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Thread: Doe Mac McClellan Write For EAA?

  1. #1

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    Doe Mac McClellan Write For EAA?

    There appears to be a bunch of grumbling out in the blogosphere about the EAA Sport Aviation articles that appear under J Mac McClellan's byline. I would sum it up as no one can figure out which EAA constituency is his target audience and why are these articles in the EAA magazine instead of say Business And Commercial Aviation.

    Are the articles aimed at the Warbird guys? Nope.
    Are the articles aimed at the Antique Classic guys? Nope.
    Are the articles aimed at the Aerobatic guys? Nope.
    Are the articles aimed at the Ultralight guys? Nope.

    I read posts where folks are wondering which homebuilt airplanes have stick shakers in them. And who is flying their RV in ice?

    Mr MacClellan is clearly very knowledgeable, and likely brings a LOT of knowledge on how to successfully publish a magazine to EAA. But there seems to be a lot of "Why is he here?" discussion going on out there.

    Can we get Mr M out of his Baron and into a Pietenpol?

    Thanks for thinking,

    Wes

  2. #2
    Larry Lyons's Avatar
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    Sorry Mac but I couldn't agree more. I know Paul's mind was to include everyone, and I agree to a point. Having been a member since the 60's I am considered old foggy I know, but I have been seeing more and more of the negative posts about Mac's column and I wonder why is he writing stuff I can get in Flying or several other mags. I am a member of EAA just because the kind of flying I like is not the everyday kind, but more off the wall and more grass roots type then cooperate. Stick shakers? The only stick shaker I have ever encountered was buffeting just before the stall and caused by the aircraft design, not a $250,000 200lb device that you will probably never see in our GA types unless there is a quantum leap in technology. Again sorry, but I don't think Mac and Sport Aviation are a good mix. L
    No matter how far you push the envelope; its still stationary!

  3. #3

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    He's certainly very hit or miss on writing for his target audience.

    I'd love to sit down and chew the fat about flying with him - I'm pretty sure that even though we come at aviation very differently we'd find a lot of common ground. I'm also putting two dollars down that he doesn't actually have horns and a tail.

    However, he's clearly a commercial aviation techie type - there isn't a gizmo to prevent a pilot from piloting an aircraft he doesn't like. He's more into managing systems from the articles and comments he's followed up on.

    He once posited to me in comments that a computer could land a Champ in 15 kt crosswinds with 5 kts gusting on top of it better than I could, or more generally, better than any human pilot could. He cited that military UAV's do it - forgetting the wingspan is double that of a Champ and they are very selective on where and when they land them.

    And the windowless cockpit? Grand idea. Let's all just look at screens and adjust the autopilots. If we even do that. Just push a button that says "Fly" once one gets into the aircraft and watch the monitors with hands in the lap until it goes "bing" to let us know the aircraft has taxied to the FBO.

    I sometimes wonder if Mac even enjoys flying - he seems to advocate for things that separate the pilot from the aircraft as if it's a dirty thing to work stick and rudder while looking beyond the panel.

    One of the indicators of his viewpoint was the article on Aviators versus Pilots. His point that professional curiosity should lead a pilot to learn more than just the basics, such as weather (for example), got a bit drowned out by poo-pooing the standard six pack panel stick and rudder guy as an ignorant rube. Knowing weather to the level of a meteorology Ph.D. is great - but more often it's the pedestrian, plebian pilot stuff that puts us in the obituaries. All the gizmoes in the world won't bring sound judgement to the aviator; understanding the nuances of ADS-B as it relates to air traffic control won't save the poor runway light at the edge of the taxiway due to poor skills in ground handling.

    However, when he's on point in areas that actually pertain to us, he's excellent as a writer - and his different aviation viewpoint pays big dividends. If anyone is going to point out when we're wearing no clothes, it's Mac - and when he does, he does so gently and in an intelligent manner.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  4. #4
    miemsed's Avatar
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    I am 55 years old been an EAA member since 2003. I fly a 1973 piper challenger. I love the magazine and love all the articles. I love reading about all things aviation even though I do not participate in all of them. I hope he keeps up exactly what he is doing.

    I have been reading things like this from long time EAA members since I joined that EAA should be just about this or that. EAA has changed over the years and most members do not participate in the forums so you do not hear that they are happy with the EAA direction. In fact a few of my friends do not participate here because they no longer want to read about EAA should be just about homebuilts etc.

