Sport Aviation Magazine

[Chad Jensen]

As I wrote elsewhere, if you exchanged the Baby Ace article in the current SA for an article on something turbine powered, the magazine would be indistinguishable from Flying magazine.

I can't agree with this statement in it's broad perspective...the fact that the Baby Ace article is there, the Hands on section with tips, What Our Members are Building, and a new large section devoted to Members (Member Central), is a far cry from Flying Magazine. That's strictly my opinion, and I can respect those of you that don't agree with me.

The fact of the matter is, Sport Aviation has changed. We all know that. The membership of EAA has also changed over the years. Approximately a third of our members are involved in some aspect of Homebuilding (building, built, or bought). The other two thirds are...Warbirds (remember, Paul flew and loved these airplanes), Vintage/Restoration (a staple of EAA's Pioneer Airport), and other interests such as IAC, and yes, even "spam cans". With the membership now being very diverse, Sport Aviation has to adapt to that diversity. It will NEVER be without homebuilding content, but it will probably always now contain "other" stuff that appeals to a large portion of the membership.

I like the new format, and I like the diversity it covers as well as the diversity of the membership. The magazine is the biggest "perk" of being an EAA member, however, it's not the biggest reason for being an EAA member.

Remember, if all you want is homebuilder news, Experimenter is the best place to be...we'll use your articles, and that's where you'll find a lot of my articles and input as well in future issues. I am reviewing past issues of Experimenter to see how things can be better formatted to be more reader friendly, and we welcome input on that too. I'm not the publisher or editor of it, so all I can do is recommend, but it is the best place for ALL homebuilt news all the time!

As the "Homebuilt guy" at EAA now, I completely understand the frustrations of the Homebuilder community over the direction of Sport Aviation, but know that we will always have a part of the magazine, even if it isn't the entire thing anymore.

[Frank Giger]

Okay, I take back my post on the magazine. Last issue was Light Plane heavy, with a bit on the T-6 that's interesting.

As a back yard builder (no way my wife is gonna let that thing into our home) I'm already thinking maintenance and repair. The "always for the rookie" problem could be solved with the occasional article on fabric repair, Danger Signs To Look For, etc.

[Kyle Boatright]

I can't agree with this statement in it's broad perspective...\\

<<much snippage>>

As the "Homebuilt guy" at EAA now, I completely understand the frustrations of the Homebuilder community over the direction of Sport Aviation, but know that we will always have a part of the magazine, even if it isn't the entire thing anymore.

Chad,

I'm not only interested in homebuilding, as the Champ in the basement proves. I like warbirds, ultralights, LSA's, and experimentals too. But Mac's column doesn't fit with any of those. Nor does the guy who was featured in the "Hands on" section who is doing a checkbook upgrade on his 1984 Bonanza. It is great that he's taking care of the airplane, but how's that "hands on"? Then there was the truly bizzarre column from Jeff Stiles. I still can't figure out what carrying a hundred folks in a kerosene burner has to do with Sport Aviation. The rest of the "commentary" columns this month were barely any better.

The T-6 article was OK, as was the Stearman article. The Baby Ace article was good, as was the article on buying a second hand project. Everything else in the issue could have been lifted straight from Flying magazine. Shoot, SA has even adopted the last page retrospective of previous issues that Flying has featured for years.

[Neil]

Chad, I don't think the membership is any more diverse now than it was say, 30 or 40 years ago. There has always been a large percentage of the membership that flies the typical Wichita stuff. Thing is I don't think they joined EAA because they wanted to see 182s Bonanzas or King Airs in the magazine. I think they joined because they were interested in what was happening in the only aviation arena in which innovation was taking place. Times do change and I have no objection to seeing a nicely restored V-Tail in the magazine, just think that there are enough magazines out there for the business pilot and there in is where I see the difference.

[Frank Giger]

The odd thing is that the middle ground is easy to find.

