Sport Pilot Magazine

[kasper]

Oh well if we are going to go into niggles ...

 

Look back through the past 4 magazines and count the number of pages and articles that are presented as Features that are in fact written by the Australian distributor of the featured item or reproduced from overseas manufacturers own reviews that are not noted in any way to say that they are advertising.

 

This is basically free advertising for the product - the feature is in no effective way independent or objective and the 'free' advertising is of enormous value to the distributor and I am sure must pi$$ off advertisers who are actually paying ... and getting 1/4 to 1/2 a page for $$ whereas these are 2-3 pages of pure puff for free - pretty puff, easy to publish puff, not requiring editorial skill or effort puff but puff.

 

Then add on the rumor that there is 10 years (or in fact 'x' years) of member contributions being left aside and I am starting to feel very uncomfy with the whole setup.

 

I am not saying that material from importers/manufacturers should not be considered BUT for heavens sake lets label it as such and not take it as a given or put it in in preference to members own material which may be far less polished in its presented-to-editor form but is what the members are up to and writing about ... we may not as a group write articles that would sell a commercially available magazine and grow a viable circulation BUT we are not a commercial magazine and its a member association.

 

If the members are only prepared to write about the flight on Saturday to go and have a bacon roll at a neighbors place and talk about the nice things/people they saw or the scare they had on the way THAT is what a member magazine is supposed to be about.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Good on you kasper.

 

Do not call it niggles the member's views must get out there and be expressed, how else can any one know.

 

Those little tricks have to highlighted, remember Lawsey got into a lot of trouble for:-

 

"Cash for Comment".

 

Remember it is a member's organisation....

 

Regards

 

KP.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

.....The big question, Why is the magazine completely outsourced?

The contract was already in place when the newer board members were voted in. Your mate MB can probably answer that one better than me. If I was to guess I'd say it's because even back then they realised that the main reason for RAAus being was to enable members to fly. A magazine, nice to have, but ultimately of secondary import.

 

There is the humungous cost, because the publisher has upsold the whole magazine deal, glossy paper all the way through the magazine.

As I believe it -- there was only the cover to have the upgraded glossy heavy paper and rest of the magazine the less expensive printing and paper.

 

Still does not get away from the fact that there was not a far less expensive option investigated and that is not digital.

When you originally raised the idea of alternates being looked at you asked "were they?" That seems to have evolved to they haven't! I take it you then must have something from the CEO stating that they weren't, or is this simply a case of the evolution being more friendly to your cause?

 

Andy

 

 

[Doug Evans]

:ranting:It is your magazine after all, and if you wish to see more content to your liking, then you are as free to contribute as any other member.

 

I agree but as for me writing a story my flying not that exciting too write about plus i have enoth trouble answering these treads .

 

my disappointment come more to the fact that we pay for a magazine, which now if I wish too have I have to pay more !

 

I enjoy my reading time in the loo .. and reading a lap top or tablet just not the same .............

 

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

The RAAus is not now, or ever was in business to act as the publisher of a magazine. To do so properly would require the hiring of several staff whose specific duty would be to work on the magazine each month. Read..huge ongoing monthly cost in wages alone.

 

It is simply not our core duty, and it makes good sense to contract to a professional outside editor and publisher to produce a better quality magazine than we ever could.

 

Brian Bigg is that man, and has always been competitive with his cost, and you must admit we get a quality magazine in return...and one that keeps getting better. Brian has always worked with us on cost restraints and right now is a good example where his renumeration has been reduced considerably, with the magazine also going to the web. Brian is also one of us..a pilot, and understands what we want to see in the magazine each month.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Additionally we must remember the magazine was loosing us around $70k a month, and the current board in doing what you put them there to do, decided early on that this ongoing loss cannot be allowed to continue.

 

We decided on behalf of the members that the magazine must pay for itself an become cost neutral to the organisation.

 

It is your money that was being wasted and its your money we will now save for the increased health and future of our organization as a whole. Adjustments has to be made somewhere hence the current move to the online edition, or the member paid subscription.

 

 

[farri]

Additionally we must remember the magazine was loosing us around $70k a month, and the current board in doing what you put them there to do, decided early on that this ongoing loss cannot be allowed to continue.

Fair enough to a point,Ross! But is it fair that the loss has to be compensated, by ever increasing membership fees...The fee for the magazine was included in the the membership fee...No paper magazine now, but the fee remains...That in fact, equates to a membership fee increase, or, put another way, "Less bang for your buck".