    Sport Aviation Mag is great and in my opinion should continue what it is doing. There is room for all types of articles. If I am not interested in one, I do not read it.
    States visited with my Piper Challenger




  5. #5

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    There was a recent article about him flying a T-6. I thought it was a little silly, in view that his background probably is about as far from a T-6 expert as you can find in EAA. If you really wanted to get the best info, why not ask one of the Aeroshell team members who have a decade or more and vast experience in them. Or find someone who taught in them in the military in the 40's and 50's, or the guys in Kississmee that teach in them now. There is a really excellent book about the T-6, including the pilot's manual, by Len Morgan.
    There is some value in getting a fresh look at a plane or experience by someone who is not familiar with a subject. And the high end and high tech side of aviation may appeal to some members. Some people have an upper end transportation plane, as well as something for fun. If you own a B-25 or P-51, it is likely not your only plane.
    I glance at his articles and just skip over them if it doesn't interest me. I do think he was better at Flying.
    One aviation writer who's style I like is Mark Phelps, and to me Gordon Baxter and Len Morgan were a notch above most others.

  6. #6

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    I agree with Wes that we should maybe try and keep articles on target. I am a professional pilot and get enough information through other avenues and I would like to learn more about what the EAA has to offer. Fewer and fewer people are able to keep up with old technology like covering and working on round engines. I think these would be excellent areas to see more information as well as new technologies like electronic ignition and economically priced EFIS system reviews.

    I have written for newsletter before and it is challenging to come up with topics, I think the writers do well we just need some more GA appropriate articles.

  7. #7
    cwilliamrose's Avatar
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    Sport Aviation was one of the biggest reasons to be a member of EAA 20, 30 or 40 years ago. My EAA membership dates back to about 1971 and my collection of old SA magazines is cherished. They will be part of my permanent library. The more recent issues have hovered over the recycle bin more than once after a very short read. The magazine no longer serves the sport aviation community in general or the EAB community specifically. It has very little value to those of us involved in flying for sport. The influx of writers from Flying Magazine has pretty much finished the job of killing the magazine.

    I have been waiting for two years to cancel the magazine and each of those years I made the wrong choice. The only way the people running EAA will get the message is for a large percentage of us to vote with our feet and abandon the magazine subscription. I will still support EAA but I can no longer support what used to be such a fine publication. Time to send a loud message.
    Last edited by cwilliamrose; 11-11-2013 at 07:11 PM.

  8. #8

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    I've said it before, but in the context of this thread it bears repeating. EAA has a wonderful opportunity to be "all things for all people" in aviation. That is a worthwhile goal. But not at the expense of alienating or disenfranchising the average guy who wants to build their Volksplane or RV-8. Being all things to all people should mean more "offshoot" magazines, not watering down Sport Aviation.

    EAA can start a new magazine called "EAA Sport Bizjets and Astronomically Priced Piston Twins", and have advertisements from Lincoln cars and Rolex watches and Napoleon Brandy. I hope they succeed, and I hope that it makes money, and I hope that the demographic readership for that magazine all become EAA members. But I hope they return Sport Aviation to the nuts and bolts, small airplane focus that made it unique in the first place. And by that I am including small factory built airplanes.

    Mac McClellan is a first rate pilot, and a first rate writer on the segment of aviation that he is associated with. I think it was a catastrophic mistake to allow that segment of aviation to intrude so far on the core values of EAA. It's probably not Mac's fault, and I have to apologize to him for previously making a comment or two that should have been held back.

    But Flying Magazine (whether under Mac McClellan or Richard Collins or whoever) has become almost completely irrelevant to the vast majority of EAA members, if not the majority of the aviation community overall. So it stands to reason that bringing the content and style from Flying over to EAA was a mistake.
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  9. #9
    Mike Switzer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwilliamrose View Post
    Sport Aviation was one of the biggest reasons to be a member of EAA 20, 30 or 40 years ago. My EAA membership dates back to about 1971 and my collection of old SA magazines is cherished. They will be part of my permanent library. The more recent issues have hovered over the recycle bin more than once after a very short read. The magazine no longer serves the sport aviation community in general or the EAB community specifically. It has very little value to those of us involved in flying for sport. The influx of writers from Flying Magazine has pretty much finished the job of killing the magazine.

    I have been waiting for two years to cancel the magazine and each of those years I made the wrong choice. The only way the people running EAA will get the message is for a large percentage of us to vote with our feet and abandon the magazine subscription. I will still support EAA but I can no longer support what used to be such a fine publication. Time to send a loud message.
    I pretty much agree with this. I sat on the sidelines for a lot of years, reading other guy's copies of sport aviation, I joined when I went to a SportAir workshop. I enjoy having access to back issues of the magazine for the information that is there - but the issues that I get every month now are skimmed thru & put in a box.

  10. #10
    Flyfalcons's Avatar
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    Bringing Mac onboard is one of the reasons I let my membership lapse. His writing is as far from "Sport Aviation" as one can get. It was time for me to let my money do the walking.
    Ryan Winslow
    EAA 525529
    Stinson 108-1 "Big Red", RV-7 under construction

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