Dumping Flying Magazine

[Dave]

Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
Dick's Cessna P210.

[Jay Honeck]

> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?

Two words: Lane Wallace.

I'd buy the mag just for her!

:-)

(But I agree with everything else you've said...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[C J Campbell]

"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?

Actually, it is a little better than it used to be. Time was when you would
find no mention in Flying of anything that burned avgas.

[Tom Sixkiller]

"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

I dumped _Flying_ when Gordon Baxter had to retire.

After the 112th straight issue with an article about either Falcon's or
Gulfstream's and the obscure plane-of-the month, I'd had enough.

[Dan Luke]

"Dave" wrote:
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA
> magazines to read?

Flying aims for an upscale market compared to the spam can monthlies
like Plane and Pilot or Private Pilot. Still, it is worth the
subscription price for Peter Garrison's columns, if nothing else.

> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports
> from Mac and Dick Collins that, personally, offer little
> educational value? Each of these guys write serveral
> articles per issue. Are they that hard up for good writers,
> or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves?

I agree: too much McClellan and Collins. Flying needs an overhaul.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM
(remove pants to reply by email)

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, (Dave) said:
>Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
>Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
>Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each

I stopped subscribing to Flying many years ago when I started getting
"IFR" and "IFR Refresher". Just too damn many flying magazines, and
Flying was the worst so it had to go. A few months ago they started
sending me a free copy to try and get me back - it's not going to work,
it's still the worst flying magazine I get, although I do like Lane.


--
Paul Tomblin > http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
If Alan Turing was alive today, the homosexuality
would be OK but he'd be in trouble for codebreaking.
-- Martin Bacon

[Bill Denton]

March, 2004


"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:ZKxdc.6$cD2.14411@attbi_s51...
> > Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
>
> Two words: Lane Wallace.
>
> I'd buy the mag just for her!
>
> :-)
>
> (But I agree with everything else you've said...)
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[Thomas Borchert]

Dave,

Your impression equals mine. I keep it because it is so cheap, but I am
over and over again offended/bored by Collins's and Mac's articles.

As for Lane Wallace, yeah, right, but she tends to write the same
article (lots of emotion, feely, touchy) over and over again.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Maule Driver]

Contrarian here... I like Flying

I enjoy Mac and Dick. I always find it educational - especially from the
standpoint of using GA aircraft for travel. I usually like Dick Karl. I
like Garrison as long as he stays technical but I don't care for his
aftermaths. I rarely read the jet & rotorwing reviews.

I would suggest that most non-pro GA pilots think and speak about safety in
Dick Collin's terms. Those pilots may not know it and may not agree with
him (pilots agree?) but he is responsible for 'setting the table'.

I always feel a bit empty by the time I get to the end of the AOPA mag but
don't know why. I seem to be the target market but the mag comes up short.
I think the world of the organization though.

Private and P&P just don't have the writers.

IFR is great! I rip thru that. IFR Refresher is full of reruns so I
stopped.

Lane is OK and can get better.

I miss Bax but then who doesn't.

"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[John Gaquin]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in message
>
> I agree: too much .... Collins. \

It had too much Collins 25 years ago, when I dropped it.

[Jay Honeck]

> I always feel a bit empty by the time I get to the end of the AOPA mag but
> don't know why. I seem to be the target market but the mag comes up
short.
> I think the world of the organization though.

Funny, I think the world of the magazine, and think the organization comes
up short.

> Private and P&P just don't have the writers.

Their mags are more hit and miss -- but Private Pilot "hits" often enough
for me to subscribe. P&P gets my dollar at the newsstand only when it
looks interesting.

> IFR is great! I rip thru that. IFR Refresher is full of reruns so I
> stopped.

I subscribed for a while when I was actively pursuing my IR. After deciding
to put that on hold, the magazine turned into a real snore...

> Lane is OK and can get better.
>
> I miss Bax but then who doesn't.

Lane runs dry once in a while, but she is still the best of the bunch.

There will never be another Bax.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> > I agree: too much .... Collins. \
>
> It had too much Collins 25 years ago, when I dropped it.