 

I agree that a continuous financial loss to any operation, will result in bankruptcy...How about some of the loss, being reduced by reducing the RA-Aus administration costs?

 

Frank.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Frank that would be better answered by the CEO and I know he would be happy to do so.......however reducing office and administrive costs is an ongoing program and I believe office staff has been recently reduced by two contracted people who were no longer required ( bought in to help with the rego fiasco as a result of the CASA audit). The major office and systems modernisation plan is also happening as approved by the board earlier this year. This was overdue and will cost initially but will, and already is saving us a considerable amount annually.

 

I know the CEO is shaving all admin costs where possible without any reduction in efficiency or service to members as we slowly but surely grow our member numbers, and our service and safety efficiencies as directed by the regulator.

 

Taking the magazine to web-based and the paper magazine to subscription base is all part of the modernisation and cost efficiency program.

 

Having to pay for my paper copy is not something I am happy with either Frank, ( no board members don't get it for free) however being one of thirteen on the board, as a team decision I can see it is the way to go for the future long term financial security and health of the organization as a whole.

 

 

[bull]

Additionally we must remember the magazine was loosing us around $70k a month, and the current board in doing what you put them there to do, decided early on that this ongoing loss cannot be allowed to continue.We decided on behalf of the members that the magazine must pay for itself an become cost neutral to the organisation.

It is your money that was being wasted and its your money we will now save for the increased health and future of our organization as a whole. Adjustments has to be made somewhere hence the current move to the online edition, or the member paid subscription.

Major i think that the ORGANISATION orREGULATARY body of our sport ,has a DUTY OF CARE to ensure that ALL members are informed of changes to legislation.regulation and ongoing concerns as AD etc be this via email or whatever ,,BUT the organisation is responsible to ensure all members are advised as they wish be this via email OR snail mail or magazine as RAA IS A MEMBERS organisation,,,so under DUTY OF CARE LAWS you are leaving RAA open to legal challenges from MEMBERS if an incident occurs and said MEMBER WAS NOT advised by the regulatary Authority controlling OUR sport .

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Bull, that's a crock! If RAAUs tells you, and they have, that the magazine is digital and they will provide safety updates via magazine and or email and you, in this day and age, choose to remain offline then in what way is it RAAus fault? I presume you get hard copy in the mail for all other forms of legislative change, like road rule changes etc. no? Telstra is a good example, they will send your bill electronically at no cost. Must have paper? Ok that'll cost you extra every invoice! No one is suing Telstra for the extra cost!

 

To me it is absolutely fine that folk might prefer a paper mag, but call it what it is, a personal preference. It's not a legal hand grenade waiting to explode!

 

 

[farri]

Regardless of what any of us think or want, the constitution gives the board the authority to run the organisation as they see fit.

 

I don`t have any problem downloading the pdf from the RA-Aus web site and I`m satisfied with it...Over the years, I`v given away most of my magazines to those I`ve taken flying, so the negative side, no more paper magazines to give away.

 

For any RA-Aus members who don`t have broadband internet, downloading the pdf can be a painfully slow process! If you do want the pdf, a simple solution is to start the download before going to bed...If the download doesn`t fail, your Sport Pilot will be there, in the morning.

 

A guy from Cairns, with a young family, has recently purchased a block of land, to build a house on, here at Deeral...He got me to do some work for him so I took the opportunity to tell him that I fly Ultralight aircraft ( the first thing I do when someone new comes into our area)... I told him a bit about the Ultralight scene and it turned out he`s a very experienced sky diver and he`s keen to come flying with me in the Drifter, so I downloaded the April, May and June pdf editions of Sport Pilot and sent them to him by Email...The positive side of being able to download the pdf, is, it can then be forwarded on by Email.

 

Frank.

 

 

[bull]

Bull, that's a crock! If RAAUs tells you, and they have, that the magazine is digital and they will provide safety updates via magazine and or email and you, in this day and age, choose to remain offline then in what way is it RAAus fault? I presume you get hard copy in the mail for all other forms of legislative change, like road rule changes etc. no? Telstra is a good example, they will send your bill electronically at no cost. Must have paper? Ok that'll cost you extra every invoice! No one is suing Telstra for the extra cost!To me it is absolutely fine that folk might prefer a paper mag, but call it what it is, a personal preference. It's not a legal hand grenade waiting to explode!

