Pra Mag.

[Harry_S.]

Just finished eyeballin' the PRA MAG, Volume 45 No.1, I received in the mail today.

Guess what...It's in color again. :D


Cheers :)

[Timchick]

I got mine, too. Real nice. Thanks PRA.

[Brent Drake]

new mag is nice!!

[mark treidel]

GOOD JOB, PRA!!! For those that are on the open minded side of 'crow hops', there is a great article by Marion Springer in this issue...even experienced flyers will benefit from this as a 'refresher'. If you're against them, its still excellent reading...Thanks Marion.

[rustynance]

We aren't in a position to go exclusively color at this point. But we will try to add it in when we can. Currently looking at alternating between increased content and color. At present, at least half of the issues will be the present size and black and white. Leaves a few issues a year to add color or increase content. We are operating in the black. Not a lot of fudge, but enough we felt we could try to offer something extra to our members.
Would love feedback on which people prefer, more color or more content.

Thanks for everyone's support
Rusty

[BUD ONEAL]

For me content is the best way to go.As it is I am finished in 30 min. or so. Love the magazine !

[Paul_in_Ohio]

Color catches the eye, but content keeps them reading. I can deal with the black and white "Guts" but I think having the covers in color will attract initial attention to anyone who has not picked up a copy before(AKA new members).

BTW - Thanks for asking, Rusty.

[dabkb2]

Rusty, My vote is more content. Like Paul said maybe just the cover being in color.

[GyroRon]

Rusty, I also would like more content, and better articles.... the latest issue I had read all that interested me in 5 minutes. Color pictures aren't that important to me.

Ask Rick to come on to the forum here and ask for article submissions if he needs more stuff to use.

[cgmg]

Rusty,

I also prefer more content over color. Color covers do catch your eye, so when affordable, color the cover.

We can get plenty of color pictures off the forum, at little or no cost to any of the members.

[gyro-3xio]

I too enjoyed the last issue of Rotorcraft.

My vote...

Color on the cover, front, and maybe back.

However, why not give the advertizers the option if they want a color ad or not?

Jim.

[gyrogreg]

Just so you know - a little basics on printing the PRA Mag:

First, we get about the least expensive printing from Greencastle Offset Printing in Indiana - without their prices we could not do close to what we do with the mag - Thanks Greencastle!

Second, to print color pages, have to do a total of 8 pages of color. This is the way the pages are printed to keep costs down - "sig" pages have 8 pages on a side, double sided. Three or four "sig" pages make up 32 or 48 pages total. If we print color, one full side of a "sig" page is printed in color - 8 pages. "Sig" pages are arranged so that when cut and laid together and stapled, the covers, and 6 other specific pages inside are color. So, if you print the two cover pages in color, costs no different to print the 6 other pages in color. So, it really isn't any cheaper to just print the covers in color! And, the editor has to design the layout to maximize the value of the color on very specific pages inside.

Content: All content is voluntarily submitted. We really do depend on the members - that's what it's all about. We're not like Kitplanes or EAA, we don't have staff writers or editorial departments. We have only one paid person, Rick Gilley, the Editor - to organize and publish the volunteered material and any ads he can get. I wish we could afford to pay or compensate staff writers and editors - and regular writers. It's a catch 22, takes a lot of regular contributors for a lot of good content; and takes a lot of good content to be able to compensate regular contributors for a lot of good content.

There is more than enough good material on this forum provided by a lot of good writers here. Not everybody into sport rotorcraft is able to monitor the forums, so it would help make a better magazine and grow the PRA membership if we could take just a little of this content and put it in the mag. In other words, if you want to be able to grow the PRA enough to get better material regularly in the magazine, one way to do that would be for someone or some number of people to edit and compact the good stuff on this forum into articles to send to Rick. Lord knows that 10% of the time some people spend on the forum would make some pretty good articles. Even if it is not new material to you, if someone edited and compiled just a small portion of the material and information on this forum, you would be helping to grow the PRA enough that we might be able to afford more original and entertaining content - and maybe eventually even be able to compensating regular writers and editors.

A suggestion, if you have a favorite RW forum - Aerodynamics, Accidents, Training, Builders, for instance - be the person in that forum that writes an article on one of those subjects for each issue of the mag. Lots of material to pick from! Start your own RW "department" in the mag. It's simply a matter of picking an interesting thread and compiling it into a more compact text - even if it is just putting together the more important and informative or entertaining posts in that thread. You'd be doing a lot of people a lot of good, promoting and growing the PRA - and the RW forum - and probably having a lot of fun and gratification for yourself too. And the educational value you would be spreading among even more people would likely contribute to improved safety and enjoyment of the sport. If you are a regular contributor, or just a regular observer, you could leverage your time spent on the forum to help the entire community even more than just posting or "lurking" on the forum!

- Thanks, Greg Gremminger

[StanFoster]

Greg: I have an article all ready to send to Rick on my experiences installing an operating an inflight adjustable Ivoprop.

I also am working on using a laser beam to find the CG of a gyro. I did that at Bensen Days as you are well aware of...and I thought we would maybe do 2 or 3 at the most. I lost count how many...and just turned my laser over to some enthusiastic participants. Anyway....I want to do this at Mentone with a few more improvements....then do a nice follow up article compiling both Bensen Days and Mentones results.


Stan

[StanFoster]

By the way....I really enjoyed my last PRA magazine...and it had nothing to do with the color...but the content...especially the article about CarterCopters jump take off mission.

I personally feel that if jump takeoffs can be safely and affordably offered to the gyro community...this will lead to the single most important improvement and advancement in any area of flying.


Stan

[gyrogreg]

Greg: I have an article all ready to send to Rick on my experiences installing an operating an inflight adjustable Ivoprop.

