Poor Aviation Journalism
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50,000 ft was and is not allowed as in the event of cabin pressure failure the pax need pressure breathing.
PS PPRUNE is as better at keeping up to date than most aviation magazines.
PS PPRUNE is as better at keeping up to date than most aviation magazines.
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Hi all,
If we make a mistake in the magazine I take full responsibility for it.
I’m not sure about QF 747SPs at 50,000ft, it doesn’t sound right, but it was certainly a 744 and not a SP that flew that London-Sydney nonstop in 1989.
Frankly I am a little embarrassed about that and I apologise to our readers.
Owen Zupp is technical editor in the sense he is the senior technical writer, and not that he edits every technical article. So I want to make clear he didn’t see that article before it went to press.
I am sorry Guptur if you thought your $9.85 wasn’t value for money, and that you think our standards are dropping. I like to think we have good quality control processes in place, but stuff gets through sometimes, and that is always an opportunity to see why a mistake happened and how to stop it in the future.
A more general point - I am always on the look out for people who can write and who have a good knowledge of/experience in/passion for aviation. If you think the quality of aviation journalism, either in our magazine or more generally, is lacking, I'd welcome genuine inquiries from you to join our stable of writers and become part of the solution - like my editor Julian Green, who has management experience running airports, like Owen Zupp who as well as being an accomplished author is a 737 driver with SMS design experience, like Dave Prossor who is a grade 1 instructor, or Gordon Reid who worked in airline ops at TN, or Ian Thompson who ran the ATC towers for Airways New Zealand. Or Doug Macdonald, a veteran of DCA and SAR.
I'll leave it to others to judge if my 20+ years at Australian Aviation counts as relevant industry experience or not.
Finally, if you haven’t seen the magazine lately, please email me and I will happily set you up with a three-month free trial subscription. I’d love to know what you think about it. It has changed a lot since 1989.
Compliments of the season to all.
Gerard Frawley
Managing Editor & Publisher
Australian Aviation
If we make a mistake in the magazine I take full responsibility for it.
I’m not sure about QF 747SPs at 50,000ft, it doesn’t sound right, but it was certainly a 744 and not a SP that flew that London-Sydney nonstop in 1989.
Frankly I am a little embarrassed about that and I apologise to our readers.
Owen Zupp is technical editor in the sense he is the senior technical writer, and not that he edits every technical article. So I want to make clear he didn’t see that article before it went to press.
I am sorry Guptur if you thought your $9.85 wasn’t value for money, and that you think our standards are dropping. I like to think we have good quality control processes in place, but stuff gets through sometimes, and that is always an opportunity to see why a mistake happened and how to stop it in the future.
A more general point - I am always on the look out for people who can write and who have a good knowledge of/experience in/passion for aviation. If you think the quality of aviation journalism, either in our magazine or more generally, is lacking, I'd welcome genuine inquiries from you to join our stable of writers and become part of the solution - like my editor Julian Green, who has management experience running airports, like Owen Zupp who as well as being an accomplished author is a 737 driver with SMS design experience, like Dave Prossor who is a grade 1 instructor, or Gordon Reid who worked in airline ops at TN, or Ian Thompson who ran the ATC towers for Airways New Zealand. Or Doug Macdonald, a veteran of DCA and SAR.
I'll leave it to others to judge if my 20+ years at Australian Aviation counts as relevant industry experience or not.
Finally, if you haven’t seen the magazine lately, please email me and I will happily set you up with a three-month free trial subscription. I’d love to know what you think about it. It has changed a lot since 1989.
Compliments of the season to all.
Gerard Frawley
Managing Editor & Publisher
Australian Aviation
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The lazy Journalists Plane Story Generator
They have made a mistake in the "Type of Aircraft " field. There shouldn't be any choice selections, as it's always reported as being a "Cessna"
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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Good on you Gerard for coming onto the thread. I sincerely hope any feedback you get is constructive.
I for one wouldn't mind seeing the register listing return to the previous format.
BEACH KING; Unfortunately, how true!
I for one wouldn't mind seeing the register listing return to the previous format.
BEACH KING; Unfortunately, how true!
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Now that we have moved on, speaking of poor aviation journalism, I was having a laugh at this piece of drivel from the website of the National Vehicle Service Register. Obviously some car mechanic now thinks that they are a LAME too.
Ignore the fact that this is about Jabiru engines, it could be any engine, it's the journalism that I'm criticising.
http://nvsr.com.au/articles/article10.html
They seem to think that they know more than Jabiru, the Jabiru engine plant and years of design and testing.
No references, incorrect facts and just general un-informed drivel really.
Oh really, so they all do that do they?
Maybe that's why they are in 'backwards' !!
General Motors eh, really? Where is the evidence of this? They are not made for General Motors, they are a modified piston from the same company that makes GM pistons.
How about a reference, a quote, the name of a mechanic? The author may as well just say... "THEY say that they are in backwards." Who are they?
Really? I would have thought that an aircraft with dual controls like a Cessna would be more popular. Drivel.
