New 'Classic' Aircraft Illustrated

[Ben Dunnell]

I think another problem is the title 'CLASSIC', which misleads people and may even prevent some from even picking it up in the first place (almost myself originally!), and with any 'Classic' title it then starts to tread on the 'Flypast / Aeroplane' patch somewhat. Also i n having an Airshow section which contains 'modern' aircraft this seems to confuse the 'Classic' theme even more.

I think just leaving it as 'Aircraft Illustrated' or just plain 'Aircraft' would have sufficed, does it really NEED to explain itself - surely the AIRCRAFT title and the content would do that?

A quick response on this, if I may — the magazine is now just called Aircraft. 'Classic' doesn't form part of the title.

[binbrook87]

Point taken Ben - I stand corrected - do I take it that the 'New Classic Aviation magazine' banner will be remain once the 'newborn' phase is over?

[MoshNine]

It's a lovely,rich,thick,nice smelling magazine,full of well written,interesting articles and great photography.
If it was a 'sister' publication to AIRCRAFT ILLUSTRATED it would compliment that magazine superbly.

However, it isn't. "A.I." is no more.... Unless of course you're talking of "Air International" (mmm... AI - uncanny).
I've had uninterrupted news of aviation matters for the last 31 years through various magazines but the only one I've bought EVERY month amongst the others has been Aircraft Illustrated.

As I now know that AI is no more, I contacted Air International to send me their magazines from January '09 to date with a binder.
It's full of NEWS and other articles of interest.I've never read it before (always read Aircraft Illustrated),but can report it is extremely good.


It makes me very sad to say that I will buy Aircraft (illustrated) to the end of the year in order to fill this year's binder, after which the 'other' AI will finally win.


Life clearly ends at 40 for this magazine. (Me ... born August 1968 )

[jetwash]

I have to say.... I was very pessimistic about the magazine changing, but I saw it in the shop today and I thought that I would give it a try and IMHO, I quite liked it there are some interesting articles, some nice airshow coverage and it is nice to see the warbird/preservation side of the news more! One thing I would like to say is that IMHO I think the magazine could be improved by adding slightly more modern news.

Overall, I would say that I will probably still be buying Aircraft monthly!

[Nick NZ]

Well, one thing I will say in Aircraft Illustra....sorry, Aircraft's defence. When I cancelled my subscription, they did it within 24 hours, no questions asked (or necessaryt, I suspect). I would draw a parallel with Concorde almost, one minute it is tehre, the next gone. And the world is the worse of for it. Maybe one day someone (probably the guy that updated the taste of Coca Cola in the 80's) will explain fully why this, in my opinion stupid change was made.
In the meantime, Airliner World seems a reasonable alternative, along with my Combat Aircraft subscription. But I welcome any suggestions. Non-classic, please.
Oh, and Thanks to the people in the Subs Dept.

[Manonthefence]

At last a viable alternative to Flypaper Aerofart. Excellent. I really liked the old Aircraft Illustrated but if you are looking at aviation from a hoistorical background and dont like weasley scousers or stretch pants then this is for you.

[PhilW]

.....and dont like weasley scousers ...

Knicked your wheels as well did he?

[MikeH]

I really liked the old Aircraft Illustrated but if you are looking at aviation from a hoistorical background and dont like weasley scousers or stretch pants then this is for you.

Hysterical?

As someone who used to get the old Aviation News in its bi-weekly newsapaper format I quite liked the one-stop-shop approach to find out what's happening across the board. I'll probably continue to buy it, along but probably with another title to fill in the gaps but that was the idea, probably.

[gadget4431]

I have to say that I am yet another reader disappointed with the demise of Aircraft Illustrated. I like so many others it seems, enjoyed it for it's excellent coverage of the whole aviation scene, it was always an excellent read and will be missed. I simply cannot understand why it's metamorphosised into the new 'Aircraft' format. Whoever made that decision should possibily be considering a change of career!
I am going to give Aviation News a chance, I picked up a copy yesterday and it seems to give good general coverage, though the picture and print quality in not in the same league as A.I was.
The new 'Aircraft' magazine is not a bad read, I have a big interest in classic aviation and have enjoyed the majority of the articles so I will continue with my subscription. However I also subscribe to Combat Aircraft, and I can't get through three magazines a month, so that will be the forced casualty of this change.

[Concorde216]

Well, the latest issue has arrived through the post today and still hugely dissappointed with the modern news bits. Surely you can put more than a footnote of modern news into the magazine? I really miss the articles on modern aviation, be it military or civil.

I just cannot understand how AI could be ditched after 40 years of success, surviving numerous changes in Aviation and in the magazine market since it was first published! Infact, instead of reading the new magazine, I am back reading all of my AI magazines in order to enjoy the format that should never have been killed off.

[vtwo]

The part that really perplexes me is that none of the articles included in the new magazine would have been out of place in the old one - so why go down such an apparently restrictive route? There could have been no big announcement (except for the name change,) no changes to the modern sections and still been everything that Aircraft is now.