I'll say one thing about Collins: The man is prolific. He writes two or
three HUGE articles each month, plus a flight reviews, plus an active
speaking schedule.

I should be so lucky when I'm in my 70s.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Peter Gottlieb]

She's ok in my book, has a Cheetah like I fly.


"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:ZKxdc.6$cD2.14411@attbi_s51...
> > Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
>
> Two words: Lane Wallace.
>
> I'd buy the mag just for her!
>
> :-)
>
> (But I agree with everything else you've said...)
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, "Jay Honeck" > said:
>I'll say one thing about Collins: The man is prolific. He writes two or
>three HUGE articles each month, plus a flight reviews, plus an active
>speaking schedule.

Aren't most of his flight reviews just blowing the dust off of an old
review and maybe throwing in a paragraph or two about the current resale
value of the aircraft in question?


--
Paul Tomblin > http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
If netcat is compiled with -DGAPING_SECURITY_HOLE, the -e argument
specifies a program to exec after making or receiving a successful
connection. -- netcat README file

[Richard Hertz]

I find that all the magazines are fairly poor. Sure, there may be an
interesting article or two every now and then, but it wasn't worth the money
to wait for the infrequent decent bits. I also canceled the much praised
IFR "magazine"/newsletter. It is also pretty poor. Maybe there are no good
journalists/writers in the aviation field.



"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[Marco Leon]

I like Flying. I get many of the mags out there as most are pretty cheap. I
got 3 years of flying for $36; if I only read one article per issue, it's
worth it. Lane Wallace is a terrific writer. Very colorful, one of the best
GA writers out there. I think Jay appreciates her because of his English
degree. That says a lot.

P&P reminds me of that "In Touch" mag my wife gets. All pics and very little
substance. I do enjoy Lyn Freeman's Partial Panel though.

Private Pilot is good and is the best GA-focused. A bit cheap-looking.

AOPA Pilot is mediocre but its volume of stuff makes it worthwhile as you
are bound to find one or two interesting articles per issue.

Face it guys, GA has a limit on topics to write about. You can't expect too
much from monthly issues in any single magazine.

Marco


"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[[email protected]]

On Fri, 09 Apr 2004 15:19:48 GMT, "Maule Driver"
> wrote:

>Contrarian here... I like Flying

Me too. I'm probably going to resubscribe, since I end up buying it off
the newsstand almost every month. I like reading about the biz jets a
lot more than I used to. And, like you, its interesting to read about
people *using* an airplane, rather than playing with them the way I do
most of the time.

>I enjoy Mac and Dick. I always find it educational - especially from the
>standpoint of using GA aircraft for travel. I usually like Dick Karl. I
>like Garrison as long as he stays technical but I don't care for his
>aftermaths. I rarely read the jet & rotorwing reviews.

I like to watch Karl try to justify a jet. Garrison's too technical for
me; he's the only writer there that I almost never read.

>Private and P&P just don't have the writers.

Private Pilot has regular helicopter special issues which I appreciate
as a concept, but the writing is very marginal in places. This is one of
the things that Flying and (most of the time) AOPA Pilot have got *down*
- the ability to write, and to spell.

The other thing that honks me off about Private Pilot and P&P is their
photography. I am a nut about cockpit photos, and they just don't get
it. I could take better pictures with my $400 Canon Digital Elph.
Further, sometimes they'll have twelve pictures of the *outside* of the
airplane and not a single one of the panel! Unacceptable. I've almost
written them about this more than once... I'll get around to it someday.

It just goes to show - again - each to his own.

Dave Blevins

[JFLEISC]

>Jay Honeck
>Iowa City, IA
>Pathfinder N56993
wrote:
>Two words: Lane Wallace.
>
>I'd buy the mag just for her!
>
Amen to that!

