Old AOPA Pilot Mags - Throw em????

M

M.E.

Filing Flight Plan
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Apr 12, 2005
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Marc
Every month I read my AOPA Pilot and then put it in the closet. The stack is getting pretty high. Although some are missing here and there, I guess they go back to January 1993. I've thought about throwing them away, but always find a reason to keep them. I realize a magazine from 12 years ago isn't worth anything, but wondering if anyone is a saver and would want some of these. Or should I just give them to the garbage man?
 
M.E. said:
Every month I read my AOPA Pilot and then put it in the closet. The stack is getting pretty high. Although some are missing here and there, I guess they go back to January 1993. I've thought about throwing them away, but always find a reason to keep them. I realize a magazine from 12 years ago isn't worth anything, but wondering if anyone is a saver and would want some of these. Or should I just give them to the garbage man?
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I give bunches of all kinds of aeronautical periodicals like those by the grocery bags full to school resource departments and they've all loved 'em. At that point it's free PR for GA !
 
AOPA has most of the articles online, so I just pitch 'em.

I cleaned out part of the garage a few weeks ago and tossed some old National Geographic Traveler mags. It was kinda hard to toss the ones that had the Eastern Airlines ads on the back of them (the ones with the L10's). Then again, what was I going to do with them. 10 boxes of magazines - gone. They're not making another move w/me.
 
I just tossed a load of aviation magazines into recycling a few weeks ago. The rear end of the Durango was full of old mags and it was only about 1/2 of my stockpile. Another trip is in the immediate future. Why do I keep AOPA magazines from 1980? Kitplanes from 1992? What's wrong with me?

Not anymore. Now I read 'em and toss 'em.
 
I tried saving magazines for a while. It just gets to be too much crap to keep around. Most of the info is available on the Internet nowadays (although nothing beats a good old magazine out on the back porch with a beer on a quiet evening).

I toss my flying magazines except for Aviation Consumer. Fun reads but similar to fishing magazines: read two years' worth of articles and you start seeing the same articles reworded over and over. I like them to keep up with the new stuff but that's about it.

I usually save up my woodworking mags and cut out the articles/plans that I think I might like to use someday. Then I punch them and put them in a three ring binder. I can usually fit two or three years of magazines in a single 1.5" binder. Heck of a space savings.
 
I love old airplane magazines. Never can tell when I might want to read up on some obscure little plane that I see for sale. You simply can't properly read a computer in the can, or in bed. Even with a laptop, it's just not the same. Drives Cathy nuts, but I let her keep a cat, so she still owes me. :D
 
Ken Ibold said:
Brian, I plan to change that habit of yours.
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For a while, I actually kept AvSafety until it started getting goofy. (Yes, that's a technical term)

I've seriously considered keeping my EAA magazine (Sport Aviation?) but I'm not sure where I'm going with my plane building/purchasing future. I will have a plane, no doubt about that (especially with a recent, significant raise :D ). Just not sure what's going to end up in my hangar.
 
Brian Austin said:
For a while, I actually kept AvSafety until it started getting goofy.
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Not really what I was referring to. What about an airplane consumer publication that was 1.5 X the pages of Aviation Consumer, cost a third as much, and didn't need to be stored, although it could be? Furthermore, said publication would have color hi-res photos instead of B&W on cheap paper, and even video and spreadsheets when appropriate.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Not really what I was referring to. What about an airplane consumer publication that was 1.5 X the pages of Aviation Consumer, cost a third as much, and didn't need to be stored, although it could be? Furthermore, said publication would have color hi-res photos instead of B&W on cheap paper, and even video and spreadsheets when appropriate.
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Dropping little bread crumbs eh? :yes:
 
Ken Ibold said:
Not really what I was referring to. What about an airplane consumer publication that was 1.5 X the pages of Aviation Consumer, cost a third as much, and didn't need to be stored, although it could be? Furthermore, said publication would have color hi-res photos instead of B&W on cheap paper, and even video and spreadsheets when appropriate.
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Interested...especially if I could access it from anywhere on the 'net. :)
 
Ken Ibold said:
Not really what I was referring to. What about an airplane consumer publication that was 1.5 X the pages of Aviation Consumer, cost a third as much, and didn't need to be stored, although it could be? Furthermore, said publication would have color hi-res photos instead of B&W on cheap paper, and even video and spreadsheets when appropriate.
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DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! Can I be subscriber #1? :goofy:

I wish they would stop sending me cards telling me how dire it is that my subcription is lapsing. It's not dire. It's intentional.

