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Post by camtech on Dec 13, 2014 18:27:51 GMT 12
Have I missed something or is Pacific Wings not being printed any more?
Have looked in usual places, including airport bookshops and haven't seen any recent copies.
Mind you, I lost a lot of interest when they coverage drifted to more world wide aviation, rather than NZ.
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Post by delticman on Dec 13, 2014 20:04:33 GMT 12
Sounds like it's faded from view, a bit like Rails. The former owner/editor Rob was asking me if I'd seen it as he hadn't.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 13, 2014 21:56:01 GMT 12
Seems recently to have become bi-monthly, 6 issues a year. Latest I have seen is July/August 2014. Mind you, I have not bought a copy now for some years.
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Post by errolmartyn on Dec 13, 2014 22:13:11 GMT 12
Latest copy shown on the PW website is that for June [sic] and there's no helpful info on the Facebook page. I understand that some contributors haven't been paid for months and given that little of a Pacific or New Zealand nature has ever appeared in it in recent times it's likely that few tears will now be shed over its probable demise. So sad to see what the late and much lamented editor Ross Macpherson helped rescue in the 1970s and build up go this way.
Errol
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Post by camtech on Dec 14, 2014 19:24:45 GMT 12
I agree with you Errol.
I have a fairly complete collection from about 1972 through to 2007 plus some editions with items of interest, but over the last three years or so there has been a drought of NZ information.
Aviation News has picked up some of the old Wings content (Civil Register updates, etc).
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Post by nuuumannn on Dec 15, 2014 0:03:15 GMT 12
NZ Av News pretty much picked up where NZ Wings left off based on the usual content of Pac Wings over the last few years. Its editor is former staff of NZ Wings. NZ Av News is the only fully comprehensive coverage in print of all aspects of the New Zealand aviation scene; airlines, warbirds, rotary, sport, military, historical etc.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 15, 2014 9:03:29 GMT 12
I am pretty sure this magazine was taken over by forum member Glenn Alderton of Australia. But he seems to have disappeared from Facebook and has not posted to his own Warbirdz forum since June. I hope he is ok.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 15, 2014 14:45:21 GMT 12
I am pretty sure this magazine was taken over by forum member Glenn Alderton of Australia. That is correct Dave. The last issue I received said it was going to bi-monthly but it doesn't sound too good.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 15, 2014 15:09:28 GMT 12
A few years ago I listened to an expert on media history talking on Radio New Zealand National, talking about magazines in NZ. He stated that Seaspray (the popular boating magazine) was NZ's oldest continuing regular publication on a specific interest topic (i.e. not like the Womans' Weekly that covered all sorts of different topics in one go)available to the public through shops , and he said that it was first published in 1946.
Alarm bells rang as I knew that New Zealand wings started in 1932. I knew that early on the Wings magazine had been the Journal of the RNZAC, BUT I looked at early covers and even in the 1930's they had a cover price, which tells me it was not subscription only.
So I think it is almost safe to say that Wings beat Seaspray by 14 years, and it is (or sadly now possibly was) possibly our oldest magazine on a specific interest topic. It would be really sad if it was to disappear after serving the aviation community for 82 years.
But then magazines, like newspapers, are becoming a thing of the past and if anything is guilty of contributing to its demise I guess this forum will have been a factor. Why wait two months for a tiny bit of news when you can see loads of coverage on the same day for free? I'd be very sad if that is the case. Although frankly I lost interest in it a long time ago when it became an overseas helicopter journal.
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erik
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 5
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Post by erik on Jan 3, 2015 19:16:39 GMT 12
I have just been in contact with Glenn as I too have been quite concerned - he is still around and replying to e-mail. However, things are not looking too good for Pacific Wings at the moment. Glenn has been very open with me on some of the financial details but I rather let him explain things on here himself. But I think it may be a while before we see another issue of the magazine appear on the shelves.
Both Glenn and Rob have given everything - including a large chunk of their own savings - to make Pacific Wings work and financially viable, and for a long time the magazine endured - just. But with significantly rising production costs (it seems it only gets more expensive to get things printed) and declining income, running a magazine like Pacific Wings becomes a huge challenge.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 3, 2015 19:59:06 GMT 12
Perhaps a return to writing about and reporting on New Zealand aviation topics would help. I totally lost interest when it seemed to be all about foreign helicopters.
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Post by greaneyr on Feb 11, 2015 21:47:29 GMT 12
I'm going to bump this thread as I only just decided to search for it here. As a former contributor to PW magazine, I too have been seeing signs of financial difficulties for some time. I don't want to go into the details on here. I will say, however, that I agree with the sentiments that the lack of NZ focus that occurred toward the end was a definite drawback. Another comment I'd make was that the name should have been changed to "Overseas Military Magazine", as some of the later issues were comprised entirely of topics about foreign military operations.
My concern now, as a contributor forced out of writing due to the demise of Pacific Wings Magazine, is finding a suitable publisher to partner with. Surely, the demand for those issues made using the old formula was there, and presumably it's either being filled somewhere else, or an opportunity in the making?
Does anyone have contact details of Rob Neil and wouldn't mind PMing me? I'm at a loss as to where to go next, as all the emails I've sent to potential new publishers have not received any response.
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Post by nuuumannn on Feb 13, 2015 20:52:40 GMT 12
What is your particular specialised topic that you write about? You'll find that there are a few contributors of sorts to various aviation publications out there on this forum.
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Post by greaneyr on Mar 6, 2015 19:23:46 GMT 12
What is your particular specialised topic that you write about? Progressive technology in aviation, mostly. I tended to search for an upcoming technology, either that was in the mainstream or had perhaps just been successfully demonstrated through research and was struggling to find traction, and would profile it while giving a local context to the issues. When I started out, I wrote mostly about navigation technologies but over time my work evolved to include cockpit displays, affordable flight control systems, and Internet flight tracking sites. I'd love to find a place to continue writing for, as those researchers benefit tremendously from the publicity that comes through having their work presented to the wider world.
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Post by nuuumannn on Mar 7, 2015 13:44:04 GMT 12
Sounds interesting, Greaneyr, with what publications other than Pac Wings have you been publisheed in?
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Post by greaneyr on Mar 15, 2015 17:56:27 GMT 12
Sounds interesting, Greaneyr, with what publications other than Pac Wings have you been publisheed in? That's been it for me. Seven times in Pac Wings, nowhere else. I had a great deal under Rob, where it just felt like my writing style moulded well with the magazine. I never had a single article idea rejected, and the hardest part for me was overcoming writers block to find a worthwhile subject to write about. I've so far canvassed three other publications, but have yet to make it to the stage where they actually reply, let alone more. It just feels like such a waste of enthusiasm at the moment.
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Post by ZacYates on Mar 16, 2015 8:55:13 GMT 12
For years I've felt "Wings" would've been a better name, but it's not my magazine
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Post by nuuumannn on Mar 18, 2015 17:02:56 GMT 12
I don't understand why 'New Zealand Wings' was changed as its name at all. New Zealand Aviation News doesn't just cover New Zealand items, but its a New Zealand magazine.
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Post by delticman on Mar 18, 2015 19:47:22 GMT 12
The name was changed to Pacific Wings to drag in Aussie advertisers. This in turn paid for more colour pages and also attracted the punters at the Newsagents.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Mar 18, 2015 20:53:20 GMT 12
The very first edition of NZ Wings I purchased (while I was still at school) had an article in it about the delivery of the RNZAF's new Skyhawks, including towing them by road to Whenuapai, followed by the first test flight.
I've still got that magazine somewhere, although finding it could be difficult as it would be buried in one of several boxes of aviation magazines.
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