[Jim]

What I can't figure out is why NAFI (EAA's Flight Instructor "Association")
associates itself with Flying. NAFI members recieve Flying as a "Membership
Benefit" as well as a NAFI publication called Mentor that also falls short
of being useful. When was the last time that you read an honest article on
flight training in Flying other than full motion sim training for the latest
and greatest biz jet? If NAFI really wanted to provide instructors with a
good publication, it would create it's own version of AOPA's Flight Training
magazine.
--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply


"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[Javier Henderson]

writes:

> On Fri, 09 Apr 2004 15:19:48 GMT, "Maule Driver"
> > wrote:
>
> >Contrarian here... I like Flying
>
> Me too. I'm probably going to resubscribe, since I end up buying it off
> the newsstand almost every month. I like reading about the biz jets a
> lot more than I used to.

Same here. I remember one of the first Flying issues I read had a
review of the MD11. Obviously, an airplane I will never fly as PIC,
and yet it was interesting to read. Same with the slew of Citations,
Lears, King Airs, and what have you that get reviewed.

As for Collins' self indulgence, as blave wrote, I like to read about
people using their airplanes, and Collins definitely gets to use
his. He comes across a bit pedantic at times, but he's readable.

My beef with aviation magazines in general is that every airplane and
product featured gets a positive review, no matter what. Flaws are
minimized, virtues are extolled to no end.

There's also incessant repetition... I'm tired of reading about
thunderstorms every April and about icing every October. Those articles,
I tend to gloss over.

And finally, the monthly columns can be hit and miss. The monthly by
Tom Block was entirely forgettable, he wrote a lot about equipping his
airplanes but very little about airline flying. I really like the
stuff the new guy (Les Abend) has been putting out. Peter Garrison
has some cool stuff sometimes. Dick Karl seems to relate flying his
twin turboprop in a way that doesn't come across as pedantic. Lane
Wallace gets a little too prosaic at times, but I generally like her
style.

-jav

[Jay Honeck]

> I like Flying. I get many of the mags out there as most are pretty cheap.
I
> got 3 years of flying for $36; if I only read one article per issue, it's
> worth it. Lane Wallace is a terrific writer. Very colorful, one of the
best
> GA writers out there. I think Jay appreciates her because of his English
> degree. That says a lot.

Yeah, that's it! I like her, um, "English"...

Heh, heh, heh...

Ahem. Carry on.

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Gene Seibel]

Money spent on a magazine doesn't get your feet off the ground. Money
spent on airplane fuel does. ;)
--
Gene Seibel
Confessions of a Pilot - http://pad39a.com/publishing/
Because I fly, I envy no one.



(Dave) wrote in message >...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[Thomas Borchert]

Jay,

> I should be so lucky when I'm in my 70s.
>

It's easy. He always writes the same article over and over again.
"There I was flying from Hagerstown to Kansas..."

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Thomas Borchert]

Javier,

> My beef with aviation magazines in general is that every airplane and
> product featured gets a positive review, no matter what. Flaws are
> minimized, virtues are extolled to no end.
>

Try Aviation Consumer.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Maule Driver]

Aviation Consumer gets my dollars too. Good sheet.

"Thomas Borchert" > wrote in message
...
> Javier,
>
> > My beef with aviation magazines in general is that every airplane and
> > product featured gets a positive review, no matter what. Flaws are
> > minimized, virtues are extolled to no end.
> >
>
> Try Aviation Consumer.
>
> --
> Thomas Borchert (EDDH)
>

[Robert M. Gary]

I agree with you about Flying but its about the only mag I think is
worth reading. The EAA mag is too technical for bathroom reading.
AOPA's Pilot is just too much "following the FARs and AIM and you'll
be the world's best pilot", it seems to not be objective. The IFR mags
get to be repeat themselves too much and I lost interest a couple
years after having my IFR ticket. We really need another Len Morgan.
He wasn't all touchy-feely like Gordon and Wallace but he has the old
time stores that were great (I bought a book of his collections from
the mag a while back). I think they were hoping that Tom Block would
become that but he didn't seem to want to write about the old airline
days. Although the DC-3 drivers are all dead, we'd still like to read
about the old 727 days of hitting the runway on go around, etc type
stores. The young airline guy is interesting but I like the old
stories.

