Flyer Magazine to stop print version, digital only.

[Mike Flynn]

It appears the UK Flyer monthly published by Seager will no longer publish a traditional news magazine .

This is what they have to say.

“The Covid-19 lockdown has meant that significantly fewer shops are open, and those that are open are seeing significantly lower footfall. Airports and other travel hubs are either closed or nearly empty of people and that’s where Flyer and many other magazines sell many copies.This means all magazine and newspaper publishers are faced with the prospect of printing thousands of copies and seeing them end up being pulped as waste. That’s not good for anybody.

To counter this problem, and to provide you with a better, deeper and more engaging experience, we have decided to go digital. It’s been something we’ve been thinking about for some time and we’ve accelerated the process.”

If you ask me I think a lot of magazines now have to face the future.

Their advertisers have found the cost of targeted online digital advertising cheaper than expensive monthly glossy magazines.

The writing has been on the wall for a long time.

Most of what we all want to read is now found through google .

Do I want to read another Maxi Gainza story on how a wealthy man pilots something none of us will ever own? Or a gas guzzling trip across Europe? Don’t get me wrong I have done a lot of those ‘see my exciting flying pictures’ trips .

The days of Pilot and Flyer etc on news stands are finished.

Their main income base was the classified advertising which is now free on sites like AFORS.

Whether they can make money online remains to be seen.

I wish Ian Seager the best in his endeavours.

I actually freelanced for Flyer as News Editor in the early 2000’s when I traveled the globe while working for Reuters and would see it on airports newstands .

I fear other more focused platforms will come along soon. Traditional print journalism has had its day.

With so many opportunities on our time we now want to just read,view,listen and respond to what we choose not what broadcast companies or publishers think we want. Plus of course so many blogs and Youtube material free online.

As newspapers have discovered no one wants to pay for something they can get free.

Advertising money follows us.

Sad but true.


https://www.flyer.co.uk/flyer-magazine-to-go-digital-and-launch-the-flyer-club/

[treadigraph]

I stopped buying a daily paper a long time ago, just Saturday and now am entirely online. I stopped buying Flyer and Pilot a couple of year ago with a need to save on outgoings. Having read Ian's thread about Flyer's move to digital I my well take out a subscription as I do enjoy reading the mag. Sadly Pilot has never been quite the same as it was in James Gilbert's day...

[Mike Flynn]

I stopped buying a daily paper a long time ago, just Saturday and now am entirely online. I stopped buying Flyer and Pilot a couple of year ago with a need to save on outgoings. Having read Ian's thread about Flyer's move to digital I my well take out a subscription as I do enjoy reading the mag. Sadly Pilot has never been quite the same as it was in James Gilbert's day...

I agree regarding Pilot.

Archant wrecked what was a good magazine. They tried a forum that was so clunky no one used it.

We are now in an age where a 10 minute read has been replaced by a slick video on YouTube that clocks up 1/2 a million views over a magazine that might at best sell 10k copies a month.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UlI2qAzQh9U

No surpise the content producers follow the money instead of getting a few hundred pounds from a small flying magazine.

[S-Works]

I like the digital flyer mag. In this day and age electronic is the way forward. Ian is making a bold but sensible move.

[TelsBoy]

Sad to hear, but a sign of the times I guess. I can't remember the last time I bought a magazine.

['Chuffer' Dandridge]

Pilot hasn't been any good since Archant bought it from James Gilbert. They ruined what was an excellent magazine.

And generally, all of the UK GA Mags trot out the same stuff. Stopped buying them years ago (unless I'm in there :E)

[Forfoxake]

LAA and BMAA mags still worth a read imho but suppose they will also go digital eventually.

[Mike Flynn]

LAA and BMAA mags still worth a read imho but suppose they will also go digital eventually.
I agree but when you join the LAA the print magazine is free. Except it costs the LAA money to,print and deliver.

Monthly magazines are often full of advertorial and never want to upset the advertisers.

They will always be full of nice stories that never upset anyone.

In my case the Tracey Curtis Taylor story is a prime example .

She lied and cheated her solo flights with a 20’000 hour instructor up front but I was castigated by Flyer and Ian Seager for revealing the truth which just about every newspaper in the UK carried.

He locked the Flyer forum thread on the ground of repetition and it was boring. As an ex BBC and Reuters broadcast producer I disagreed.


Pprune let the thread run and because of that a lot of people contributed to the story and the commercial lies that funded her ‘solo’ expeditions. Boeing were up there in front funding the deception.

I do understand that magazine journalism is a long way from the mainstream but the truth should never be buried to please the advertisers.

In fairness to Pilot editor Phil Whiteman he ran an editorial on the saga.

The LAA stripped her of the award. Since then she has been unheard of .

To this day I cannot post on Flyers website without a moderator approval.

Suffice to say I don’t bother.

[Saab Dastard]

Mike (and others):

That saga is over.