Based on what? Do "reversed" pistons cause engine failures and have they?
That's interesting. How about all of those out of whack props causing fretting of the crank-case? Where is the evidence that "belting" of the pistons are causing damage to big-end shells?
Drivel!
Due to this crap above and persons who believe that they know better reporting this to CASA and the ATSB, Jabiru had to spend a lot of money and time to produce the following retort:
http://www.jabiru.net.au/images/AVDA...ton_Offset.pdf
Ignore the fact that this is about Jabiru engines, it could be any engine, it's the journalism that I'm criticising.
http://nvsr.com.au/articles/article10.html
They seem to think that they know more than Jabiru, the Jabiru engine plant and years of design and testing.
No references, incorrect facts and just general un-informed drivel really.
One of the symptoms, and it is common to all Jabiru engines, is that when you shut-down there is a distinctive clunk-clunk before it stops completely. This clunk-clunk is caused by the engine trying to run itself in reverse as a result of the offset pistons.
For some reason, as yet unexplained logically, Jabiru have chosen to put their pistons in reverse. They were made for General Motors motor vehicles, all of which run clockwise, which is correct based on the offset, but Jabiru engines rotate anticlockwise meaning they are all installed wrong.
General Motors eh, really? Where is the evidence of this? They are not made for General Motors, they are a modified piston from the same company that makes GM pistons.
What a load of cods-wallop. Every engineer I've spoken to about this issue has given me multiple reasons why these pistons should be turned around.
Jabiru are popular with flying schools because they offer easy shared access to controls via a v-shaped stick between the left and right seat.
What should happen now
CASA should ground every Jabiru airplane! It's that simple. The ATSB needs to review any previous accident reports involving Jabiru, particularly when engine failure was considered a possible cause.
CASA should ground every Jabiru airplane! It's that simple. The ATSB needs to review any previous accident reports involving Jabiru, particularly when engine failure was considered a possible cause.
I've seen first hand the damage done to big-end shells as a result of excessive belting when the piston is trying to go in the opposite direction to engine rotation.
Drivel!
Due to this crap above and persons who believe that they know better reporting this to CASA and the ATSB, Jabiru had to spend a lot of money and time to produce the following retort:
http://www.jabiru.net.au/images/AVDA...ton_Offset.pdf
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What are you all saying?! That the article in the local rag about the 4 seat single engine Cessna 747 turbo shuttle with 4000 passengers traveling non stop from Sydney to Dubai wasn't true!?!
To be fair to Mr Frawley and his team, the main issue I have had with similar magazines (including his own) is not the errors in fact, but rather that typically the "facts" are quite outdated by the time a new edition is published- but what else does one expect from reading a monthly magazine?
If you want up to date, to the minute articles, accept that they will be written by whatever spanker is sent by the local newspaper to cover the story - and as such, will probably be full of gaps! Not much we can do really!
To be fair to Mr Frawley and his team, the main issue I have had with similar magazines (including his own) is not the errors in fact, but rather that typically the "facts" are quite outdated by the time a new edition is published- but what else does one expect from reading a monthly magazine?
If you want up to date, to the minute articles, accept that they will be written by whatever spanker is sent by the local newspaper to cover the story - and as such, will probably be full of gaps! Not much we can do really!
Gerard
Good on you Gerard for coming on here. I know you will receive constructive feedback
Good point about the age of the news once it is published BreakNeckSpeed, it's not just Australian Aviation that has this problem, and this is where Flight International has an advantage.
Good point about the age of the news once it is published BreakNeckSpeed, it's not just Australian Aviation that has this problem, and this is where Flight International has an advantage.
Nunc est bibendum
In some respects Aus Aviation has addressed this point. Their weekly emails have the headlines whilst the monthly mag has the more in depth analysis behind those headlines. Admittedly, sometimes the analysis isn't crash hot- particularly the regurgitated press releases by GT- but some of it has been quite informative.
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Dream Job:
Position Vacant
Editor, online aviation magazine
Staff writers: the articulate contributors of PPRuNe
...I can't believe I'm biting but as the editor of another Australian aviation mag, I echo Gerard's comment:
As print media struggles to provide interesting and relevant articles to a declining audience, you can't imagine how frustrating it is to observe such an untapped crowd as the dedicated daily posters of PPRuNe.
I can't speak for the other editors, but if you feel the standard of aviation magazines is spiral diving towards the paddocks, email us for our submission guidelines.
We even pay for high quality work...
Position Vacant
Editor, online aviation magazine
Staff writers: the articulate contributors of PPRuNe
...I can't believe I'm biting but as the editor of another Australian aviation mag, I echo Gerard's comment:
I am always on the look out for people who can write and who have a good knowledge of/experience in/passion for aviation.
I can't speak for the other editors, but if you feel the standard of aviation magazines is spiral diving towards the paddocks, email us for our submission guidelines.
We even pay for high quality work...
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What Jobs?
