We write to Pilot

The Pilot membership magazine cannot exist without contributions from members of the association. Reaction welcomes offers of professional texts, travelogues, ideas, descriptions of experiences and the joy of flying, stories, etc. We like to present interesting planes, airports, people, enthusiasts...
If you like the idea of ​​having an article published in Pilot, do not hesitate to offer it to the editors of the magazine. If you are unsure of your abilities, know that this should not get in the way of your enjoyment of publishing an article in a print journal. The main thing is the effort and ability to express an idea or a story. The texts are being edited, so don't be afraid that it will "crack" on you that you don't know how to write a hard or soft "i" in a word 🙂 No scholar has fallen from the sky and we are happy to help authors with the text. 

How a contribution to the LAA ČR Pilot magazine should look like

Therefore, in order for an article to be published in Pilot magazine, the editors of the magazine must receive text, photos, or other materials, such as tables with results (for reports from sports competitions), or various graphs and illustrations or sketches (for professional articles). The scope of the contribution (number of printed pages in the journal) is determined by the editors (or editorial board) in agreement with the author.
If you're writing about an event, a sporting event, don't forget to include the basics, such as the date and venue, the number of participants, and in competitions, attach a complete score sheet with full names (at least for the winners). If possible, deliver the results in table format (.xls).
If you want to write about an aircraft, remember that it should be a legally operated aircraft with proper documentation.
Texts to the editorial office of Pilot magazine send in editable form preferably in Word (files with a .doc and . Docx), or another Open document (files with the extension .odt). Do not convert texts to PDF (it does not allow editing the text, often even copying it for further work with it). Of course, it is also possible to share the document with the editors in GoogleDocs (e-mail is redakce@laacr.cz).
Important warning: the Pilot magazine cannot publish contributions that would promote behavior contrary to the rules of flying and other regulations for our aviation sport, or suggest such behavior.

How long should I write this??

The print page in the Pilot magazine is typically divided into three columns, one of which (full of text and without photos and subheadings) can hold a maximum of 2500 characters. One page in Pilot full of text with no photos and just one simple, one-line headline is 5500 characters. If there are to be some photos and/or illustrations on the page, count on a range of 2000 to 3500 characters. The length of the text is measured by the number of characters, always including spaces (they are an integral part of the text and also take up space).
The text on the page on the left has 5000 characters, the same on the page on the right. In total, approx. 10 characters (including spaces)

Photos, photos, photos…

Quality photos are absolutely essential for every article. However, we don't want to use snoopy photos from social networks. If possible, send original, unpublished photos. (Especially for contest articles where winners are announced, keep in mind that it's extremely important to get nice announcement photos.)
Send photos unreduced, in full resolution, preferably as they are stored in your camera. Sending them via www.uschovna.cz is a welcome method.
Be sure to include the names of the author(s) of the photos. We always try to mention the authorship of the photos, because the authors deserve it. Over time, it becomes better to determine who is entitled to the fee for them (from 20 to 200 CZK per image). If there are multiple photos from the same author, their name can be in the photo folder title. Please include the names of the authors of the photos under the title of the article, next to the name of the author of the text.
If you have a certain idea about which specific photos should be used in the article, write it for the given part of the text, for example in brackets, so that the editor and graphic designer do not miss it. Enter either the name of the specific photo (file or folder with them), plus any caption for it. Please do this especially if you are sending photos from multiple sources, from multiple people, to the editorial office. It can help to put a link to the repository directly to the graphics instructions - maybe at the end of the text.

We want to be on the front page of the magazine!

Of course, we are happy to accommodate the authors in this regard. But it's not "just like that". If you want to have any hope of your photo being on the front page of a magazine, think about it when you take it. If possible, take such pictures standing still. Have a solid resolution set for storing photos in memory. Do not post the photos you want to submit to the magazine (and especially those for the front page) elsewhere (i.e. do not share them on Instagram, FB or Twitter).

What do you ask for as a reward?

The fee for writing an article for Pilot ranges from 200 to 2000 CZK per printed page, depending on the type of article and the professional level of the article (note: by law, the fee is taxed at a rate of 15%, which we will deduct and deduct from the amount paid according to applicable legislation). There are articles where no fee can compensate for the resources, effort and time that authors sometimes spend, but we try to at least provide a reasonable compensation for these expenses for writing for the journal. If you have any specific ideas about the fee, please let us know when you offer the article. 
If you want to offer an article to the editors, send it to e-mail redakce@laacr.cz  and in copy to pilot@laacr.cz.
If you prefer to discuss your topic first, call 777 085 397. You can contact any of the representatives of the Editorial Board, whose names can be found on the imprint of each magazine. 
We look forward to your articles!
For the editorship of the magazine Pilot LAA ČR
Vojtěch Shaman
editor-in-chief