Hello from PC Pilot

[Joe Lavery]

Hello everybody,

I've been a member for some time now, but have not yet introduced myself.
My name is Joe Lavery and I'm a freelance writer for PC Pilot magazine in the UK.
If you've read the mag you'll have seen my series on cockpit building, which is now reaching the MIP stage.
The information I've gleaned from the forum has been invaluable. Particularly now that I'm getting to grips with the PM software and the Phidgets interface. So thank you one and all.

I'm sure there will be many questions before I'm finished with this project, so expect me to lean on some of you more experienced members.. :wink:

Finally, I have to say that Ian Sissons has been an enormous help over the past year, I only hope I can repay the compliment some time in the future.

Kind regards to you all.

[Michael Carter]

Welcome to MC Joe. Sorry I don't read many periodicals, but I'm sure it's a great magazine.

Feel free to ask about anything you need to know. Someone here will know something.

I think everyone here knows something about something.

[Westozy]

Welcome Joe,

Welcome to MC.org.

You picked the right magazine! I was writing articles for Computer Pilot and had to threaten legal action to recover my article payments. So ended my relationship and subscription with CP magazine who told me they had "cash flow problems". I'm yet to see a PC pilot mag but will do so soon.

Regards,

Gwyn

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

Mr. Lavery, Welcome.....
nice to see you here. there is so much talent here, if you need to know something, somebody will have the answer and put you right.
you wrote:
'Finally, I have to say that Ian Sissons has been an enormous help over the past year, I only hope I can repay the compliment some time in the future'.
dont be nice to me Joe, i'll come to expect it !
have a great day and regards ..... ian

[Matt Olieman]

I was writing articles for Computer Pilot and had to threaten legal action to recover my article payments. So ended my relationship and subscription with CP magazine who told me they had "cash flow problems". I'm yet to see a PC pilot mag but will do so soon.

Gwyn

Gwyn, I can't believe you haven't received your payment for those wonderful articles you wrote in CP magazine. They claim they have over 20,000 subscriptions, somebody is getting paid!!!!

In protest and support to my friend, I will end my subscribtion with CP Magazine, which I have two more issues left to go. That's a real shame Gwyn :(

Matt Olieman

[mauriceb]

They claim they have over 20,000 subscriptions, somebody is getting paid!!!!

Matt Olieman

They must have tons of subscriptions since most of the pages of that magazine contain just commercial ads and advertisers would not pay for a minute audience. Personnally, I find there is very little useful content for flight deck builders.

Maurice

[Trevor Hale]

Welcome Joe,

If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. I am sure some of us here could help you out.

Plus, You could always Plug Mycockpit to those readers :)

Best regards,

Trev

[Matt Olieman]

Personnally, I find there is very little useful content for flight deck builders.
Maurice

There WAS when Gwyn was writing his informative articles.

Matt Olieman

[Michael Carter]

Instead of a magazine for sim pilots, one is needed for sim builders.

One with more than a back page blurb about the hobby.

[mauriceb]

There WAS when Gwyn was writing his informative articles.

Matt Olieman


True, but these types of articles are few & far between. This magazine is heavily slanted towards PC simmers. Nothing wrong with that, but as Michael said "Instead of a magazine for sim pilots, one is needed for sim builders."

Maurice

[ak49er]

Our local bookstore carries periodicals from around the planet. I occasionally buy PC Pilot, and Computer Pilot, and have even seen Westozy's article.I think it was on backlighting.

I was under the impression the two magazines were from the same entity. There were a lot of the same advertisements, and a few article repeats. Would someone correct me if I am wrong?

[Geremy Britton]

As far as i know, PC Pilot and CP are in no way associated. But i can't be sure.

And it's funny a PC Pilot writer has joined us as it was only yesterday i was in the newsagents purchaing this very magazine for for the up and coming March/April issue. Brilliant stuff as usual. They are £5 a pop, which is why i don't buy all the issues. I make sure i have a flick through in the newsagents to make sure there is some flight sim stuf inside. If so, i treat myself.

