Light Aviation magazine letters page

[cbfkoh]

Can anybody tell me why the LAA magazine doesn't bother with a letters page any more ? It is surely a good place for member's views to be aired. The BMAA mag recently had seven pages of letters from members.

[ColinC]

Hi,

Probably due to a lack of letters?

Our editor Brian Hope is usually happy to recieve material for the magazine. Drop him a line if you have something to say and I'm sure he'll respond.

Colin

[Brian Hope]

I'm happy to respond on here Colin and you are right, it's a lack of letters that is the problem. It always surprises me that the BMAA mag has such a lot of letters; though I can't see Light Aviation extending to more than a maximum of a couple of pages, I would be happy to receive more letters for consideration for publication.
There are some who believe that if they write a letter I am duty bound to publish it but my view is that it has to be relevant and interesting, and hopefully stimulate some reaction from other members. By all means drop me a line, preferably by email, and provided I get some interesting topics coming in we'll get LETTERS back up and running.
Best rgds, Brian

[cbfkoh]

I’m sorry, Brian, but I can’t agree with your reasoning. I also can’t believe that for the last six months there haven’t been any letters, relevant, interesting or stimulating, from members. In that case we must be a quite different breed from BMAA members (of which I am one). There was recently a letters campaign in the BMAA magazine to relax the rule regarding check pilots doing the annual permit test. It wasn’t fully supported by management, but after due consideration the rule was relaxed to allow owners to do their own check flights. An excellent demonstration of people power, which apparently LAA management would like to avoid. The LAA and its management is supported financially by its members, as has been pointed out, and as such should take pains to publicise their views, whether or not they agree with them. The editor’s job, amongst others, should be to air those views, whether or not he thinks them interesting, relevant, etc., etc. I have sent two emails regarding the 450/500kgs change in permit fees both of which have been ignored. And of course a letters page itself promotes letters, seven pages in the BMAA magazine proves that point. Stuff like Sun’n Fun is well covered in Pilot and Flyer. Light aviation magazine should be for the members, and their views and opinions, as well as the other content. I think if you included a blank letters page with the comment that you haven’t received any ‘interesting’ letters the response may astonish you. If you don’t have a letters page members obviously will be reluctant to bother sending any.

[Nick Allen]

Letters are fine. But to be honest the last thing I would like to see in the LAA mag is seven pages of them. If we want debate, we have this forum*; we can save the trees for something else.

So why not post your letters here, and let's have a discussion about it...?

(*Though it's a shame this forum is not more active. It never seems to have recovered from the Great Forum Migration a few years back. Maybe we need a few active discussions, heated or otherwise, to reinvigorate it.)

[Brian Hope]

I'm sorry Cedric but I do not receive many letters - that is not an excuse for back-door censorship, it is a fact. I'm sorry you seem to believe I lack the integrity to be honest about the situation.
I agree wholeheartedly that a letters page is a useful way for the members to interact and air their views but these days, forums have taken over a large part of the communication role and many would rather tell the world rather than drop an email to a single point recipient who might actually be able to provide an often more accurate response.
When I do get enough letters to have a LETTERS page I do have one, as in the March issue, and as a general rule if I do get a letter that I choose not to publish I either answer it myself or pass on to somebody else with more involvement in the topic. Like you, I wish letters from members were more forthcoming and LETTERS could be a regular feature (certainly not 7 pages though). And like you I agree that the magazine is a members' magazine that should not censor members who have a bone of contention.
You did indeed send me a letter about the rise in the permit fee, and if it had been an issue that anybody else thought unreasonable I'm sure they would have written to me too, but they didn't. That is, I hope, because the reasoning for the changes in charges was explained in the magazine. I cannot remember now whether I replied personally or passed your letter on but if you did not receive a response then I apologise. I'm happy to explain why the change were made and why they were not, certainly in my view, unreasonable.
Rgds, Brian.

[cbfkoh]

Thanks Brian, and I'm certainly not doubting your integrity, but I am surprised that we don't get the number of letters that BMAA appear to receive. I take the point about the forum, but in my view the forum is not the same as a letters page. Anonymity could be one one reason. Just noticed I am anonymous....sorry, my name is Cedric Flood. In my experience forums, blogs, whatever, contain a lot of rubbish which wouldn't be tolerated on a letters page. I'm afraid because of that, I rarely bother with them. Believe it or not, there are quite a few older pilots who prefer the older methods of communication. However, having made my views clear, I rest my case. I will now try to compose a letter which is interesting, stimulating and capable of promoting discussion for the letters page.

[mikehallam]

Brian,
I agree with Cedric,
I wrote to you by e-mail after the first of the articles this Spring on the newer 'wonderful' a/c types coming up.
Essentially I was asking why, when praising their speeds and so on that the author neglected to even mention that they were not actually any better performing than many much older types.

e.g. the 2 & 2+2 seat Jodels.

It goes without saying that aerodynamics has remained unchanged since Adam was a boy, so a decent wing and light build is hard to beat in any age. Agreed ease of kits building has progressed, but never the less my apposite remarks never saw the light of day, nor did the second article reflect that request for fair comment.

mike hallam

[Chris Martyr]

Another recent and quite interesting topic is the PCS related post initiated on here by Steve Arnold. It is indeed something that I feel should be brought to a wider audience for discussion.
Whilst I understand that our incredible organisation has 8,000ish members , it has to be acknowledged that only a tiny fraction of them come on here and is probably the reason why the adjacent posting has ground to something of a halt.
Hopefully , Brian will be receiving one or two items of correspondence over this. One of the classic car magazines that I read does actually put deserving posts from their forum into the letters page from time to time. Could that possibly be an option ?

[Brian Hope]

Hi Chris, unfortunately, the world being what it is today, I have to be careful of publishing anything that I have not specifically received for consideration for the magazine.
If anybody who does comment on the forum is happy for their content to be considered for the mag then by all means send me an email confirming that as well as posting.
Rgds, Brian

[P5151]

HI Chis

I will be wring something for the mag and have emailed Brian to ask him to publish it.