Gripe one: It's the EAA, and the EAA at its very core is a homebuilding organization, and while spam cans are tolerated they should be secondary.
Gripe two: How many RV builds can one read about and stay interested? Read one article on cutting sheet metal and you've read them all. My membership dollars fund your homebuilding organization, buddy.
Gripe three: What do you mean I'm not a homebuilder because I restored a Cub instead of building it from stock steel tubes and lumber?

We have a guy in our chapter that has never owned an airplane, let alone built one. That struck me as really bizarre, to be honest. Why join an organization of guys who build planes when you have no desire to even own a spam can? The answer is pretty simple, and a good one: since he rents planes he wants to know how they're put together, how to maintain them, and what to look for on a plane he's renting; the guys that start from stacks of raw materials know what right looks like on an aircraft, and it's a free source of advice. Plus we're a built in Blue Collar Pilot's Club, and a good half hour (if not more) of every meeting turns into Story Time.

The middle ground is to find middle topics.

For example, one of my instructor's students (*cough*) proved that airport landing lights are frangeable during his first fast taxi lesson in a Champ. My instructor didn't do the fabric repair himself, but knowing how it would be repaired and what to look for when the job was done was a very keen piece of knowledge for him. As a builder of a tube-and-fabric plane it's of interest to me as well, in case I lend my plane to that guy that flew the Champ that day.

One off T-6 or transponder upgrade or new model aircraft articles don't hurt anything and add grist to the mill, IMHO.

[FloridaJohn]

I am reviewing past issues of Experimenter to see how things can be better formatted to be more reader friendly, and we welcome input on that too. I'm not the publisher or editor of it, so all I can do is recommend, but it is the best place for ALL homebuilt news all the time!

My suggestion is to get rid of the multiple column format in e-mail newsletters. They are very difficult to read as an e-mail, with lots of scrolling up and down to get through all the stories.

[Bill Berson]

EAA should have a print homebuilder magazine. Why does EAA have Sport Aerobatics, Warbirds, Vintage, etc., but no homebuilder magazine?
(yes I read the online Experimenter, better than nothing at all)

It seems anything that shows up at Oshkosh is fair game for print. So I suspect a future cover will have the 787.
This is frustrating for a long time member (currently ex-member).
It gave me stomach acid when I read Sport Aviation and I was forced to let my membership lapse for health reasons. Because it does not represent EAA. I don't mind a broad spectrum of million dollar private and commercial airplanes at Oshkosh, but it is an insult to have it in the EAA publication.
Further, the publication should be about aircraft, period. Not how to fly.

Bill

[Mike M]

Flying magazine lost me as a reader years ago. It did not report on the type of flying that I do. It looks like the new editor intends to follow a similar path with Sport Aviation. We may have a clone of the AOPA Pilot soon. That said, EAA is still the only game around for homebuilts and we'll have to stick with it until something better develops.

ditto your opinion and concerns about Flying and SA. but you're wrong about being stuck with it. kitplanes.com. they're doing pretty good work over there in only eighty pages an issue.

[Mike M]

McClellan often wrote about IFR flying in his Baron or similar when he was at FLYING. That's great for that market, but is one of the reasons that I don't subscribe to that magazine anymore.
I am not very interested in reading much about jets and turboprops. If you've smelled one diesel burner, you've smelled them all.
I don't want Sport Aviation or EAA to change focus and convert to a mag about business flying. That's for FLYING or maybe the turbine part of AOPA mag.
This seems like the lure of the almighty dollar at work here, and not related to the fun side of sport or gen aviation that EAA has always been about.
Maybe if there are enough protests over this to headquarters it can be stopped.

concur.

[Eric Page]

My suggestion is to get rid of the multiple column format in e-mail newsletters. They are very difficult to read as an e-mail, with lots of scrolling up and down to get through all the stories.

Couldn't agree more. I read most of the newsletters I receive on my phone, and single-column layout is much easier.