[Mike Flynn]

Agreed but my point is that to generate advertising you need unique content and there is plenty of freely available Youtube material out there to cater for most interests.

Trying to run a niche website and generate cashflow via advertising is a challenge.

National newspapers are not finding it easy and the big broadsheets are facing the inevitable.

There are only so many versions of that worst day or I learnt about flying from that before the theme gets jaded.

When I learned to fly in the early 80’s the Pilot classifieds were one of the reasons I bought the magazine.

Now you can browse AFORS free of charge.

The late Ian Davies wrecked Pilot when Archant took over.

[megan]

Pilot hasn't been any good since Archant bought it from James Gilbert. They ruined what was an excellent magazine.Ditto with the USA "Flying" magazine, had been a purchaser for some five decades and they changed the format to a "trendy" use of graphics and a cheap look. Purchased one copy of the new look and that was the last. Letter to editor produced no response. Again the outcome of a new editor taking over. I hate reading documents off the computer, I want it in print and be able to sit in the sunshine.

[MrAverage]

I'm with you Megan, nothing like reading the latest edition of a proper magazine outside.

I've been a subscriber to "Flying" for decades too (I always managed to get a big discount somehow). So much better value than the British mags, plus most of the writers had an addictive style. Martha Lunken being my current favourite.

The trouble is the mag's got thinner and thinner lately and my subs renewal is no longer so attractive. If I renew will they stop publishing part way through the term? Another one of life's trivial gambling games, like whether to buy insurance or how much cover to get, no need to go to the betting shop..............

[TelsBoy]

I used to occasionally buy "Flying" years ago and enjoyed it for the same reason I enjoyed Today's Pilot - lots of informative practical aviation articles that were very interesting and you could learn something useful from, rather than the smattering of Top Gear-esque "reviews" which, no offence intended to the authors, tend to be rather ten-a-penny and boring. Sad to hear its seemingly gone the same way as other publications, i.e. terminal nosedive planetwards.

Part of a larger problem in the media IMHO. Things dumbed down to lowest common denominator, information lacking, all style and trendiness and no substance. See also:- newspapers, magazines of all genres, television programmes, etc. etc. etc. Don't understand why as everyone I know also things the same so its not as if there's a demand for this kind of thing... and the worse things get sales just plummet...

['Chuffer' Dandridge]

The late Ian Davies wrecked Pilot when Archant took over.

I was a great fan of Pilot magazine when it was owned by James Gilbert. At one time in the early 90s I had almost every copy since it was started by Norman Jones. Archant wrecked Pilot by trying to cover everything aviation, and duplicating subjects from other publications. I believe Ian Davies worked for Archant and contributed to the magazine but was never in charge of the content.

I once had a very arrogant letter from the then editorial team at Archant (Sam Spurdens, insignificant little man) which in no uncertain terms told me if I didn't like it I could go elsewhere. I did, and have never bought it since.. It also came at a time when the internet was expanding, so free advertising was becoming available. I can remember in the 1980s when classified adverts took up almost 10 pages..

A lot of the contributors had also moved on or passed away, so there were trying to re-do subjects under their own editorial 'direction' which didn't work. I wrote a flight test for the mag in the 90s, got paid handsomely.

An awful shame about Pilot mag, it was at the top of the pile when it was owned by JG.. Printed media is no longer needed in today's digital world, you're paying for waste paper once you've read it.

[C172Navigator]

It's a real same. When I started out I used to subscribe to all three; Flyer, Pilot and Today's Pilot. Now I get Flying and Flyer but with Flyer going digital I'm down to Flying only to read in bed. And that is getting smaller by the month. I was passing on my used magazines to a friend of my daughter's, he is flying mad. The same way I got into flying. Can't do that anymore. I've sent him the link for the free digital copy but it's as good as walking around the house with the magazine.

[TheOddOne]

I also subscribe to the American Flying magazine. As you say, it's getting thinner, but there's still some great content. I also subscribe to their on-line newsletter - more in a moment.

I've tried both the Pilot and Flyer magazine electronic versions. firstly, I'm not inclined to read something on my computer monitor, reading a magazine should be a sofa relaxation (or bed, or wherever you're most comfortable). This for me means a tablet. My venerable 7-year-old 8-inch Samsung is just fine for my morning newspaper but struggles with a page of Flyer. Looks like I'll have to finally retire it and buy a 10.1 inch with higher screen resolution. The plus with the Flyer digital version is that it exactly replicates the now defunct paper version i.e a whole page of content, with the adverts full-page. What REALLY bugs me about the Flying newsletter version is the constant bombardment with ads in the middle of the content - a very American thing, I think, similar to the click-bait 'news' items you get on some e-mail accounts. VERY irritating! I watch the American AOPA News every week. Even that has 'adverts', I suppose to mimic American TV, to make their viewers feel right at home?

