Suggestions for Magazine Articles
Join Date: Apr 2003
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Damn good post !
If there's anything that really puts me to sleep its anything about how they operate the latest Air Bus or whatever....
Having said that American Flying Magazine have always excelled with their columns by Len Morgan, Gordon Baxter etc, always a good story and often a lesson or to learnt !
If there's anything that really puts me to sleep its anything about how they operate the latest Air Bus or whatever....
Having said that American Flying Magazine have always excelled with their columns by Len Morgan, Gordon Baxter etc, always a good story and often a lesson or to learnt !
Join Date: Mar 2002
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'Why can't the mags have back issues on the net?' asks strafer.
There are many reasons, but the one of most significance to all of us who make our living from writing and photography is copyright. Reproduction of our material on the net constitutes fresh publication: either publishers pay for the usual first UK magazine publication rights AND first internet publication rights (something they rarely do) or they pay a seperate fee for publishing on the net. Unless they do one or the other, they are in breach of copyright law.
That said, any writer or photog can - and sometimes will - agree to net publication or waive any fee IF their permission is sought.
There are many reasons, but the one of most significance to all of us who make our living from writing and photography is copyright. Reproduction of our material on the net constitutes fresh publication: either publishers pay for the usual first UK magazine publication rights AND first internet publication rights (something they rarely do) or they pay a seperate fee for publishing on the net. Unless they do one or the other, they are in breach of copyright law.
That said, any writer or photog can - and sometimes will - agree to net publication or waive any fee IF their permission is sought.
Join Date: Jun 2003
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I think a bigger reason for lack of online back issues is that very little, if any, of the typical magazine content has any time-sensitive relevance to the average reader.
So most people would just read the back issues.
Let's face it, you could always read yesterday's papers. It wouldn't actually make any difference to you 99.9% of the time.
In reality, almost nobody wants to read a magazine on a PC, so the circulation would plummet. These mags aren't cheap!!
So most people would just read the back issues.
Let's face it, you could always read yesterday's papers. It wouldn't actually make any difference to you 99.9% of the time.
In reality, almost nobody wants to read a magazine on a PC, so the circulation would plummet. These mags aren't cheap!!
540:
I dunno. Flying, and the techniques required to master it (or alternatively, stay alive until you give it up) are a perennial thing. So why not an internet archive / internet magazine ?
I dunno. Flying, and the techniques required to master it (or alternatively, stay alive until you give it up) are a perennial thing. So why not an internet archive / internet magazine ?
Join Date: Mar 2002
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Why no internet magazine? Must be because the revenue just doesn't add up. You can get a measure of advertising, but convincing people to pay for the thing - in an area where they have long grazed for free - is not easy. Also, you production costs - writing, photography and all that - cannot easily be reduced (this may be a writer and sometime photographer's conceit, but you do tend to get what you pay for - with the odd, noble exception, of course).
I would suggest that dedicated video magazines would be even less likely to appear on the net. Yes, yes, yes - the technology moves on, but look at the effect - or lack of it - on the quality of output: years ago, the average cine enthusiast could drive you mental with four-minute films full of crash zooms, crap edits and snatched little scenes that flash by at dizzying speed. Give the same bod a DV cam and what do you get? crash zooms, crap edits etc - but scenes that go on for hours (different flavour of boredom, but boredom nevertheless).
Really, you cannot avoid using a professional film-making crew (or at least a film crew capable of professional results). It takes time to produce a product worth watching - far longer than it takes to interview or photograph some worthy man or machine for a print piece - and (please feel free to join the chorus) time costs money - especially professional time.
Sorry if this all sounds terribly doom-laden: I'm not trying to trample on people's dreams - just trying to 'keep it real'...
I would suggest that dedicated video magazines would be even less likely to appear on the net. Yes, yes, yes - the technology moves on, but look at the effect - or lack of it - on the quality of output: years ago, the average cine enthusiast could drive you mental with four-minute films full of crash zooms, crap edits and snatched little scenes that flash by at dizzying speed. Give the same bod a DV cam and what do you get? crash zooms, crap edits etc - but scenes that go on for hours (different flavour of boredom, but boredom nevertheless).
Really, you cannot avoid using a professional film-making crew (or at least a film crew capable of professional results). It takes time to produce a product worth watching - far longer than it takes to interview or photograph some worthy man or machine for a print piece - and (please feel free to join the chorus) time costs money - especially professional time.