-Robert



(Dave) wrote in message >...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[Rosspilot]

What's all the fuss over Lane Wallace? Are you talking about sex appeal?

http://www.airventure.org/forums/presenter.asp?EventID=12&PresenterID=895


I guess not my type . . .


www.Rosspilot.com

[Jay Honeck]

> What's all the fuss over Lane Wallace? Are you talking about sex appeal?

Yes. In-person she has a warmth and magnetism that's hard to quantify.

And she's an excellent writer.

And she's a pilot and aircraft owner.

That's what I call "The Whole Package". (I married the only other one like
her in the whole world! :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Frank]

Dave wrote:

> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

I still subscribe. I do think Flying spends too much time on the bizjet side
of things though.

Dick Collins is a bit pedantic in his writing style, but I value his
opinions, even if I don't always agree. His critcal looks at safety issues
are some of the best counterpoints to the FAA propaganda and I doubt there
is anyone with more insight into weather.


--
Frank....H

[Rosspilot]

>
>AOPA Pilot is mediocre but its volume of stuff makes it worthwhile as you
>are bound to find one or two interesting articles per issue.


I always read "Never Again" in AOPA Pilot.
And the letters from members . . . and I drool over the articles on
refurbishing the sweepstakes plane, almost like dreaming of winning the
lottery. I generally read Boyer's position page, and that's about it for me.



www.Rosspilot.com

[Steven Barnes]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:9gEdc.1010$cD2.23960@attbi_s51...
> > What's all the fuss over Lane Wallace? Are you talking about sex
appeal?
>
> Yes. In-person she has a warmth and magnetism that's hard to quantify.
>
> And she's an excellent writer.
>
> And she's a pilot and aircraft owner.
>
> That's what I call "The Whole Package". (I married the only other one
like
> her in the whole world! :-)
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

Heh. Nice save.... ;-)

[John Gaquin]

"Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message .

> .......the DC-3 drivers are all dead,


HEY!!!!!

[Dan Luke]

"Rosspilot" wrote:
> I guess not my type . . .

She ain't no Sandra Bullock, but then Sandra Bullock ain't no pilot.
I'll take Lane: we'd always have something to talk about, uh, later.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM
(remove pants to reply by email)

[SeeAndAvoid]

I'm with you on this one, don't see it. Compared to Collins, yeah, major
babe-age. Usually get pretty drowsy reading her as well, but hey, that's
me. I still get Flying cuz it's cheap, that's about it. Never seen IFR,
I think that's the one envelope I throw away all the time asking me
to subscribe. Any good?
Chris

"Rosspilot" wrote
> What's all the fuss over Lane Wallace? Are you talking about sex appeal?
> I guess not my type . . .

[John Gaquin]

"Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message

> ........ We really need another Len Morgan.
> He wasn't all touchy-feely like Gordon and Wallace but he has the old
> time stores that were great (I bought a book of his collections from
> the mag a while back). I think they were hoping that Tom Block would
> become that but he didn't seem to want to write about the old airline
> days.

I had the good luck to meet Len Morgan a couple of times. I wouldn't
presume to say we were friends, but we did chat a few minutes over coffee
once at LGA. A *very* nice guy. All the senses you pick up from his
writing are dead on.

Although I've never met Tom Block, we passed in airport concourses a number
of times. :-) I've spoken with a number of people who knew him, some of
whom friends who flew with him at US, and a noticeable theme that emerged
was that there were few people more impressed with Tom Block than Tom Block
YMMV

[Dan Luke]

"SeeAndAvoid" wrote:
> Never seen IFR, I think that's the one envelope I throw
> away all the time asking me
> to subscribe. Any good?
>

A must-have, IMO. Always has some good, real-world IFR flying articles
and it has a funny, irreverent tone that keeps things entertaining.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM
(remove pants to reply by email)

[Dan Luke]

"John Gaquin" wrote:
> a noticeable theme that emerged was that there were few people
> more impressed with Tom Block than Tom Block

Funny, that's exactly the impression I got from reading his columns.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM
(remove pants to reply by email)

[tom418]

Like anything else in aviation, it was better decades ago than now.