Check your DUTY OF CARE laws Andy you will find that what i have said applies

 

 

[DGL Fox]

Bull...I can see you now in a ditch after an accident screaming....but RAAus didn't tell me about that AD... I hate to tell you this but this is your responsibility to check current AD's that affect your aircraft and the regulations you fly under and for YOU to act upon them...same as if you go fishing, it is up to you to know the current regulations and no fish zones, they don't send me letters in the mail to tell me things have changed, I normally go onto the website from time to time and check, ignorance is no excuse, don't try and blame others for your inaction, it's in your own interests to do so and your friends and loved one's that fly with you.

 

David

 

 

[bull]

Bull...I can see you now in a ditch after an accident screaming....but RAAus didn't tell me about that AD... I hate to tell you this but this is your responsibility to check current AD's that affect your aircraft and the regulations you fly under and for YOU to act upon them...same as if you go fishing, it is up to you to know the current regulations and no fish zones, they don't send me letters in the mail to tell me things have changed, I normally go onto the website from time to time and check, ignorance is no excuse, don't try and blame others for your inaction, it's in your own interests to do so and your friends and loved one's that fly with you.David

Agreed David but the members had no say in the decision to axe the mag thats the sore point ,also the sly way of fee increases via the loss of the mag and no reduction of fees to suit this loss, this is deception no matter which way you put it .

 

 

[kgwilson]

So you ask the members what they want. How do you do that? Email, a letter, a survey to all 10,000. What would that cost? It would get about the same response as voting, bugger all as the whole cost and funding scenario would require explanation which most members would not bother reading anyway. So you allow the elected executive along with the paid professional staff to analyse the process as they are empowered to do, and they make a decision, and lo and behold it gets up the noses of a few but saves 40k a month in costs and the majority accept that as a step forward. I like paper magazines so I paid the $90.00, less than an hours flying cost, less than 1/2 an hour for many. I also have a pdf copy I can bung on my tablet to read in the dunny when I've used the last of the paper from the mag.

 

The other option is keep the mag as is, recover the costs from RAA funds and next time you renew, your fees are $300.00.

 

 

[bull]

So you ask the members what they want. How do you do that? Email, a letter, a survey to all 10,000. What would that cost? It would get about the same response as voting, bugger all as the whole cost and funding scenario would require explanation which most members would not bother reading anyway. So you allow the elected executive along with the paid professional staff to analyse the process as they are empowered to do, and they make a decision, and lo and behold it gets up the noses of a few but saves 40k a month in costs and the majority accept that as a step forward. I like paper magazines so I paid the $90.00, less than an hours flying cost, less than 1/2 an hour for many. I also have a pdf copy I can bung on my tablet to read in the dunny when I've used the last of the paper from the mag.The other option is keep the mag as is, recover the costs from RAA funds and next time you renew, your fees are $300.00.

A simple Question and survey in any of the last post out of the paper mag would have done the same job at NO cost to RAA as members would have found a way, be it via email or phone or snail mail ,to have protested this decision........................And most would have excepted the honest fee increases instead of the deception used to increase fees ,without looking that way..........

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

There was a member survey request online in the magazine a couple of issues ago...do you guys even read the magazine ?....the survey request was in the April mag and requested imput by April 30th.......so how many of the whingers now actually responded to that ?.......

 

 

[fly_tornado]

obviously not cover to cover

 

 

[bull]

There was a member survey request online in the magazine a couple of issues ago...do you guys even read the magazine ?....the survey request was in the April mag and requested imput by April 30th.......so how many of the whingers now actually responded to that ?.......

One word says it all major ONLINE

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

One word says it all major ONLINE

It's 2015 Bull.....how far behind are you ?.......computers have been around at least 40 years mate.

 

 

[bull]

It's 2015 Bull.....how far behind are you ?.......computers have been around at least 40 years mate.

I,m not behind the 8 ball Major ,,BUT lots of our older MEMBERS do not know how to use computers OR want too are ,,,, so why is RAA ignoring them Hmmm

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Not ignoring anybody....the choices and options are there.

 

 

[turboplanner]

I,m not behind the 8 ball Major ,,BUT lots of our older MEMBERS do not know how to use computers OR want too are ,,,, so why are YOU ignoring them Hmmm

Name them.

 

 

[bull]

Not ignoring anybody....the choices and options are there.

No they are not Major ALL MEMBERS should be catered for be that those that are computer literate OR NOT .

 

 

[bull]

Name them.

Deleted ...mod (insulting language not acceptable.).