[Mictheslik]

As above I've given the second issue a go too....and as above I found that the articles were exactly what I'd expect to find in AI....this begs the question why get rid of the modern news....It was one of the best sections of the mag and I still enjoy going back to back issues and reading about the latest developments etc. It's all the more frustrating when you include the footnoted news....surely if you wanted to drag the magazine away from the modern stuff you should get rid of that too. It has the impression that it doesn't know where it's going....trying to retain previous readers whilst drawing new ones in, and from the responses on this board, failing......It would be interesting to see sales figures for the first few issues....

On a secondary note I'm really irritated with the bits on the top of the page saying 'turn to page xx for news on xx'.....I'll get to that in my own time...I don't want the future contents spoiled as I'm reading through.....but that's only a minor thing...

.mic

[robt]

Interesting to note that the latest edition of Aviation News prominently promotes itself as "THE general aviation magazine" on the front page masthead. Almost certainly a response to AI's change in direction. Hoping to pick up disaffected AI readers...

[tu16]

It all looks a bit like change for change sake to me.

[wv383]

Interesting to note that the latest edition of Aviation News prominently promotes itself as "THE general aviation magazine" on the front page masthead. Almost certainly a response to AI's change in direction. Hoping to pick up disaffected AI readers...

According to my copy of the latest issue it says "Your 'new' Classic Aviation Magazine". Nothing about "General Aviation".

[KevinJ]

Interesting to note that the latest edition of Aviation News prominently promotes itself as "THE general aviation magazine" on the front page masthead. Almost certainly a response to AI's change in direction. Hoping to pick up disaffected AI readers...

According to my copy of the latest issue it says "Your 'new' Classic Aviation Magazine". Nothing about "General Aviation".

wv383, he is referring to Avaition News, not Aircraft.

[AlexC]

Interesting. A long time since I've bought Aviation News. Will have to take a look at it again.

[wv383]

Interesting to note that the latest edition of Aviation News prominently promotes itself as "THE general aviation magazine" on the front page masthead. Almost certainly a response to AI's change in direction. Hoping to pick up disaffected AI readers...

According to my copy of the latest issue it says "Your 'new' Classic Aviation Magazine". Nothing about "General Aviation".

wv383, he is referring to Avaition News, not Aircraft.

Oops sorry missed that! Got confused as I thought it was an 'Aircraft' thread! hehe!

Hmm that cover is interesting. A totally remamped look since the last issue. I wonder if the printing inside is any better as that is something that has always let Aviation News down.

[AlexC]

Should have said that I gave up on Aviation News some years ago because I was more them happy with the contents of AI. Whoops!

[lba747]

Got my copy of the NEW classic aircraft magazine last look through and I was not impressed by what I saw all the modern news put on small footnotes on one page I so disgusted by this that I threw it straight into the bin with all the rest of the junkmail.
Why has Ben Dunnell upset fans of modern aviation by making this once great magazine classic aircraft ONLY?. My subscription has been canceled and I am trying Air International for a year. At the end of that year I will go into a newsagent and look at classic aircraft or whatever it is called then and if is has gone back to the pre2009 format with equal pages of civil, military,preservation and airshow I will take it again. Come on! Ian Allen your are suppose to be the best transport publishers in the UK please give us aviation fans a allround aircraft magazine. Personally I hope the new format fails and the old one restored

[EMarsh]

Got my copy of the NEW classic aircraft magazine last look through and I was not impressed by what I saw all the modern news put on small footnotes on one page I so disgusted by this that I threw it straight into the bin with all the rest of the junkmail.
Why has Ben Dunnell upset fans of modern aviation by making this once great magazine classic aircraft ONLY?. My subscription has been canceled and I am trying Air International for a year. At the end of that year I will go into a newsagent and look at classic aircraft or whatever it is called then and if is has gone back to the pre2009 format with equal pages of civil, military,preservation and airshow I will take it again. Come on! Ian Allen your are suppose to be the best transport publishers in the UK please give us aviation fans a allround aircraft magazine. Personally I hope the new format fails and the old one restored

You binned the magazine without reading any of the articles? If you had taken the time to at least see if you were vaguely interested by anything that doesn't involve modern aviation, you might've found a magazine full of quality, interesting and informative articles, not to mention the best airshow review section out there.

But hey, who wants to read about the past? I have to say, the knee-jerk reaction to the shift of focus has been quite shocking.

[Harlequin67]

Got my copy of the NEW classic aircraft magazine last look through and I was not impressed by what I saw all the modern news put on small footnotes on one page I so disgusted by this that I threw it straight into the bin with all the rest of the junkmail.
Why has Ben Dunnell upset fans of modern aviation by making this once great magazine classic aircraft ONLY?. My subscription has been canceled and I am trying Air International for a year. At the end of that year I will go into a newsagent and look at classic aircraft or whatever it is called then and if is has gone back to the pre2009 format with equal pages of civil, military,preservation and airshow I will take it again. Come on! Ian Allen your are suppose to be the best transport publishers in the UK please give us aviation fans a allround aircraft magazine. Personally I hope the new format fails and the old one restored

You binned the magazine without reading any of the articles? If you had taken the time to at least see if you were vaguely interested by anything that doesn't involve modern aviation, you might've found a magazine full of quality, interesting and informative articles, not to mention the best airshow review section out there.

