PFA/LAA Magazines

[David Shrimpton]

PFA/LAA magazines January 1981 - to date complete. Collection only.

David Shrimpton , North Somerset.

[Ian Melville]

Thanks for the offer David,
I think I have all editions from 1975, I say think. Until I get them all together I will not be 100% Sure. I will get back to you on that.

[Ian Melville]

Hi Richard,

If you are still short of a few mags I`ll venture into the loft.
Have most from 1972 on.

Best,
John Jennings (G-BDFB, G-AFNI)

Sorry John, I missed your message. Brian will be interested in your earlier editions.

Cheers
Ian

[Brian Hope]

Hi John, yes we would like the 1972 and 73 magazines. We need to get them to Turweston and as it is only 12 mags it wouldn't be too expensive to post them. If you are happy to let us have them please drop me an email at [email protected] and we'll organise something.

I checked the search facility on the magazines we have already scanned and it works very well, highlighting a search word throughout an individual magazine. Unfortunately to search the entire 42 years' worth of mags currently scanned in one search, it would have to be a massive single file and that isn't practical, a single mag is getting on for 20Mb. Maybe we could have low res batches of ten years or something to enable a period search rather than have to open each mag, we'll have to seek advice on what is possible.
I think we will be having it as a freely available resource in the membership section; we just need to get hold of the early magazines. The first actual association magazine was published from the beginning of 1957 (and it was only bi-monthly until about ten years ago), prior to that there were newsletters. We do not have an archive of newsletters at Turweston, but I believe there are some around so if we can scan them as well we will.

[Richard Mole]

Hi Brian, that sounds a good plan. Do you remember that there was a Technical tips' supplement that ran for a while? Perhaps these could be collected together, as each was very short, and included as an extra?

Anyway, the magazine archive will be very useful and much appreciated by members.

[Ian Melville]

Hi Brian,
You are right that searching that way would not work, and it's not the way normally done. For example Windows can search folders and subfolders containing a text phrase. Adobe reader can do the same (edit>Advanced Search). Both of these are fine if all the folders and files are on a single PC. The magic bit will be doing this on a website. I am not a website developer so cannot advise on the how. It can be done as it is used by document management systems like SharePoint, and Documentum. Wonder how much it would cost to add SharePoint software to a server?

Cheers
Ian

[Ian Law]

I've lost track of which mags are needed but for the record I have the following that may be available for copying and return to me ( p&p at my expense if necessary):

Sept/Oct 1966
Jul/Aug 1967
May/June 1968
Jul/Aug 1968
Sep/Oct 1968
Jan/Feb 1969
Sep/Oct 1969
Nov/Dec 1969
Jul/Aug 1971
Sep/Oct 1971
Nov/Dec 1971
Jan/Feb 1972Mar/Apl 1972
May/June 1972
Jul/Aug 1972
Sep/Oct 1972
Nov/Dec 1972
Sywell 1972 review

I have other later mags, but haven't had time to dig these out of the basement
and assume more recent issues will be more readily available anyway.

Ian

[Ian Melville]

Since Brian has not responded.

These are years that both of us are interested in collecting, the problem is that it is very time consuming to scan magazines without dismembering them. It can be done though. As you wish them to be returned, that would rule out loan to Brian or myself for now. If you were willing to have them returned, but neatly cut along the spine into individual pages (I will supply plastic sleeves to keep each copy together,) then we could come to some agreement?

The team Brian is using may be able to use the scans I create for the LAA archive.

Thanks for the offer
Ian

[Ian Law]

Hello Ian,

That would be fine - as long as I could have them back - and I'll arrange to forward them on if you let me know where to send them. Turweston, perhaps?

Ian

[JJennings]

Hi Brian/Ian,

It would seem that Ian Law has all the mags that I have and those going back further.

I was fortunate in learning to fly at Fairoaks, where I picked up a PFA mag late 1972 (just after my first solo).
In it was an ad for Tipsy Nipper plans, also the address of the PFA was in Horsell (just up the road).
I promptly cycled down to the home of Frank Parker (not knowing of his recent loss). - the PFA office was a room in his house .
He was very kind, talking me out of the Nipper and steering me toward a Taylor Monoplane, which I started to build in a bedroom of my parents council house. Life got in the way and the Mono was never completed.

I do occasionally read through the early mags and think members would enjoy being able to as well.
Good luck with the digital work and do try me again if you are still short of a "1972 on" copy.

Best

J.J.

[Ian Melville]

Thanks John, I will be in touch if I need any.

Ian L, thanks for being so flexible. It is rather a lot to post though. I am in Sidmouth usually every second weekends, so could possibly collect? Alternatively I am Enstone based, but dropping off at Turweston is also a possibility.

Cheers
Ian

[Ian Law]

Hello Ian,

That sounds like a solution - if you don't mind the extra travelling from Sidmouth. Let me know when you are likely to be able to call and I'll make sure I'm here to hand them over. (If not, I could parcel them up securely and leave them somewhere for you to pick up, if we have to go out on the day. We could perhaps "PM" the arrangements?)

Ian

[Mike Freeman]

It was actually Mike Freeman that I was asking if he still wanted the magazines.

I am happy to wait for access to the scanned versions. I have too many books and magazines as it is.

[Ian Melville]

I know the feeling Mike. It was my reason for the scanning of just about everything paper. Makes it a lot easier to find things. With a pile of magazines going back yonks you really have no idea of what you have.

[Peter Gorman]

Just now suffering from back strain, from putting another heavy box of past PFA/LAA magazines in my attic.

Then I came across this thread, if we can have a searchable archive of the magazines' content I would have no reason to keep paper copies. That will be just as well, my attic is full of stuff that might be useful some day (i.e. unlikely to be useful ever).

So may I take this opportunity to encourage Brian & co to complete the very useful project mentioned above.