I also am working on using a laser beam to find the CG of a gyro. I did that at Bensen Days as you are well aware of...and I thought we would maybe do 2 or 3 at the most. I lost count how many...and just turned my laser over to some enthusiastic participants. Anyway....I want to do this at Mentone with a few more improvements....then do a nice follow up article compiling both Bensen Days and Mentones results.


Stan

Stan, I was counting on you doing the CG article - that was a very interesting and eye-opening project - more at Mentone would add to a great database. Keep the data.

Variable pitch props are almost the second best thing to jump takeoffs. actually, you kinda need a variable pitch prop anyway with a jump takeoff - so you can get enough torque to the rotor for spin up and transfer the torqe to the prop for normal, high speed flight. I'm looking forward to your article on how to operate it - not exactly a "constant speed" controller and needs some methods to maximize its advantages at takeoff and cruise, etc.

These will be great materials for the mag. Also, I think Doug will be writing an article on his propwash studies at BD - should be very interesting stuff!

- Greg

[StanFoster]

Greg: Glad you liked the laser method. I am planning on bringing some red posterboard...and red tape to Mentone. Red shows up my red laser beam much brighter in outdoor light....and that means I can have the laser spinning. Everyone could see the solid red laser line much easier...and whomever is doing the marking will be able to do it easier as well.


Stan

[StanFoster]

Greg: By the way...do you have Rick Gilleys e-mail address? I want to send him that Ivoprop article and pictures.


Thanks...


Stan

[gyrogreg]

Hi Stan,

Rick Gilley's email address is cra40@earthlink.net

Or

anyone can send articles to the PRA offoce: prahq@medt.com

Try to have pictures that are at between 250 and 300 DPI - so they print clearly in the mag.

Thanks, Greg

[StanFoster]

Thanks Greg....

[Monarchist]

Has there been any interest in an all-digital edition of the magazine?

* Zero cost to produce copies
* Content can be in all color
* Content can be any length with no impact on cost
* Members could print all or part of it if they wanted
* Could still do hard copies for those who want it (but fewer quantity)

Just a thought.

Also, does anyone have a comprehensive on-line scanned database of past issues? Would be great for new members like me who have already missed out on some really good material.

-John

[gyrogreg]

Has there been any interest in an all-digital edition of the magazine?

* Zero cost to produce copies
* Content can be in all color
* Content can be any length with no impact on cost
* Members could print all or part of it if they wanted
* Could still do hard copies for those who want it (but fewer quantity)

Just a thought.

Also, does anyone have a comprehensive on-line scanned database of past issues? Would be great for new members like me who have already missed out on some really good material.

-John

John, We are working on a Members Only section of the PRA website. The plan is to do just as you suggest - members could voluntarily choose not to get the printed mag to save printing and shipping expenses. Plan would be to publish the full mag in full color on the Members Only PRA section. The project is going slow because we cannot afford paying a developer. We have a volunteer doing the work, and it is coming along. The main work is not setting up the section security, it is getting the membership database automated on the web server - to automatically allow access according to active memberships. This is in conjunction with on-line memberships and renewals. currently, the database is on the computer at the Mentone office. The database development is coming along, just slow.

Once we have the Memebers Only section up and running, and the magazine published in PDF on the site, the magazine would be archived digitally from that point - available for members. The desire would then be to start archiving either old mags or articles - hopefully searchable. There are some mags and articles available digitally for putting on the web, but there will be a lot of work converting files, etc. The hope would be to solict volunteers to take numbers of old mags and scan and upload. The whole thing right now is we can only do this with volunteers. We have someone working on the database and Members Only section. But, when that is done, we will need at least one volunteer to coordinate a bunch of other volunteers to start populating an archives section - big job! The history of all this has been that we have very few volunteers that will take such a project and run with it. Other volunteers want to help, but need guidance. What we really need are manager types that can do these types of jobs without making work for the other few volunteers. So, I'm not sure how quickly or far along such a project can get. There is an effort to try to get a grant to do this kind of stuff - so that is a posible way - but geting a grant requires a self-starting volunteer to take that project and run with it too!

- Greg Gremminger

[j4flyer]

I received my magazine today and I was blown away. It was awesome !! I have been down on PRA for several years as I disagreed with some decisions that were made. I stuck with PRA as I've been a member for going on 30 years give or take a couple that I was only a chapter member. I want to say I'm pleased I remained a member. I wish the new leaders well and I hope they bring renewed life to the organization. I'm burying my hatchet. I hope others will too. Thanks to everyone who has put in effort over the years to keep PRA afloat.

[digbar]

Rusty sez "old, tired and worn out". So you've seen my picture, eh?

Being new to gyros, I thoroughly enjoyed Marion's article on crow hops. On Saturday, Ed Newbold and I took his RAF from KVTA (Nerk Uhia) to Clermont County (Sporty's), with him stuck doin' all the work, and me holding the right stick and tryin' ta learn all I could while getting some real gyro time in. I reread Marion's article this evening while at work (security job; paid to BE there, not to actually DO anything). After having gotten about 4 hours in the right seat, her article made a lot more sense to this old tyro.I'll have a starting point when Ed gets me to where he thinks I can fly a gyro. Sure is different than a Cherokee or Skyhawk!

On the mag, I vote for more content; I got a big color TV for color.

digbar

[amphib]

Nerk, Uhia is now KVTA? How is the old airport? It used to be 2I8. That's where I did my primary flight training ("Nerk-Heath traffic, Tomahawk 12345 left base 27 Nerk"). I lived in Pataskala in the late 80's.

It's nice to see someone else who knows how to pronounce Newark if you live in Central Ohio (which is correctly pronounced uh-hi-uh, but neither your lips nor jaw should actually move when the word is spoken.)