Sorry if this all sounds terribly doom-laden: I'm not trying to trample on people's dreams - just trying to 'keep it real'...
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TNF
I bet no more than a few % of GA magazine purchasers are regular internet users (other than pure email)
It would be impossible to make money.
PW
Are you suggesting that all of the GA magazines are of good quality?
I would say 10% is of good quality and worthy of a reader intelligent enough to pass the PPL exams; the rest is recycled articles about antique planes, recycled text from Trevor Thom, adverts (lots of those), recycled CAA Safety Sense leaflets, recycled AAIB crash reports. And the last three are already online.
I think there should be a single modern aviation magazine, with a clear objective to take GA forward (regardless of the WW1-WW2 PPL training syllabus and regardless of similar CAA attitudes to modernisation), and another one (or more) for the train spotters.
I bet no more than a few % of GA magazine purchasers are regular internet users (other than pure email)
It would be impossible to make money.
PW
Are you suggesting that all of the GA magazines are of good quality?
I would say 10% is of good quality and worthy of a reader intelligent enough to pass the PPL exams; the rest is recycled articles about antique planes, recycled text from Trevor Thom, adverts (lots of those), recycled CAA Safety Sense leaflets, recycled AAIB crash reports. And the last three are already online.I think there should be a single modern aviation magazine, with a clear objective to take GA forward (regardless of the WW1-WW2 PPL training syllabus and regardless of similar CAA attitudes to modernisation), and another one (or more) for the train spotters.
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Yesturday I sat down and read the article about disabled flying.
GREAT stuff, I actually went and bought a copy instead of the borrowed one I usually read. It nearly tripled the amount of time it usually takes to read the mag.
Keep it up and you may yet even get a subscription out of me!!!
MJ
BTW i think having internet mag stuff is a bad idea. Can't see us ever getting to surf the web in the cruise. But reading an aviation mag doesn't tend to get raised eye brows or grunts. It usually gets swapped to the other seat in the next sector. With much debate about if its pish they are telling people to do or discussion what would you buy in the classified section.
GREAT stuff, I actually went and bought a copy instead of the borrowed one I usually read. It nearly tripled the amount of time it usually takes to read the mag.
Keep it up and you may yet even get a subscription out of me!!!
MJ
BTW i think having internet mag stuff is a bad idea. Can't see us ever getting to surf the web in the cruise. But reading an aviation mag doesn't tend to get raised eye brows or grunts. It usually gets swapped to the other seat in the next sector. With much debate about if its pish they are telling people to do or discussion what would you buy in the classified section.
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Join Date: Feb 2002
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How about a proper full review of some of the flight planning software available, instead of endless reviews of yet another aircraft type that I'll never fly?
And I don't mean a superficial comparision. I mean an indepth review of one at a time.
dp
And I don't mean a superficial comparision. I mean an indepth review of one at a time.
dp
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How about a proper full review of some of the flight planning software available, instead of endless reviews of yet another aircraft type that I'll never fly?
It's great to read an article on the features of this or that system, but really it's the practicalities that are important in the long run, and if an article can give practical information rather than a 'superficial comparison', all the better.
Great topic by the way!
SJ
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Don't suppose any of the magazines have tried to get the pilot from this thread for an interview?
If the guy can write, or somone could write his story for him, I imagine it would make very interesting reading!
Having said that, I'm sure there is probably some sort of investigation, and he may not want to comment. But if he could be got, it would be a great story!
dp
If the guy can write, or somone could write his story for him, I imagine it would make very interesting reading!
Having said that, I'm sure there is probably some sort of investigation, and he may not want to comment. But if he could be got, it would be a great story!
dp
Join Date: Dec 2003
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I think some of what's missing is the human element. The flying world is about people and the experiences they have; the little ones that occur and leave you with a nugget of knowledge you didn't have before or restored faith in people. Biographies are OK but not really what I'm thinking of. As much as I don't like Flying Magazine, you couldn't beat Bax In The Back, Len Morgan or, now, Lane Wallace for good stories, well written, about the human part of flying.
I think that's what's missing, as least from the pilot magazine I read.
Pitts2112
I think that's what's missing, as least from the pilot magazine I read.
Pitts2112
