>

dublinpilot

22nd Feb 2002, 21:44

I like Flyer and Today's Pilot, although both tend to review rare second hand planes at lot. ie. planes most of us will never have a chance to own. Don't really like Pilot. Format & presentation definatly need improvement.

Wee Weasley Welshman

22nd Feb 2002, 22:46

Flyer is by far the best. They printed my letter this month for one thing!

Pilot always seems to contain some load of old rubbish about historic aircraft or flying from Little Marsden to Sydney. No interest.

Flyer also have a very good online presence which the others lack.

Just my humble opinion.

WWW

Fujiflyer

22nd Feb 2002, 22:59

I don't know what exactly the majority of people would like to see but I like plenty of "tales of experience" from the magazines. I subscribe to Pilot as I feel it is more appropiate to my flying (few hundred hrs, PPL) however I do like Flyer's articles.

Rich <img src="cool.gif" border="0">

Daifly

22nd Feb 2002, 23:41

Flyer/Pilot - difficult one. Always used to be pilot, but now it's looking a bit more like Flyer. Then again. I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure...

Pilot have improved their site: <a href="http://www.pilotweb.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.pilotweb.co.uk/</a> and Flyer <a href="http://www.flyer.co.uk" target="_blank">http://www.flyer.co.uk</a> is just as good.

The US ones are all aimed, as someone said above, at the TC IFR lot - not us lower down the scale!!

Fast Erect

22nd Feb 2002, 23:53

F****..... . I've said it in here before, and i'll say it again...in my opinion, F**** is the most amatuerish publication I have ever laid eyes on.. . It is riddled with errors, with nobody of any experience writing between it's pages.

Pilot used to be VERY good, but has gone down hill lately. I only buy it after a good scan in WHSmith's free lending library.. . . . As W.W.W said, only my opinion!

Negative 'G'

22nd Feb 2002, 23:53

"Pilot always seems to contain some load of old rubbish about historic aircraft "

Hey WWW,they all get old eventually,Its just that some last longer than others.. .I'd swap a Spamcan for a 1940's taildragger anyday :)

As for the magazines,the Pfa mag "Popular Flyer" has improved tenfold over the last few years although because its only subscription available. .and aimed at a limited market its often over looked <img src="frown.gif" border="0"> some of the strip flying articles & flight tests of rare birds are excellent,much better than your typical "From Wycombe to Portugal in a 172" articles which are obviously aimed at the spamcan market!

It should be mandatory as part of the PPL ,that you've got to have at least an hour in a vintage taildragger,just to see what you could be missing............and at a fraction of the price :)

Neg G

PPRuNe Towers

23rd Feb 2002, 00:14

If you're of the PFA building/restoring persuasion can I put in a word for Custom Planes.

Spun off from Private Pilot mag in the States it's very hands on and practical. Only thing I can offer against it is usual new products copy seemingly lifted straight from the PR packs provided and the understandable fascination with legalities.

<a href="http://www.customplanes.com" target="_blank">www.customplanes.com</a>

[ 22 February 2002: Message edited by: PPRuNe Towers ]</p>

I have control

23rd Feb 2002, 01:56

A great magazine for homebuilders is EAA's monthly membership magazine Sport Aviation. Lots of articles of general GA interest, history, flying tips etc, but really strong if you're into the technical side.

<a href="http://www.eaa.org" target="_blank">www.eaa.org</a>

solochick

23rd Feb 2002, 02:23

AOPA Flight Training (US Publication) is really good for PPL students. Has some really informative articles.

Other than that Flyer is good.

Whirlybird

23rd Feb 2002, 15:45

Well, Pilot's publishing an article of mine next month, and they've paid me for it already. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

Flyer, on the other hand, recently turned down an article I wrote because the photos weren't good enough.

So I guess you know who I'd vote for right now, but I won't say I'm not biased. :) :) :)

Shaggy Sheep Driver

23rd Feb 2002, 20:51

Welcome to the elite band of us 'Pilot' contributors, Whirley.