The writers/editors were better. One cannot compare MacLellan to Robert
Parke or Robert Blodgett. The columnists like Stephen Wilkinson, Bax, and
Tom Block were also better than what Flying has now (although Wilkinson did
himself in with his article discouraging the use of checklists)

I've been subscribing for forty years, and I might finally drop it too.
"Dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Dave wrote:
>
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?

Dunno. I dumped my subscription over ten years ago.

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".

[Zerosum]

I get AOPA Pilot, like everyone, but some months it's just too boring
to even begin reading. It seems like the kind of flying magazine that
would have been published in the old USSR. Painfully official.

On the other hand, P&P and Private Pilot seem terribly lightweight and
disorganized. Sometimes I'll buy them on the newstand if they are
covering something of particular interest, but I'd probably never
subscribe.

I really like Flying...and I don't even read Lane Wallace most months
(although I do think she's great, and my wife has several of her
pieces posted in her office). Flying seems to hit the right balance a
lot of the time, and I don't think I could live without Garrison
(checkout www.melmoth2.com if you're a fan). Probably too much
business jet coverage, but I imagine a lot of their ad revenue comes
from bizjet builders. I'm willing to let Collins be Collins, although
I certainly understand why many may be absolutely sick of him by now.

But if I could read only one flying magazine, it would have to be the
Aviation Consumer. Absolutely authoritative, totally free of
advertising pressure and willing to kick up a storm of controversy if
need be. On top of that, I KNOW reading it has saved me a small
fortune as an aircraft owner. It's worth the subcription price just to
get access to their awesome web site, which is unequalled by anybody.
No, I don't work for them. Try it and see.

[Bob Fry]

(Dave) writes:

> Is it me,

No.

> or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?

Yes. The only good writer left is Peter Garrison. Lane Wallace is
afraid to fly at night. Everybody else is afraid to fly in anything
costing less than $500,000.


Here's a post I made about Flying Rag in November 2002.


Flying magazine is about worthless anymore. So I get a thick envelope
from them, open it, and it's a survey complete with a crisp dollar
bill. Alright, I think, a chance to tell them what's wrong with their
magazine.

So I start reading the survey. It starts with the usual questions
about flying experience, do I own or rent, and so on. Then it gets to
my job: what do I do, job title, etc. Then total family income, and
do I own rental and investment property? And how much do I own in
stocks?

Now I'm thinking, screw you. Your magazine sucks and the only thing
you want to know from me is my financial situation?? It's now one
dollar better, that's for sure. Maybe I'll send the return envelope
back empty.

[Bob Fry]

"Jay Honeck" > writes:

> > Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
>
> Two words: Lane Wallace.

Oh, dude. C'mon. Lane is simply an average-skilled amateur writer
and a less-skilled pilot. You need to expand your reading and you'll
know what I mean and what you're missing.

Except for Peter Garrison, the other writers are useless too.

[Bob Fry]

"Jay Honeck" > writes:

> I'll say one thing about Collins: The man is prolific. He writes two or
> three HUGE articles each month, plus a flight reviews, plus an active
> speaking schedule.

And none of the content worth a damn. Too bad, because the man
clearly has something to tell us, but he simply doesn't know how. He
is prolific like an Appalachian hill-billy family is...quantity
doesn't equal quality.

[Bob Fry]

"Jay Honeck" > writes:

> > What's all the fuss over Lane Wallace? Are you talking about sex appeal?
>
> Yes. In-person she has a warmth and magnetism that's hard to quantify.

I'll take your word for it. I live in a college town...need I say
more?

[Bob Fry]

"Richard Hertz" > writes:

> I find that all the magazines are fairly poor.
>.... Maybe there are no good
> journalists/writers in the aviation field.

You are correct. There simply is very little good writing in
aviation. Perhaps it's because there is relatively little money to be
made, and thus little new blood. We've all noticed the nearly 100%
old farts at airports and fly-ins; few young people, with their energy
and creativity, can afford or are interested in flying.

That's why I started subscribing to the Atlantic. Not an aviation
mag, but very good writers, including the son of Wolfgang
Langewiesche. After a bit you get accustomed to people who know how
to use English, and at that point Lane Wallace and the others read
worse and worse.