Then there was Plane and Pliot who harrassed me to "Subscribe now! We'll bill you." and then "Notice from collection agancy."
 
Ken Ibold said:
Not really what I was referring to. What about an airplane consumer publication that was 1.5 X the pages of Aviation Consumer, cost a third as much, and didn't need to be stored, although it could be? Furthermore, said publication would have color hi-res photos instead of B&W on cheap paper, and even video and spreadsheets when appropriate.
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I'll happily let my Aviation Consumer subscription expire and replace it with something like that. Aviation Safety, too, if you come up with a similar deal.
 
mikea said:
DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! Can I be subscriber #1? :goofy:

I wish they would stop sending me cards telling me how dire it is that my subcription is lapsing. It's not dire. It's intentional.

Then there was Plane and Pliot who harrassed me to "Subscribe now! We'll bill you." and then "Notice from collection agancy."
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It was amazing how quickly I quit hearing from Flying when I let it expire... Didn't even have to tell them why, or to go away. One reminder/request to re-subscribe and they went away quietly.
 
mikea said:
I wish they would stop sending me cards telling me how dire it is that my subcription is lapsing. It's not dire. It's intentional.

Then there was Plane and Pliot who harrassed me to "Subscribe now! We'll bill you." and then "Notice from collection agancy."
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Whenever I intentionally let a subscription lapse, I send in a change of address about 60 days prior, filled out to a ficticious address. All those notices go elsewhere.

-Skip
 
Find kids who are interested in aviation, and give the magazines away to them. That's what I do with mine. They love them, read them over and over again. A bundle of 2 or 3 issues per kid will keep them busy for a LONG time.

Your local EAA chapter (Eagle Flights), or an FBO who is displaying at an airshow, might want them to hand out to kids.
 
Troy Whistman said:
Find kids who are interested in aviation, and give the magazines away to them. That's what I do with mine. They love them, read them over and over again. A bundle of 2 or 3 issues per kid will keep them busy for a LONG time.

Your local EAA chapter (Eagle Flights), or an FBO who is displaying at an airshow, might want them to hand out to kids.
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That's a great idea!
 
Steve said:
I'd be interested provided the new "publication" was not ad-ridden, particularly with ads disguised as "pilot reports".
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No ads at all. Ever. Reports backed up by lab tests whenever possible.
 
My wife works at a hospital in medical records. She takes mine to the auxillary and they remove the addresses and distribute them in the waiting rooms.

Wouldn't you rather have an old AOPA mag to read in a waiting room than Good Houskeeping?

You can remove your addy yourself if you want, but I think it's a good way to get more use out of them.
 
I donated a few years' worth to my flight school; the new students like to borrow them.
 
Steve said:
Now you're appealing to my engineering background...you sly devil...
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Aha! I knew your .sig line had something to do with control theory! B)


-Rich
 
Skip Miller said:
Whenever I intentionally let a subscription lapse, I send in a change of address about 60 days prior, filled out to a ficticious address. All those notices go elsewhere.

-Skip
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That's great. And I thought I was cynical. Must tell my wife this one for the next time we terminate some magazine. :yes:

Jim G
 
Ken Ibold said:
No ads at all. Ever. Reports backed up by lab tests whenever possible.
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Would it cover some of the stuff like in IFR Refresher as well? My wife gets Aviation Safety and I get IFR Refresher, but they are expensive for what you get.

You will want to advertise this one on POA when you do it. I feel the need for another subscription in my future.

Jim G
 
Great to give 'em away at airshows & flight schools but it's like handing out Bibles to the choir for most attendees and their kids. Expanding donations to public schools and libraries will get us more converts to GA.
 
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