Sport Pilot, Your views

[-Rod-]

A positive function of the Rec Flying Forum are the down to earth views that are given.

 

Sometime the advice is on the harsh side, the anonymous nature of posts can be a problem, however most contributors are fair and frank. The RAAus Board is continuously looking at its various business functions and Sport Pilot magazine is no different.

 

Current REC/Forum views on Sport Pilot Magazine and the future direction it should take would be appreciated - to be forwarded to the RAAus Board.

 

Rod Birrell

 

 

[Ayecapt]

I think i made comment in the early days of this thread. Well nothing has changed. I have tried to read the mag on line , but its just hopeless. And you know I worry a bit that I actually might be missing out on something usefull. I also feel very disconnected from RAus . A feeling I never had when the printed copy was included in our fee. Is this all bad? Perhaps not . But if I was on the board I would be concerned that the main mode of communication is failing to get its message out to the whole membership. And you know how the mag is distributed is not a easy thing to sort out. Perhaps the mag needs to go and be replaced by a simpler less glossy information sheet.

 

The role of raaus has always puzzled me. Is it our administrator , rule maker and enforcement body . Or is it our club? I think it tries to be both and that can make it difficult . Just food for thought. ....Drifting from the topic again

 

 

[Blueadventures]

I think i made comment in the early days of this thread. Well nothing has changed. I have tried to read the mag on line , but its just hopeless. And you know I worry a bit that I actually might be missing out on something usefull. I also feel very disconnected from RAus . A feeling I never had when the printed copy was included in our fee. Is this all bad? Perhaps not . But if I was on the board I would be concerned that the main mode of communication is failing to get its message out to the whole membership. And you know how the mag is distributed is not a easy thing to sort out. Perhaps the mag needs to go and be replaced by a simpler less glossy information sheet.The role of raaus has always puzzled me. Is it our administrator , rule maker and enforcement body . Or is it our club? I think it tries to be both and that can make it difficult . Just food for thought. ....Drifting from the topic again

I copy the issues onto a memory stick and read on my tablet (Samsung mini - use can buy an adaptor for USB female to mini USB male) Also subscribed to Kit Planes and do the same so have a good collection of reading.) Re hard to read try viewing on some different PC 's as the software program can some times upset the screen orintation.

 

 

[robinsm]

Sport pilot went west when the magazine was sub contracted out and recreational pilots lost control of it. The magazine seems to concentrate on the high end money spenders of the sport with only token acknowledgement of the actual "Ultralight" members. Don't bother with it any more since the classified ads have disappeared to commercial interests, members post have become few and far between. It seems to be a vehicle for the aggrandisement of the current RAA Aus management and as such is not really worth while any more. The removal of the the free magazine was a blatant money grab by the organisation at the expense of the members. If the costs had been maintained and not blown out with perks, salaries etc then the organisation would have retained its friendly family atmosphere but, hey, maybe that's progress, money as opposed to people count...

 

 

[Downunder]

There was no membership drop in price when the magazine became a paid subscription.

 

Previously we were told something like $80 of our membership fees went to the " free" magazine.

 

I think that was rather rude and arrogant.

 

I would have been happy to "split the difference" with the RAA take a $40 drop in membership fees with a paid mag subscription.

 

Whats worse, is that membership fees and rego continues to climb.....This has all left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

 

My view of the current Sport Pilot..... I don't read it.....I definately don't subscribe to it......(unfortunately) I just don't care.

 

 

[Cosmick]

When the Mag arrived it was carried to its place of perusal 'the Toilet' where it was scanned 30+ times over the month. Hardly a dotted i missed scrutiny. I don't read the Mag anymore online or otherwise. Any information included in the publication from RAA just doesn't reach me.

 

 

[facthunter]

So you used to have an intelligent constipation that you now miss? Nev

 

 

[The Baron]

Sport pilot went west when the magazine was sub contracted out and recreational pilots lost control of it. The magazine seems to concentrate on the high end money spenders of the sport with only token acknowledgement of the actual "Ultralight" members. Don't bother with it any more since the classified ads have disappeared to commercial interests, members post have become few and far between. It seems to be a vehicle for the aggrandisement of the current RAA Aus management and as such is not really worth while any more. The removal of the the free magazine was a blatant money grab by the organisation at the expense of the members. If the costs had been maintained and not blown out with perks, salaries etc then the organisation would have retained its friendly family atmosphere but, hey, maybe that's progress, money as opposed to people count...

