LAA Magazine Letters page

[Nigel Hitchman]

I was amused to read the two letters in the latest magazine and Brian's comments.
I have to say I agree 100% with Ray Delves regarding the photos in the magazine, particularly the tilted horizons and double page pictures with the aircraft in one corner!
And wouldnt it have been better to have had more Rally coverage (not done due to lack of space) rather than all those similar, not that great, air to air pictures of the Sting in the previous magazine.

But I totally disagree with what John Cantrell was saying particularly that letters arent published because they are critical and HQ wont take any criticism. Agree with what Brian says about this.
I think the main reason letters are so few is that people use the bulletin board or send emails to the relevant person, rather than writing a letter to the magazine. If there were enough interesting letters, I would like to see a letters page, but it seems there are very few, I think a letters page has been tried several times in recent years and faded away.

Although John is right about the cost of some of the aircraft we feature, these are the aircraft that people are building or interested in. But I dont think there is too much emphasis on them and I think Brian does a good job trying to spread the articles around all of the different available LAA types. Looking at the cover photos on the last year's magazines, there are several aircraft at the budget end of the spectrum including X'air Hawk, Rans S-7 and Auster. The magazine also tries to cover the SSDR end of the market, with a lot of coverage of the excellent Luciole and Fokker Eindecker and others.
In Project News when I did it, I published everything I got, it just happened that most were perhaps at the upper end of the spectrum, but I was always very happy to get an article on a Luton Minor, Taylor Monoplane or Turbulent etc. Adrian has given us two great artciles on surviving Evans Volksplanes since taking over, you cant get more budget than that!

Keep up the good work Brian!

[Steve Brown]

On the second point I agree. I couldn't quite understand what was the issue being complained about.

If people have the money but are time poor, I'm glad the LAA caters for them. Often these are via expensive high tech efficient airframes /glass cockpit kits that further extend the homebuilt fleet with highly sophisticated aircraft that can easily fly round the world or on very long trips, efficiently and reliably.

This improves the image of homebuilding considerably too when the general public & friends see our aircraft are not ancient or fragile basket cases.

Dare I say that some of the richer permit operators are more influential and may have more potential clout to help further the aims of the LAA & its members.

However there is nothing to stop the time rich & money poor from building or restoring a cheap plans built aircraft (and these can still be excellent value for money) and the LAA caters for these admirably still.

As far as I can see they are not mutually exclusive and no-one is losing out - isn't it more win-win?

[mikehallam]

I too think the LAA magazine is streets better than ever & very few typo's. - [Probably ubiquitous spell check to blame for that anyway !]

Brian certainly doesn't come across as a 'Yes man' or pawn of the Committee & the magazine fairly reflects the amount & quality of feed-stock that can be obtained. I'm sure there's plenty enough to do without actually writing all the articles.

Nowadays people generally don't write letters much, otherwise they'd have more exposure; & changes in format at least makes us sit up & notice.

The spread of light aviation presented is interestingly broad, giving me an insight into areas outside my own narrow field of vision.

[Nigel Ramsay]

They say that Brian has NO! tattooed on one cheek and NON! on the other No way is he a 'Yes Man'!

[Chris Martyr]

I feel I have just been dragged into the 1990s, after having been rather scathing to Editor Brian about chat rooms. I thought they were where schoolgirls got preyed on by filthy old men pretending to be Brad Pitt. Until now I have been a 'Chatroom Virgin', but I'm pleasantly surprised at how civilised this is! Although I do hope that 'Letters' doesn't become replaced by Net Forums , because if that's the case, they may as well replace John Beeswax's,John Brady's,Adrian Bleese's,,,and everything else in LA with a big internet forum.
In my 19 years of membership ,I always recall the letters column as being rather well subscribed to ,and the only time that it didn't appear was around the time of the PFA name change [why was that I wonder ?].
Anyway,,this chatroom business, it's rather good isn't it ! But let's also keep our letters page, I'm sure it's not only LAAers that pick up the mag.

[Ian Melville]

Hi Chris, welcome to the world of forum. (or chat rooms). You will quickly find out that there are some forums that are all about trading insults. and those where nothing happens. It's all down to the moderator who polices the forum.
I see no reason why the letters page should stay if that is what the members want. There is also no reason why emails sent to the LAA, or Editor should not appear on the letters page. With the approval of the sender of course. Likewise some magazines use selected comments from forums in the magazine, so the get a wider viewing. eg a public thanks

Brad Pitt

[Bill Scott]

Brad Pitt ! No he isn't, I'm Brad Pitt (no relation to Sparticus)

On a serious note, I think our magazine is an excellent publication, but would be improved by linking it to forum content. That may even generate more life in this ether region. Keep up the good work Mr Editor.

[josher]

I've written a response to the letter in December LA which has missed the Jan issue but I hope Brian will publish in the Feb issue = he tells me its too long but we'll see. I don't belive that this BB is any substitute for a letters page in the mag any time soon- how many subscribers here vs members receiving the mag? I do like the idea of publishing postings from the BB in the magazine but also beleive that there should be positive encouragement of letters/opinion pieces in the magazine which remains the primary communication channel to and between members

[Chris Martyr]

Malclom Rogan is quite right in what he says. HangarChat is a great facility to have, and the idea of posting relevant, well-worded contributions also in 'Letters' is a good idea if Editor Brian is indeed so short of material, but the suggestion that this type of forum could take the place of the letters column completely is a bit of a slippery slope isn't it ? Otherwise we may as well ditch the classifieds as well and have them just on the website , and Malcolm McBrides column , and John Beeswax' column,,,,,,,,where do we stop here ? Also ,the figures don't stack up . Out of 8,300 members, less than 40% use this facility , a small nucleus on a very very regular basis, but for many either the odd posting or not at all. Those naughty boys Cantrell and Delves, do they know what they've started !