[Javier Henderson]

"Jim" > writes:

> When was the last time that you read an honest article on
> flight training in Flying other than full motion sim training for the latest
> and greatest biz jet?

Every month, Richard Collins has a critique article, about 2 pages long,
on someone's flying habits.

Also, Collins recently had an article about personal minimums.

Actually, quite often, now that I think about it.

-jav

[G.R. Patterson III]

Bob Fry wrote:
>
> That's why I started subscribing to the Atlantic. Not an aviation
> mag, but very good writers, including the son of Wolfgang
> Langewiesche.

with a heritage that includes such authors as Clemens. I just wish the articles
weren't so darn long.

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".

[Javier Henderson]

Thomas Borchert > writes:

> Javier,
>
> > My beef with aviation magazines in general is that every airplane and
> > product featured gets a positive review, no matter what. Flaws are
> > minimized, virtues are extolled to no end.
> >
>
> Try Aviation Consumer.

Yep, I subscribe. I should've mentioned them separately.

-jav

[Javier Henderson]

(Robert M. Gary) writes:

> We really need another Len Morgan.

You said it. I really enjoyed reading his "Vectors" column, and the
occasional articles he wrote.

-jav

[Mary Shafer]

On 9 Apr 2004 06:24:08 -0700, (Dave) wrote:

> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?
> Why does it seem that all I read about are trip reports from Mac and
> Dick Collins that, personally, offer little educational value? Each
> of these guys write serveral articles per issue. Are they that hard
> up for good writers, or do these guys just like to write everything
> themselves? When I open AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, Private Pilot,
> Plane and Pilot, etc. I find a good balance of education, reviews, and
> good tidbits. All I feel I've gained from reading Flying is knowing
> every detail of what's in the Avionics stack of Mac's Barron and
> Dick's Cessna P210.

Before I retired, I read Aviation Safety, Aviation Consumer, LIght
Plane Maintenance, NTSB Reporter, and the usual trade mags (AvWeek,
Flight International, IDR, Jane's Defense Weekly, Defense News, etc)
through the Dryden Research Library distribution, as well as having a
private subscription to Flying and Approach.

Now I only have subscriptions to Flying, NTSB Reporter, AvWeek, and
Approach and I miss Aviation Safety. I miss Flight International too,
but it's really expensive.

Mary

--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer

[VideoGuy]

"Marco Leon" <mleon(at)optonline.net> wrote in message
...
> I like Flying. I get many of the mags out there as most are pretty cheap.
I
> got 3 years of flying for $36; if I only read one article per issue....

Well... 3 for $36 is pretty high in my book when you can get a whole lot of
magazines on eBay for a lot less. Back in December I bought a 3 yr sub to
Flying for $14.50. Don't see that deal today, but how about 2 years for
$8.99?

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll
ViewItem&category=29257&item=4202766217&rd=1>

For other titles simply search eBay for the name (or category) of the
magazine you want and add the word subscription to the search.

No, I'm not a shill for the magazine, or eBAy , or the seller. Just thought
others might benefit from this.

Gary Kasten

[Dan Truesdell]

Robert M. Gary wrote:
> We really need another Len Morgan.
> He wasn't all touchy-feely like Gordon and Wallace but he has the old
> time stores that were great (I bought a book of his collections from
> the mag a while back).

Totally agree. I've subscribed to Flying off and on for more than 25
years. I would always read the accident reports (not to be goulish, but
to learn from them), then straight to Len Morgan. I liked the way he
presented flying from both a historical and personal approach. Lane is
OK, but is no Len Morgan. IMHO, his departure left a big hole in the
magazine. I do find that, almost without exception, the major review
they do each month also shows up in AOPA within a month or 2 (sometimes
the same month). Garrison is good (I'm an engineering geek, so I like
that stuff).

--
Remove "2PLANES" to reply.

[Peter R.]

