Dire writing standards in GA magazines
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Enniskillen
Just looking at July Flyer and Pilot, both have the Cirrus G2 on the cover. I think the turbine Yak 18 has appeared in both recently.
I usually read it first in Flying (USA) or AOPA pilot.
I must get some treatment as I still buy the bloody things anyway.
Tony
I usually read it first in Flying (USA) or AOPA pilot.
I must get some treatment as I still buy the bloody things anyway.
Tony
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,325
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From: UK
SSD - just out of interest, how does one go about offering a write up to the magazines? Are they receptive to cold calling? I ask, as I recently passed my Skills Test and got some good feedback from people on here and FlyPast who'd read it, some of who said they'd found it a useful read prior to taking their own ST. As I also plan to do my tailwheel rating later ths summer and have a habit of doing write-ups anyway, I'm just wondering whether my ramblings may be of interest to anyone?
I can only relate how it worked for me. I started to write a piece for the club magazine, and by the time I'd finished it it was a full-length article. I wondered if it would be of interest to 'Pilot', so I sent it to James Gilbert (the then owner/editor). I got a cheque by return post
After that I'd usually phone or write to the mag if I had an idea for a piece, and James would usually say 'write it up and we'll have a look'. I'd only propose articles which I thought would get published (if they did one on the 'Acme wonderplane' 6 months ago, they won't want another for quite a while). Sometimes I'd write something up because I knew it would be of interest, and send it cold.
If you can write, and you have something interesting to relate, give it a go.
SSD
I can only relate how it worked for me. I started to write a piece for the club magazine, and by the time I'd finished it it was a full-length article. I wondered if it would be of interest to 'Pilot', so I sent it to James Gilbert (the then owner/editor). I got a cheque by return post
After that I'd usually phone or write to the mag if I had an idea for a piece, and James would usually say 'write it up and we'll have a look'. I'd only propose articles which I thought would get published (if they did one on the 'Acme wonderplane' 6 months ago, they won't want another for quite a while). Sometimes I'd write something up because I knew it would be of interest, and send it cold.
If you can write, and you have something interesting to relate, give it a go.
SSD
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: SE England
i got a subscription to a GA mag for xmas, the pictures are sometimes good but the articles just don't grab my attention at all. So much that i don't really read them...
FNG, stick your jeans into wash on the hottest setting, that should sort them out!
If your going to be the JC of aviation, does that mean you will be starting a TV show...? 'Full Throttle' perhaps?!
FNG, stick your jeans into wash on the hottest setting, that should sort them out!
If your going to be the JC of aviation, does that mean you will be starting a TV show...? 'Full Throttle' perhaps?!
Joined: Oct 1999
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From: UK
There used to be a TV aviation show a couple of years back; 'The Airshow'. Pretty good, too. But I suspect that because flying aeroplanes for fun is a tiny minority interest, we will never see the aviation equivalent of 'Top Gear'.
There are probably more motorbike enthusiasts than pilots, but there's no 'Top Gear' for them, either - or even any bike coverage on 'Top Gear' itself (though the two non-Clarkson presenters are keen bikers - and Clarkson is violently anti-bike).
SSD
There are probably more motorbike enthusiasts than pilots, but there's no 'Top Gear' for them, either - or even any bike coverage on 'Top Gear' itself (though the two non-Clarkson presenters are keen bikers - and Clarkson is violently anti-bike).
SSD
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Canada
I have no experience with popular magazines, but I was the editor of a law journal for a couple of years. Based upon that semi-related experience, I suspect that editors of most aviation magazines would be thrilled to receive quality submissions.
Publishing according to a regular timetable (one a month, once a quarter, etc.) requires that a magazine fill X number of pages ... if they can do so with good, fresh writing rather than the mediocre, so-much-per-word work of a tired hack, they'd prefer to do so.
There are any number of boooks available to guide budding magazine scribes: see e.g. here, here and here.
Publishing according to a regular timetable (one a month, once a quarter, etc.) requires that a magazine fill X number of pages ... if they can do so with good, fresh writing rather than the mediocre, so-much-per-word work of a tired hack, they'd prefer to do so.
There are any number of boooks available to guide budding magazine scribes: see e.g. here, here and here.
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: EuroGA.org
I think that before writing material for the UK GA mags, one ought to have a think about what motivates people to learn to fly.
I don't pretend to know the answers, or even have much idea of likely breakdowns, but I cannot help thinking that the material being published right now is miles away from what people that actually fly actually want to read.
But then.... do people that actually fly make up most of the readership? We might be suprised.