I agree 100% robinsm

 

 

[Admin]

Personally I don't even bother downloading it, reading it etc any more. I use to read it cover to cover and in fact advertise in it but like Robinsm says the removal of it was just a money grab from the members and which now we don't even have members. The words recreational, members, association have left the building and we are left with a pack of business, money, over managed entity that was once a friendly instituition. I have left RAAus and its magazine a long way behind now, I have lost all passion for it and the management of it, they no longer exist to me and all I focus on now are the friends and colleagues that llke me enjoy the activities of recreational flying. However, like wverything, I just can't wait for the RAAus to come full circle again and it comes back to the people, great friendships, great fun and enjoyable reading as just a recreatiomal activity that we enjoy doing and having fun.

 

@-Rod- the point I am making here is that even if the mag was resurrected I and possible many others would not value it as much as it once was...the damage has been done...could be worth thinking about on this subject

[skippydiesel]

Agreed ! even the in depth extended perusal in the Throne Room.

 

Rarely a cutting edge magazine, but a conduit to the comings & goings in RAA .

 

 

[jetjr]

The concept that the magazine was ever free is laughable. Who do people think was paying for it. The idea of splitting the price .......with who.

 

If you want more about older types, submit something.

 

The old magazine was in a downward spin. Shedding from the office a costly time consuming job is sensible

 

You do realise the classifieds are back?

 

Its still costing RAA -you- heaps for the paper copy even though few get it

 

Logic says it should be stopped altogether and the RAA would actually no longer be running deficit.

 

Wont be long and you will pay for all paper transactions and publications even from banks or suppliers.

 

Id recommend finding a solution to downloading and reading stuff from the web.

 

 

[facthunter]

Leaving them in clubrooms etc ,gets the word around. Printed copies are a good reference and they should have a index's. I have a lot of files but I print off stuff I work with sometimes with plastic to make it last longer in a workshop situation. Nev

 

 

[terryc]

It's time for it to go. I'm sick of paying for something I don't get. This whole magazine thing was a balls up right from the start. Get rid of it and give me my money back.

 

 

[Hargraves]

The deliberate move by the raa board regarding the fee increase by stealth via not supplying what was supplied re sport pilot, is I think indicative of the direction the organization is being led, after all who needs an ultralight magazine when theirs plenty of GA and light sport ones more suitable to their intended direction.

 

 

[waraton]

I recently signed up for a 2 year Sport Pilot subscription which cost me $129. Thanks to RAA this year I saved $500 on my insurance which offset the cost of aircraft rego, my licence and the subscription.The hard copy is much better than the online version because it hangs up in the dunny much easier than the laptop. The classifieds are back and if some of the "tell us about your last flight" and other fantastic stories that our group contribute here were shared with Sport Pilot it would be universally in demand and reflect more of what is happening out here, there and everywhere.We could all help with that for the benefit of each other...couldn't we?

 

 

[poteroo]

Publication Frequency. Monthly publication is way too frequent for our organisation. Other pilot groups have pruned back their frequency to bi-monthly, and I believe that is more than adequate.

 

Pilot Competency articles should have more prominence. At risk of incurring the wrath of RAAus Ops - they should be producing more content for our qualified pilots. Maybe the 180+ CFI's in RAAus could be co-opted to produce sound content in conjunction with RAAus Ops? I'd be more than willing to contribute.

 

Travel articles by pilots are needed, but are often a 'skim' job: RAAus members would be much better informed by these articles if more details on flight planning, weather forecasts vs actual, aircraft performance data, eg power settings,fuel burns, oil burn were included.

 

Fair Comment articles by members with a strong opinion on current affairs, or on organisation policy, should be encouraged - not disparaged.

 

Airshow and Fly-in articles should be retained - and only the best pics used, with a bit more detail in the captioning.

 

Safety? Frankly - I'm over all the preaching stories purporting to inform us on how we can be safer. A good safety culture begins in the flight school and this is where RAAus needs to focus. Train the trainers. It's too late when pilots are out 'home alone' and have already developed 'attitude' towards safety.

 

Board matters? I for one would like to read a little more of what matters to members.

 

Paper or digital? The paper copy survives on and on. It's the best advertising that RAAus can have and if it was really distributed far and wide by members - would increase both flying and RAAus awareness. Sure, a good website is necessary: perhaps the current copy of the magazine can be located on there for non-members to read...at least a few pages of anyway?