The magazine is funnilly enough on the desk right next to me :)

If anyone hasn't read the mag yet, i would recommend it. CD contains videos, patches, and other freeware. Whilst the mag provides the latest add on rating as well as new releases in the simworld. There is also the latest sim hardware in this case the was the avionics stack from VRinsight, which was a good read.

But anyway, definately worth a buy now and again. They offer subscriptions too i do beleive.

[Matt Olieman]

I thought I got an e-mail form PC Aviator that they bought PC Pilot. I could be wrong, wish I didn't delete it....

Matt Olieman

[Westozy]

Cheers chaps!

I'd rather write articles here for free than sell them to the cowboys at CP mag!!!

Gwyn

[Joe Lavery]

Firstly may I say what a welcome! :D

Thank you all for your good wishes and I'm beginning to wonder why I didn't introduce myself sooner. :roll:

Now regarding PC Pilot:
The magazine is completed owned by Key Publishing, who also owns and publishes; Air International, Airliner World, Airforces Monthly, Airports International, Flypast, Todays Pilot and half a dozen other associated magazines. They have no ties whatsoever with Computer Pilot; which is published by PC Aviator, who also publish software.

For my own part I am a freelance writer who works for other magazines as well. However I have no say in what gets published by PC Pilot, although the editor is always open to ideas. So in the forum I do NOT represent the magazine in any way, anything written here is my own personal opinion.

To answer Maurice and Michaels comments about a dedicated cockpit builders magazine, there simply isn't enough interest to warrant such publication. While this forum undoubtedly shows there are many builders out there, the numbers are not sufficient (YET) to support a monthly magazine.
Which is why PC Pilot commissioned the 737 series I have been writing for the last year. We try to provide content for all areas of flight simulation; but the figures indicate that the vast majority of simmers sit in front of a conventional monitor, clutching a conventional joystick.
These figures are from an independent survey carried out for PC Pilot last year.

But rest assured I will be plugging away to represent the cockpit builders in the magazine.
Incidentally Trevor I have already listed MyCockpit as a valuable resource in each of the 737 articles. ;)

Best regards to you all.

Joe.

[AndyT]

So Mike,
When should we expect the first issue of SimBuilder E-Zine?

[Michael Carter]

Are you serious? I can't hardly get a BOM interview going for March.

[magicaldr]

Welcome Joe :)

Commenting on your post


We try to provide content for all areas of flight simulation; but the figures indicate that the vast majority of simmers sit in front of a conventional monitor, clutching a conventional joystick.
These figures are from an independent survey carried out for PC Pilot last year.

Tis true, I am one of those simmers with a couple of cockpit GA panels under my belt. In a small shared house though PC's have to be multi use.

That said if you have the editors ear I must admit to agreeing with one of the published letters after your article, that enlightening though the cockpit building articles are they wanted to know how to do it. Obvious answer is to come here, loads of help and advice. Still a step by step guide alongside an article to some small generic item or panel may help people get into this better.

For example building a simple GA panel out of a 17 inch TFT which is what I have. The hard part was finding silly stuff, hole sizes for instruments, how big the panels are, etc. An article taking you month by month from a x by Y piece of MDF, to a working GA panel with a 2D instruments on the masked monitor would cover a lot of ground. From woodworking, where plans would help someone come up with a realistic looking panel. To panel design in FSX to show the instruments, and being a mag you could offer printed false radios, signs and cockpit labels, etc to cut out and add to your panel for realism.

This is the detail they went into when teaching us to make scenery, be cool to see something on the cockpit line :)


Incidentally Trevor I have already listed MyCockpit as a valuable resource in each of the 737 articles. ;)

Anyway I was digressing from my main point to thank you for the interesting articles which I did note the links to here, and say hi and welcome :)