However, 'Pilot' are also pretty hot on photo quality - they have to be.

And yes, they pay in advance (on acceptance) for copy, and on publication for photos. And they pay quite well. Not so Flyer, or so I've heard.

SSD

DB6

24th Feb 2002, 01:03

WWW! Rubbish....historic aircraft! I had no idea you were a heretic. Those shiny aluminium tubes are obviously doing you no good at all.. .My vote goes to Pilot but I subscribe to all 3 UK mags on the grounds that a years' subscription costs less than an hour's aircraft hire.

[ 23 February 2002: Message edited by: DB6 ]</p>

Matthewjharvey

24th Feb 2002, 15:20

If you are in the US then read flight training magazine. Whether student or instructor or somewhere in between it is an excellent read.

Dan Winterland

25th Feb 2002, 01:32

I like Pilot as it has a good diversity of articles, Flyer tends to be a bit pedestrian for me. Flyer's free landing fees tickets are often worth the purchase, although I did have to argue with one airfield that the rules regarding the use of said vouchers didn't exclude RAF aircraft. I was in a Tucano, and the Sqn was running out of money in the operating budget. I won!

Ivchenko

25th Feb 2002, 02:16

Dan

Just so we've got this straight, the RAF is now using free vouchers from Flyer so that it can afford to land outside of Bessie's property.

Can I have the exclusive to sell to the Sun?

Gary Halliday

25th Feb 2002, 05:24

They`re all comics. Pilot used to be truely awful when it was full of - PPL has a go on Concorde Sim stuff - wow awesome, ( the only thing worse was in Flight, Harry Hopkins making another slightly firm but sure footed arrival in a gusty crosswind ). It got a lot better over the years - I like the fogeyish slant. A lot of the septics I work with reckon Pilot is better than their home grown rags. I`m puzzled that FNG finds the whingeing useless. I find the exhortations to join AOPA etc quite worthy - though to my shame I haven`t done it myself. Off topic I know, but I haven`t any beef with the CAA, I just think they`ve rolled over rather with JAR.

As for Flyer, yeah its getting better but it was very Blue Peter for years.

Edited for spelling as usual

GH

[ 25 February 2002: Message edited by: Gary Halliday ]</p>

DOC.400

25th Feb 2002, 16:46

Hmmm, this IS a Hornet's nest.

After years of 'Pilot', my wife renewing my subscription annually as a birthday present, I've decided I'm fed up with it!!

The writing is usually of a high standard, but two of my favourites, Bernard Chabbert and Stephen Wilkinson, no longer write for it. Although saying that, I enjoyed reading the Moth article from the last issue whilst on hols last week.

I've tried 'Flyer' a few times, but found it a bit gung ho, and the weather was so crap (January) that I didn't use ANY of the free landings.

Problem is, with other interests of cars and music (+ work that gets in the way!) also, I only seem to have time to scan the magazines!!

DOC

The Nr Fairy

25th Feb 2002, 19:49

I subscribe to Flying, Pilot, and ( since I was pissed at the last GatBash ) Flyer - £110 for 5 year sub reasnable value to any pisshead, I'm sure.

What gets my goat is the way, because the industry works, each issue tends to have reports on the same thing in the same month, and all report it as an exclusive.

Trislander

25th Feb 2002, 23:08

I subscribe to Flyer and enjoy its articles and news stories. It has the better graphics and layout of the three main av rags. Also, I like reading QSY. What happened to the 'Professional Pilot' section though? I found this a really useful read as I am heading towards a CPL/ATPL.

Pilot in my opinion is aimed more towards the old recreational flyer. The layout, as some have already commented, is rather dated. They cram too much on a page in my reckoning.

I have bought every issue of Today's Pilot since it arrived just over a year ago. I also enjoy this magazine, but I prefer Flyer.

Also, did anyone notice until just recently that Flyer's slogan was: "The magazine for TODAY'S PILOTS", and Today's Pilot's was: "For the FLYER in all of us"! Was this intentional or just a coincidence?

Cheers, and happy reading, Tri.