 

happy days,

 

 

[jetjr]

Paper copy is a godd thing but is it worth the money, like hundred K or more, on top of the subs imcome

 

At some point a value has to be placed on advertising value it brings for RAA

 

That money is one of the biggest costs RAA -us- has

 

 

[robinsm]

The concept that the magazine was ever free is laughable. Who do people think was paying for it. The idea of splitting the price .......with who.If you want more about older types, submit something.

The old magazine was in a downward spin. Shedding from the office a costly time consuming job is sensible

 

You do realise the classifieds are back?

 

Its still costing RAA -you- heaps for the paper copy even though few get it

 

Logic says it should be stopped altogether and the RAA would actually no longer be running deficit.

 

Wont be long and you will pay for all paper transactions and publications even from banks or suppliers.

 

Id recommend finding a solution to downloading and reading stuff from the web.

Sorry Jetr, sent items and stories over the years after it was subcontracted out, nothing got published, looks like the advertising won and the manufacturers endorsements beat a rag and tube interstate flight with photos etc any day. Maybe it is time for the self interest back patting mag to go.

 

 

[robinsm]

Paper copy is a godd thing but is it worth the money, like hundred K or more, on top of the subs imcomeAt some point a value has to be placed on advertising value it brings for RAA

That money is one of the biggest costs RAA -us- has

Remember the subs income actually paid for the organisation AND A MAGAZINE, before some bright spark had a brain wave and decided they knew better. The organisation was founded to be about Recreational aviation, not empire building, I realise that times and issues change but a what cost. The organisation seem to be supporting all sorts of semi GA activities now that are not within the purview of the basic owner built rag and tube flyer who just wants to get into the air and fly. Not battle 747's, passenger planes or other commercial flyers in our major cities. CASA runs GA, not Raa Aus. If they want to do that, go and form another organisation and leave the weekend flyer alone. Maybe someone can explain how the organisation used to survive with members and a paper magazine? Progress is not necessarily good for the sake of progress alone.

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

I like the magazine, and the articles I like best are those which are technical and relate to amateur maintenance and construction.

 

The ones I like least are the advert type ones which try to tell you that a certain job ( like painting your plane) is beyond an amateur and how we should choose the right professional to do it for us.

 

 

[jetjr]

So.... subs went up, get over it. Still one of the cheapest "clubs" to be a member of and aircraft owners get a lot of benefits and privaledges.

 

Nothing stoppong older rag n tube doing what they always did YET less and less doing it. RAA are catering to the bulk of the members even if some dont like that.

 

Without the other end of the market Id suggest RAA would be long gone. They in fact sponsor the running of the organisation and efforts made to keep legacy types flying with equal rights as a new aircraft.

 

Regulations dont stop evoling and getting harder, even standing still takes effort and growth.

 

Have to get over the drempt up internal competition learn to pull together or CASA will succeed in seeing all other than RPT grounded.

 

 

[Stearman]

A positive function of the Rec Flying Forum are the down to earth views that are given.Sometime the advice is on the harsh side, the anonymous nature of posts can be a problem, however most contributors are fair and frank. The RAAus Board is continuously looking at its various business functions

 

Rod Birrell

Rod if you are looking for feedback on more than just Sport Pilot please see the thread "Safety & Training - RAAus are you listening?" in the General Discussion section of this forum.

 

 

[garymc7]

I'm glad someone is asking about Sport Pilot. I have to say I find the Issuu not a great digital platform at all. It has a lot of stuff I have no interest in. When I open it I just see all this junk that I feel is being pushed at me. I should see Sport Pilot there but I have to type the name in to find it. Then it just doesn't seem to have taken advantage of the digital features I want, such as a clickable contents page or even a search bar. I have to flick through every page just like a printed mag, yet I have all this extra unwanted stuff. Sadly I rarely read Sport Pilot anymore. I'm not digitally illiterate. I have a computer science degree and too many i devices but Issuu just gets in the way. If I'm doing it wrong please tell me.

 

 

[jetjr]

Have to agree Issuu isnt the best format and seems to give too much trouble on poor connections

 

 

[kgwilson]

I subscribed to the paper copy because I can pick it up & read something at any time without having to boot it up or log on & skimming through pages is eminently faster & easier than on line. Those who complain that it should be included in the subs seem to have forgotten that the mag was one of the issues that almost sent RA-Aus to the wall until it was separated. Ra-Aus has trimmed down & all costs are increasing. Try & get 3rd party insurance for $200.00 a year on your own. Our organisation is far more professional than it was in the "good old days" and continuing with this, the likelihood of gaining more control from CASA is much higher. It has to be if we are to continue and I agree with jetjr. Get over it & move on.