I am an AME, Level 2, I have a PPL and an RA Aus Cross Country rating and I also have a Bachelor Of Bus In Com (Journalism) and I haven't had a reply to an email when I've been looking for freelance work? Try and get that combination of qualifications together. The media has no idea what is happening at the coalface of aviation.
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One of the reasons GOS and the other half assed 'Australian' publications are diminishing is fear and a complete lack of reporting skills. Apart from the independents, Phelan and Sandilands, no editor would dare to tackle the real stories. The ABC have been offered real stories, complete with proof both empirical and substantive; main stream rags have been offered, at no cost complete dossiers on issues that would curdle the public porridge; always the same puling, gutless response – lawyers.
Pprune rules; media need not apply. The tales are told here, for all to see: a little initiative, basic comprehension of the English language, a little wit, some clever writing, a modicum of plain old fashioned 'journalistic integrity', and research would soon see Phelan with some competition for the awards he wins. Birds – What birds?, now that's fearless reporting.
Well, they're annoying pipsqueaks, ain't they.
Start here: ProAviation.
Pprune rules; media need not apply. The tales are told here, for all to see: a little initiative, basic comprehension of the English language, a little wit, some clever writing, a modicum of plain old fashioned 'journalistic integrity', and research would soon see Phelan with some competition for the awards he wins. Birds – What birds?, now that's fearless reporting.
Well, they're annoying pipsqueaks, ain't they.
Start here: ProAviation.
Comment: This may well be the reason for the saga described here. No unbiased, fair and competent investigator would have ignored valuable evidence and muddied the waters so much – implying Operator fault in a manner that prevented defamation litigation. Nor would they have gone to such lengths to ensure the Operator was deprived of any capacity they might have had to mount an adequate defence against the allegations.
On the subject of “glaring negligence,” I know of one case where an Operator (around 1994-95) purchased a “newly-overhauled” Chieftain engine, only to find – after the engine failed on only its second flight in his aircraft – that several mandatory replacement parts had never been replaced at the so-called “overhaul.” He had his own engineers strip it down and write a full report, but was unable to get any useful response or follow-up from CASA.
To add insult to injury, he received an NCN around the same time because a co-pilot on a freight route familiarisation did not have a Dangerous Goods Certificate – even though the PIC had one, and the “observer-pilot” was booked in for a DG course prior to starting the route as PIC.
To add insult to injury, he received an NCN around the same time because a co-pilot on a freight route familiarisation did not have a Dangerous Goods Certificate – even though the PIC had one, and the “observer-pilot” was booked in for a DG course prior to starting the route as PIC.
Last edited by Kharon; 13th Jan 2014 at 20:26. Reason: Bloody phone - forgot a bit.
Ben pretty much sums it up in one line from his article..Is air traffic control a saleable government service?
{Note: Mistakes not edited because Ben's blog operates in a 24/7 news cycle}
Kind of reminds me of that classic line..."the truth you can't handle the truth"...[YOUTUBE]
The irony is if aviation journos, or even the MSM, continue to ignore the real issues that matter then the IOS readership will continue to dwindle..and dwindle.. until there is no GA here in Oz and the only audience will be the big end of town Skygods...
TICK..TOCK on the playschool clock!
The reports are usually ignored by the general media because they requiring reporting, rather than the receipt and redirection of public relations statements.
Kind of reminds me of that classic line..."the truth you can't handle the truth"...[YOUTUBE]
The irony is if aviation journos, or even the MSM, continue to ignore the real issues that matter then the IOS readership will continue to dwindle..and dwindle.. until there is no GA here in Oz and the only audience will be the big end of town Skygods...
TICK..TOCK on the playschool clock!
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If we make a mistake in the magazine I take full responsibility for it.
I am sorry Guptur if you thought your $9.85 wasn’t value for money, and that you think our standards are dropping. I like to think we have good quality control processes in place, but stuff gets through sometimes, and that is always an opportunity to see why a mistake happened and how to stop it in the future.
A more general point - I am always on the look out for people who can write and who have a good knowledge of/experience in/passion for aviation. If you think the quality of aviation journalism, either in our magazine or more generally, is lacking, I'd welcome genuine inquiries from you to join our stable of writers and become part of the solution
I'll leave it to others to judge if my 20+ years at Australian Aviation counts as relevant industry experience or not.
All I can say mate is listen to the people. I would love to see the results of the survey that you got us to do.
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I actually prefer the new layout, it flows better and is easier to navigate so to speak.
It is indeed a spotters magazine, keep that in mind. We have Australian Flying for actual pilots.
One thing you could do Gerard is get rid of Geoffrey Thomas, his sucking up to the Qantas board makes his pieces rediculously biased.
Also could the topics that never seem to venture beyond the very back pages, such as rotary wing ops and warbirds, get a main feature article every now and then please.
It is indeed a spotters magazine, keep that in mind. We have Australian Flying for actual pilots.
One thing you could do Gerard is get rid of Geoffrey Thomas, his sucking up to the Qantas board makes his pieces rediculously biased.
Also could the topics that never seem to venture beyond the very back pages, such as rotary wing ops and warbirds, get a main feature article every now and then please.