I don't pretend to know the answers, or even have much idea of likely breakdowns, but I cannot help thinking that the material being published right now is miles away from what people that actually fly actually want to read.
But then.... do people that actually fly make up most of the readership? We might be suprised.
Guest
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But then.... do people that actually fly make up most of the readership? We might be suprised.
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Who cares? ;-)
I used to be editor of a magazine (non-flying) and was editor of our flying club's magazine... one of the most frustrating things is getting ENOUGH articles to fill the pages!! Some fairly good articles you keep on hand to fill in when there are pages not yet filled, and the dead-line is coming up. I'm sure any of the magazine editors would appreciate some nice entries... let them decide when and if they can use them..... might be months from now, but so what 
Westy
Westy
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Kent
People actually get paid for writing ad hoc GA articles?
I didn't think to ask when I did mine
Anyway, it's pretty easy to get published, so long as the topic is fairly unusual.
I got the impression that the number 1 priority is lots of lovely piccies... the words come second .
I didn't think to ask when I did mine
Anyway, it's pretty easy to get published, so long as the topic is fairly unusual.
I got the impression that the number 1 priority is lots of lovely piccies... the words come second
.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Westwind,
I can imagine this holding true for aviation too. Inspite of the depth of knowledge needed, for the man with a spamcan it is a static industry when compared to something like moutain biking where seemingly no end of products and inovations are hitting the stores on a daily basis, where art of staying upright at great speed (relative) and the techniques to maintain fitness can fill volumes.
With aviation there are very few different ways to fly a plane. The methods are tried and tested. The technology doesn't really change much. Sure there are some exciting new things happening like the EFIS (new to GA), X-Prize, diesel engines and personal jets. Even grouped together these are hardly capable of filling a magazine.
...one of the most frustrating things is getting ENOUGH articles to fill the pages!!
With aviation there are very few different ways to fly a plane. The methods are tried and tested. The technology doesn't really change much. Sure there are some exciting new things happening like the EFIS (new to GA), X-Prize, diesel engines and personal jets. Even grouped together these are hardly capable of filling a magazine.
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,325
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From: UK
I got the impression that the number 1 priority is lots of lovely piccies... the words come second
Good pictures are important, but if the words are cr*p then it's all a waste of time.
Having said that, I think you are right in that editors now seem to put a greater emphasis on pictures and perhaps not enough on the words. I think that's a reflection of our 'presentation before content' society where 'looking good' is sometimes considered more important than 'being good'.
Consider 'Pilot' magazine back in the days when it was the only one on the market. It had far rewer pages, smaller photos, and colour only on the cover. But the writing was generally of a far higher standard than any of the mags today (OK, not all of it - but there were some gems in most issues).
These days, the mags are thick, but comprise many big and glossy pictures. Quality writing is lacking, and it very unusual indeed to come across a really well written piece - or indeed a really badly written piece.
Bland writing. Short-attention-span articles, lots of pics!
SSD
Good pictures are important, but if the words are cr*p then it's all a waste of time.
Having said that, I think you are right in that editors now seem to put a greater emphasis on pictures and perhaps not enough on the words. I think that's a reflection of our 'presentation before content' society where 'looking good' is sometimes considered more important than 'being good'.
Consider 'Pilot' magazine back in the days when it was the only one on the market. It had far rewer pages, smaller photos, and colour only on the cover. But the writing was generally of a far higher standard than any of the mags today (OK, not all of it - but there were some gems in most issues).
These days, the mags are thick, but comprise many big and glossy pictures. Quality writing is lacking, and it very unusual indeed to come across a really well written piece - or indeed a really badly written piece.
Bland writing. Short-attention-span articles, lots of pics!
SSD
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Enniskillen
I like to do a lot of touring and I am always interested in articles about different destinations in Europe.
But often there is very little description about the actual flight (route etc.) and airfields visited. Some great articles have been written in all the mags, but most are not really that interesting if you were to remove the photos.
Perhaps those of us who visit this forum should get the note book and camera out and change things ourselves, there would appear to be enough ability.
Tony
PS, I do think J F gives us all something to think about in Flyer.
But often there is very little description about the actual flight (route etc.) and airfields visited. Some great articles have been written in all the mags, but most are not really that interesting if you were to remove the photos.
Perhaps those of us who visit this forum should get the note book and camera out and change things ourselves, there would appear to be enough ability.
Tony
PS, I do think J F gives us all something to think about in Flyer.
Thread Starter
Not so N, but still FG
Joined: May 2000
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From: London, UK
Alright, but if anyone writes another frickin article about the frickin Chateau frickin Chassagne I may have some sort of psychotic episode. Crikey, it's not as if there aren't a zillion better hotels in Burgundy which are near airfields.