Dan Luke wrote:

> "SeeAndAvoid" wrote:
> > Never seen IFR, I think that's the one envelope I throw
> > away all the time asking me
> > to subscribe. Any good?
> >
>
> A must-have, IMO. Always has some good, real-world IFR flying articles
> and it has a funny, irreverent tone that keeps things entertaining.

I agree. Every month, I read IFR cover to cover the day it arrives.

--
Peter

[Jay Honeck]

> > Two words: Lane Wallace.
>
> Oh, dude. C'mon. Lane is simply an average-skilled amateur writer
> and a less-skilled pilot. You need to expand your reading and you'll
> know what I mean and what you're missing.

What do you suggest?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Bob Fry]

"Jay Honeck" > writes:

> What do you suggest?

For a periodical, The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/). I
typically read about half of each issue (another thing I recently
figured out: just 'cause I subscribe to magazines doesn't mean I have
to read everything in them!) Look for articles by William
Langewiesche (see if this link works for you:
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/bookauth/ba980630.htm )

For aviation stories, most anything by Ernest K. Gann, of course.
"Flight of Passage" by Rinker Buck. "Stranger to the Ground" by
Richard Bach (though a lot of his stuff is too sappy for me). The
collection of Bax Seat stories put together by Flying rag, or "View
From the Cockpit" by Len Morgan.

As I think about it, I have nothing personally against your Lane
Wallace or the others. But they are not good writers. To believe so
does a disservice to those who are.

[Michael 182]

"Bob Fry" > wrote in message
...
> "Jay Honeck" > writes:
>
> > What do you suggest?
>

Anything written by James Lee Burke, starting with the Robicheaux series

"No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Godwin

"A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smiley

"The Lords of Discipline" and "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

"Mystic River" by David Lehane

"The River Why" by David James Duncan

"A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean

"The Last Convertible" and "Once an Eagle" by Anton Myrer

[Michael 182]

Whoops - hit the send button before I could point out that this list has, of
course, nothing to do with flying or Lane Wallace. Having said that, Lane is
a pretty good writer who occasionally writes a Bax level column. She's also
young. Writing is a learned skill.

Michael



"Michael 182" > wrote in message
news:JaWdc.3514$xn4.16936@attbi_s51...
>
> "Bob Fry" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "Jay Honeck" > writes:
> >
> > > What do you suggest?
> >
>
> Anything written by James Lee Burke, starting with the Robicheaux series
>
> "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Godwin
>
> "A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smiley
>
> "The Lords of Discipline" and "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
>
> "Mystic River" by David Lehane
>
> "The River Why" by David James Duncan
>
> "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean
>
> "The Last Convertible" and "Once an Eagle" by Anton Myrer
>

[Marty]

"Bob Fry" > wrote in message
...
>
> And none of the content worth a damn. Too bad, because the man
> clearly has something to tell us, but he simply doesn't know how. He
> is prolific like an Appalachian hill-billy family is...quantity
> doesn't equal quality.

Go easy on us hill-billies Bob! ;-)

Marty from MO |-)

[Marty]

"Bob Fry" > wrote in message
...
> (Dave) writes:
>
> Here's a post I made about Flying Rag in November 2002.
>
>
> Flying magazine is about worthless anymore. So I get a thick envelope
> from them, open it, and it's a survey complete with a crisp dollar
> bill. Alright, I think, a chance to tell them what's wrong with their
> magazine.
> Now I'm thinking, screw you. Your magazine sucks and the only thing
> you want to know from me is my financial situation?? It's now one
> dollar better, that's for sure. Maybe I'll send the return envelope
> back empty.

Bob,
Years ago at the airport cafe I was bitching about "junk mail". Our rural
carrier was there and piped in "There is no such thing as junk mail!".
He said to remove & destroy your personal info.and bar codes,stuff the PPE
with the remaining material and drop it into the mail box. He called it "Job
security". ;-)
Marty

[Thomas Borchert]

Rosspilot,

> Are you talking about sex appeal?
>

Me? No way!!!

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Thomas Borchert]

Javier,

Then you know negative reviews...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Thomas Borchert]

Bob,

the first book by John Deakin, just out now (see his latest column on
Avweb).

