I kept reminding myself, late last summer, that I had to let the editor of Flying‘s back page, Bethany Whitfield, know that the first article I ever wrote for Flying had appeared in the December 1965 issue, and, therefore, would qualify for mention in the “50 Years Ago” slot in the December 2015 issue. Given the production schedule of this magazine, I would have to let her know sometime around September — but not too much earlier than that, lest it slip her mind.
Technicalities: Lifetime Achievement
Key Takeaways:
- The author details his serendipitous entry into aviation journalism, starting with his first article for *Flying* magazine in 1965/1968 and evolving into a long, continuous career spanning more than half the magazine's existence.
- While "down and out" in Europe, he was inspired to write about man-powered flight, exploring an ingenious but complex ornithopter design and contrasting it with Paul MacCready's ultimately simpler and successful approach.
- During his time in London, he briefly worked as a staff writer for *Pilot & Light Aeroplane*, where he began designing the "Sprite" amateur aircraft; though that project failed, it laid the foundation for his own successful "Melmoth" aircraft years later.
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