Pilot are continuing to publish on paper as well as digitally. Flyer have gone all-digital.

I like reading my newspaper (were going to have to find a new word for it, aren't we?) on my tablet. I went Kindle for my bed-time reading years ago, wouldn't go back to a book, now. Even a small paperback is heavier than a Kindle, and it's more awkward to hold.
The magazine look-alikes don't work on legacy tablets (or kindle, either, probably). A sunlight-readable tablet with good enough definition for a whole page at a time is required, then we can ditch paper magazines.

TOO

[Nige321]

I agree but when you join the LAA the print magazine is free. Except it costs the LAA money to,print and deliver.

Monthly magazines are often full of advertorial and never want to upset the advertisers.

They will always be full of nice stories that never upset anyone.



Small point but on the hobby mags I've written for the editorial and advertising teams were firewalled.
The editor didn't have a clue who was advertising or not until the print edition landed on his desk.

As said, the internet has killed print mags now.
In years gone by, publishers had to pay the likes of WH Smith eye-watering sums for the privelidge of being allowed on their shelves.
Those days are gone.
I'd expect WHS to be gone in a year or two, especially now their airport sales must have dropped off a cliff...

[Big Pistons Forever]

I got my first subscription to Flying magazine when I was 9 years old. The current magazine is a pale, lame imitation of what used to be a great magazine. Pilot has followed the same arc unfortunately. The good news is that every back issue of Flying magazine from their glory years is available on google. I have been recently re-reading the late 1960's and 1970's editions, and very much enjoying the great writing from aviation legends like Ernest Gann

[S-Works]

They are going digital only which is the way I have consumed the excellent magazine for a few years now. Paper is dead. With my iPad I carry all the back issues in one place that I can read anywhere in the world. The content is more interesting and immersive. Its a brave move to drop print but one thats long overdue.

[TelsBoy]

I must be old fashioned. Nothing beats a printed book or magazine IMO.

[Monocock]

I am sure that Ian will produce something excellent in digital form, and it’ll be the way to go.

It’s 2020, and shipping shiny paper around the world is soooo 1980’s.

[S-Works]

I am sure that Ian will produce something excellent in digital form, and it’ll be the way to go.

It’s 2020, and shipping shiny paper around the world is soooo 1980’s.

Its not will, its does. They have been producing it in digital format for years and its excellent. He is just killing off the old print version of it. My wife certainly did not lament the ending of the piles of magazines read once and then gathered dust. With the iPad version I do go back and read back issues when I am bored in hotels. I would not take an old print copy with me......

[biscuit74]

I got my first subscription to Flying magazine when I was 9 years old. The current magazine is a pale, lame imitation of what used to be a great magazine. Pilot has followed the same arc unfortunately. The good news is that every back issue of Flying magazine from their glory years is available on google. I have been recently re-reading the late 1960's and 1970's editions, and very much enjoying the great writing from aviation legends like Ernest Gann


I agree Big Pistons Forever. The stories from the likes of Ernest K Gann were superb. The days of Bax and Thomas Block and intriguing design articles by Peter Garrison kept em amused for hours. Heck, even Mr Collins and his natterings about his wonderful Cessnas and the joys of instrument flying were interesting. Now, not so good.

Likewise Pilot - James Gilbert was a fine old style pilot, author and editor. He and Nick Bloom really made that magazine a must for me for a while. Jungmeisters and Stampes - what could be wrong with that!

[Max Angle]

It just isn't the same reading your iPad on the bog.

[treadigraph]

Len Morgan was another regular must read with Flying, also Russell Munson's superlative photos and occasional article were always superb.

Pilot had some superb regular authors over the years such as Neil Williams, Doug Bianchi, Brian Lecomber, Brian Smith, Mike Riley, Stephan Wilkinson and also the late Deputy Editor, Mike Jerram - all wrote engaging articles which I re-read from time to time with the same enjoyment.

It just isn't the same reading you iPad on the bog.


I have a shelf in the bathroom which is full of old copies of Pilot!

[cavuman1]

Have not we all grown old?

- Ed

[Forfoxake]

Len Morgan was another regular must read with Flying, also Russell Munson's superlative photos and occasional article were always superb.

Pilot had some superb regular authors over the years such as Neil Williams, Doug Bianchi, Brian Lecomber, Brian Smith, Mike Riley, Stephan Wilkinson and also the late Deputy Editor, Mike Jerram - all wrote engaging articles which I re-read from time to time with the same enjoyment.



I have a shelf in the bathroom which is full of old copies of Pilot!

Must add Bob Grimstead and James Allan to the list of great writers for Pilot.

[treadigraph]

Must add Bob Grimstead and James Allan to the list of great writers for Pilot.

Indeed, and there were several others whose names I can't recall just now... A Scots guy in the earlier days who's reported interaction writing style was brilliant. Doug Bianchi was the absolute star though... I bet he was a joy to know.