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Thomas Borchert]

Michael,

> Writing is a learned skill.
>

Disagree. Strongly. There's a lot about writing that you can learn. But
there's also a large, probably major, part that you can't.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH), Staff Writer, Stern Magazine, Germany

[Jay Honeck]

> Disagree. Strongly. There's a lot about writing that you can learn. But
> there's also a large, probably major, part that you can't.

Interesting theory. I tend to agree, although I can't quantify my answer.

All I know is this: People who can speak eloquently cannot necessarily
write well -- even though all they would have to do is write down PRECISELY
what they just finished saying.

I once had a boss who was the most eloquent guy in the world. He could
speak on any subject, thoughtfully, for hours -- and the words just
naturally came out with proper sentence structure. His thoughts were
clearly organized into logical, progressive paragraphs.

Yet, in writing, he was a blathering idiot -- virtually illiterate. I still
get one-sentence emails from him, with misspelled words and no structure at
all. He simply can't translate his thoughts into writing.

This has always been a mystery to me -- it's like their internal tape
recorder is broken?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[VideoGuy]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:4lbec.13939$rg5.37923@attbi_s52...
> All I know is this: People who can speak eloquently cannot necessarily
> write well -- even though all they would have to do is write down
PRECISELY
> what they just finished saying.
>
> I once had a boss who was the most eloquent guy in the world. He could
> speak on any subject, thoughtfully, for hours -- and the words just
> naturally came out with proper sentence structure. His thoughts were
> clearly organized into logical, progressive paragraphs.
>
> Yet, in writing, he was a blathering idiot -- virtually illiterate. I
still
> get one-sentence emails from him, with misspelled words and no structure
at
> all. He simply can't translate his thoughts into writing.
>


Back in my college days, while studying to be a teacher, (NO- all the
dinosaurs were gone by then) one of my techniques of teaching professors, Dr
Bethard, addressed this phenomenon. He believed it has something to do with
the difference in pace between speaking and writing.

Many of us can understand why it possible to write well but speak with less
eloquence. Obviously, one can reread and edit the written, whereas the
words are there NOW!

Dr. Bethard felt that the reason writing was difficult for some "well
spoken" folks was they couldn't get their thoughts "on paper" fast enough,
and the continuity was lost.

Seems to me the Doc has a pretty good theory there.

Gary - who ALWAYS needs editing - Kasten

[Dylan Smith]

In article >, Dave wrote:
> Is it me, or has Flying become among the worst GA magazines to read?

I gave up with 'Flying' years ago. It seemed if you weren't burning
kerosene, or at least turbocharged, you weren't worth a bucket of warm
spit.

The other thing about 'Flying' was each year of the magazine was more or
less identical with the words just ordered a bit differently.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

[Dylan Smith]

In article >, Javier Henderson wrote:
> Same here. I remember one of the first Flying issues I read had a
> review of the MD11. Obviously, an airplane I will never fly as PIC,
> and yet it was interesting to read. Same with the slew of Citations,
> Lears, King Airs, and what have you that get reviewed.

The trouble with 'Flying' is that's pretty much all it is, that and
rehashed articles.

The mag that gets it really right I think is the British magazine,
"Pilot". It has stuff about bizjets. But it also has stuff about
microlights, helicopters, gyroplanes, normal light aircraft, vintage
aircraft, safety stuff and some very good trip reports by people flying
normal GA singles on real proper go-places trips all over the world.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

[Dylan Smith]

In article >, Bob Fry wrote:
> made, and thus little new blood. We've all noticed the nearly 100%
> old farts at airports and fly-ins; few young people, with their energy
> and creativity, can afford or are interested in flying.

Few people are interested in flying, period. There are as many young
people who are as old people - but as you point out, they don't have the
money. I didn't have the money until I was 25, and 6 years later, I
still find myself in about the youngest 10%, because most others my age
have done silly things like get married and have children!

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

[vincent p. norris]

>Gary - who ALWAYS needs editing - Kasten

You're not alone.
Hemingway said,"Every writer needs a good crap detector."
That's what an editor's for.

vince norris