But hey, who wants to read about the past? I have to say, the knee-jerk reaction to the shift of focus has been quite shocking.

I don't think the majority of reactions have been knee-jerk. People have read the magazine and made judgements accordingly. My gripe was the shift of the articles to a purely "classic" theme. I enjoyed the old AI because the articles were focused on all aspects of aviation.

My gripe was not the articles in the new magazine, which were well written and illustrated, it was the focus away from the modern era of avaition.

The Airshow preview and review section was largely untouched and I enjoyed reading that section, but I can not justify buying the magazine solely for the airshow section.

I hope that AI does return and Ian Allan magazines launch a seperate Flypast/Aeroplane type magazine. I would therefore buy the AI and let the people who want an old aviation-covering magazine buy that magazine.

I appreciate that launching a completely new magazine is unlikely in these difficult financial times, but that would suit my wish to have AI return.

[EMarsh]

Got my copy of the NEW classic aircraft magazine last look through and I was not impressed by what I saw all the modern news put on small footnotes on one page I so disgusted by this that I threw it straight into the bin with all the rest of the junkmail.
Why has Ben Dunnell upset fans of modern aviation by making this once great magazine classic aircraft ONLY?. My subscription has been canceled and I am trying Air International for a year. At the end of that year I will go into a newsagent and look at classic aircraft or whatever it is called then and if is has gone back to the pre2009 format with equal pages of civil, military,preservation and airshow I will take it again. Come on! Ian Allen your are suppose to be the best transport publishers in the UK please give us aviation fans a allround aircraft magazine. Personally I hope the new format fails and the old one restored

You binned the magazine without reading any of the articles? If you had taken the time to at least see if you were vaguely interested by anything that doesn't involve modern aviation, you might've found a magazine full of quality, interesting and informative articles, not to mention the best airshow review section out there.

But hey, who wants to read about the past? I have to say, the knee-jerk reaction to the shift of focus has been quite shocking.

I don't think the majority of reactions have been knee-jerk. People have read the magazine and made judgements accordingly. My gripe was the shift of the articles to a purely "classic" theme. I enjoyed the old AI because the articles were focused on all aspects of aviation.

My gripe was not the articles in the new magazine, which were well written and illustrated, it was the focus away from the modern era of avaition.

The Airshow preview and review section was largely untouched and I enjoyed reading that section, but I can not justify buying the magazine solely for the airshow section.

I hope that AI does return and Ian Allan magazines launch a seperate Flypast/Aeroplane type magazine. I would therefore buy the AI and let the people who want an old aviation-covering magazine buy that magazine.

I appreciate that launching a completely new magazine is unlikely in these difficult financial times, but that would suit my wish to have AI return.

Fair points. I do have a bias, being a historical aviation enthusiast, but I can see where people are coming from, even though I disagree with some of the more negative sentiments about it belonging with the junk mail!

Just to clarify, my 'knee-jerk' comment was geared towards people who have read the first issue and cancelled their subscription, rather than giving the magazine time to develop fully into it's new mould. I'm not sure of their future plans, but I'd imagine the articles will encompass some areas of modern aviation to some extent, be it military or civil (?).

[Concorde216]

Just to clarify, my 'knee-jerk' comment was geared towards people who have read the first issue and cancelled their subscription, rather than giving the magazine time to develop fully into it's new mould. I'm not sure of their future plans, but I'd imagine the articles will encompass some areas of modern aviation to some extent, be it military or civil (?).

I doubt very much that future articles will embrace modern aviation. I have seen no evidence that they will go down that road. Pitty really.

Well, I started reading my old AI magazines again and looked out the Jan 2008 issue to read. This had (like all other issues of AI) the sort of coverage the majority wanted and still do. It has articles on the new Virgin Amercia subsidiary in the USA along with a great article on the current operations of the VC-10s with the RAF; Libya's Air Force - old and new; Aishow Legends - Biggin Hill; Anchorage - Alaska; USAF F-16s at Graf Ignatievo in Bulgaria and Honeywell's B707 engine test bed aircraft. Plus a four-page report on Dubai's airshow, six pages of civil news, six pages of military news and six pages of preservation news!

Do you get this much good-value-for-money coverage in the new magazine? No, you don't! Interesting to note that the editor for the Jan 08 issue was Allan Burney. Wonder what he thinks of the magazines new path now?

[PhilW]

This had (like all other issues of AI) the sort of coverage the majority wanted......

How do you know this? The comments on this thread are a pretty tiny proportion of the readership.

Interesting to note that the editor for the Jan 08 issue was Allan Burney. Wonder what he thinks of the magazines new path now?

Allan Burney is still the managing editor isn't he, and hence very much involved with the current content.

Personally I would like the 'old' AI back, because it was perfect for my interests, but I'm not that blinkered to believe that the magazine was marketed to attract just to me!