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Horsham UK
Hmm this is interesting... Getting enough stuff to fill the pages. Here at Rimmer News the challenge is what you leave out. We always have too much stuff but then we are a B2B rather than newsstand.
No doubt about it, there is an awful lot going on in the industry right now (...my next job this morning – when I stop Prooning – is to re-write part of an article following the US govts refusal of UA loan guarantee application...exciting eh?).
HWD you are bang on...
Publishing lesson 101: All mags get most of their revenue from advertising - it's true subcriptions and newsstand sales are the smaller piece of the pie. Advertising that's where the loot is. Advertisers spend their money where they think it'll doo em most good (Duh...right). Ok, so if you look at the advertising in the bulk of GA mags, you'll see that in the main they cater to (gasp) people who don't fly but want to - kinda tells you why there are so many flight school ads.
Next why do manufacturers allow nurks like me to come and play with their shiney new whizz jet or whizz prop?
Answer: They think it might help flog a few – gawd knows why (but I'm glad they do). I'm quite sure nobody in a fleet planning dept reads my pearls of...er wisd...well comments... and thinks "Oo-er we must get straight out and buy some Megaplanes 75s.).
Same deal in the GA mags. With new kit they get everybody down to do the Flight test bit pretty much one after the other to raise the profile of their newly certified mold breaking, paradigm shifting mega plastic Super Flyer. Which is why they all seem to have the same thing on the cover (beats me why they don't umm sequence... guess they don't talk to each other?)
Or when an owner lets some journo get his sweaty paws on his or her superrare smokin-grinder it's usually because he or she has had enough of the damn thing and wants rid. Why is anybody surprised with the subsequent ad?
Fly Stim. : Yer not wrong there...please no more John Nicol 'Flies' (which should be John Nichol has a ride in.... Bring back Brendan O'Brien, at least that bu@@er CAN fly).
No doubt about it, there is an awful lot going on in the industry right now (...my next job this morning – when I stop Prooning – is to re-write part of an article following the US govts refusal of UA loan guarantee application...exciting eh?).
HWD you are bang on...
Publishing lesson 101: All mags get most of their revenue from advertising - it's true subcriptions and newsstand sales are the smaller piece of the pie. Advertising that's where the loot is. Advertisers spend their money where they think it'll doo em most good (Duh...right). Ok, so if you look at the advertising in the bulk of GA mags, you'll see that in the main they cater to (gasp) people who don't fly but want to - kinda tells you why there are so many flight school ads.
Next why do manufacturers allow nurks like me to come and play with their shiney new whizz jet or whizz prop?
Answer: They think it might help flog a few – gawd knows why (but I'm glad they do). I'm quite sure nobody in a fleet planning dept reads my pearls of...er wisd...well comments... and thinks "Oo-er we must get straight out and buy some Megaplanes 75s.).
Same deal in the GA mags. With new kit they get everybody down to do the Flight test bit pretty much one after the other to raise the profile of their newly certified mold breaking, paradigm shifting mega plastic Super Flyer. Which is why they all seem to have the same thing on the cover (beats me why they don't umm sequence... guess they don't talk to each other?)
Or when an owner lets some journo get his sweaty paws on his or her superrare smokin-grinder it's usually because he or she has had enough of the damn thing and wants rid. Why is anybody surprised with the subsequent ad?
Fly Stim. : Yer not wrong there...please no more John Nicol 'Flies' (which should be John Nichol has a ride in.... Bring back Brendan O'Brien, at least that bu@@er CAN fly).
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 480
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From: Retford, UK
Fly Stim. : Yer not wrong there...please no more John Nicol 'Flies' (which should be John Nichol has a ride in.... Bring back Brendan O'Brien, at least that bu@@er CAN fly).
In defence of "John Nichol Flies", there wouldn't be so much cool hardware on the show if it had to be a flight-test as well. I particularly liked the one where he went to Cape Town and flew in a Lightning at Thunder City.
- Michael
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 10,804
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Yes Brendan does speak like that.
He must have one of the best set of patter lines as an instructor in the UK.
Off the top of my head from the recent spitfire prog.
"Don't stop you pervert"
"Make luv to the sky, don't shag it."
I suspect he could very well do the Clarkson of the aviation world. It would be bloody funny.
MJ
He must have one of the best set of patter lines as an instructor in the UK.
Off the top of my head from the recent spitfire prog.
"Don't stop you pervert"
"Make luv to the sky, don't shag it."
I suspect he could very well do the Clarkson of the aviation world. It would be bloody funny.
MJ