FLYING Media Group (FMG) has acquired FindaPilot.com, a website which matches pilots with aviation employers. FindaPilot was founded in 1997 and has 25,000 pilots and 4,000 aviation employers registered on its platform.
Findapilot.com attracts a diverse range of customers, primarily companies involved in the business aviation sector. This sector includes charter companies, corporations with private jet fleets, aviation consulting firms, and flying clubs. The website is the largest source of contract pilots, providing flexible employment opportunities to commercial pilots with a range of backgrounds and type-ratings.
Small businesses, which often lack the resources of large recruiting departments, have relied upon FindaPilot.com for the past two decades to reach pilots for missions and careers. FMG plans to expand the focus to include large national employers, while creating additional tools for small aviation businesses, all focused on helping pilots find the perfect career opportunities, regardless of where they are geographically or phase of their career.
However, FindaPilot.com is more than simply a career website; it offers a rich set of pilot profile data that can be used by employers targeting a specific type rating or skill set and for pilots seeking contract employment or new career opportunities.
FindaPilot founder John Peroyea will stay involved with the business post-transaction.
Peroyea stated, “Over the past 25 years, I have been passionate about building the most successful platform to help pilots maximize their career potential and achieve their goals. I believe that by joining the FMG family, FindaPilot can deliver advanced opportunities for pilots beyond our wildest dreams.”
“With this acquisition, FMG will connect its content platform with FindaPilot.com, providing a comprehensive platform for pilot career development and continuing education,” stated Craig Fuller, CEO of FMG.
FLYING provides content and information for more pilots than any other source in the world through its network of nearly 30 aviation brands.
Flying is apparently buying-up everything in sight. Remarkable since they were almost bankrupt a few years ago. Cancelled them when they threw Martha Lunken under the bus and went to a quarterly. Besides, there are no Gordon Baxters or Dick Collinses or Len Morgans around anymore.
Peter Garrison is reason enough to stay subscribed . . . but I’ve also let a many year association lapse. It’s been a treasure trove from the beginning but all things change, especially media. I wish McLuhan could somehow return.
Hopefully this all turns out AOK and FMG is able to step up and shine, but the establishment of a monopoly in our journalistic domain sure feels as though it is already leading to diminishing quality. Of all the aviation magazines to which I used to subscribe, I think I let Flying go first many years ago. It turned into pages of ads with “articles” that were also ads for new airplanes, avionics or services. One or two “stories” might have been hidden in there somewhere, but I didn’t feel the need to buy ads, especially in the time of the internet. I think that might have been right around the time Collins retired from Flying, 2008 or so.
Forty years ago, I was a young corporate pilot. Our main use of the aircraft was to support our sales and advertising staff. I enjoyed working with the Director of Marketing for our company–an “old hand in the business”. He often remarked “Flying magazine is the “Gold Standard” in the publishing business–good editors, good writing, great photography. good layout, good printing–these qualities are used as examples of what a magazine SHOULD BE by many publishers and business schools.”
It was true–I paid attention to the photography, the layout, the writing, and the content–even the ADS in Flying magazine were held to a high standard. I agree–Collins as editor (along with a stable of entertaining writers–many of whom went on to outstanding writing careers) created the epitome of aviation magazines–each one a work of art and opinion.
Yes, Flying Media Group bought Flying Magazine–but their broad acquisition of so many other publications “diluted the brand.” Like so many other business acquisitions, it “diluted the brand”–the old bromide of “you can’t average UP!” seems apt.
To be sure, FLYING tried to make it better by going to glossy print and photography–but made the mistake of trying quarterly publications–that’s hard to do when your readers are depending upon the magazine for the latest news in a fast-paced industry. To its credit, FLYING quickly went back to monthly publication (THANK YOU!)–and I remained a subscriber–my 62nd consecutive year.
Personally, I feel that with the “homogenized” stable of aviation publications, FMG is hurting its own brands–who needs 30 iterations and interpretations of the same news? C’MON, FMG–LET’S SEE BETTER CONTENT–NOT THE SAME MATERIAL PUBLISHED 30 TIMES OVER!
… and while we’re at it, I wish Flying would upgrade its servers with something newer than an Intel 8008. Maybe they haven’t heard it’s 2024?
FMG is overextending itself to be soon out of ‘ weight & balance ‘ parameters.
Comes with that … the inevitable stall, spin and crash.
The findapilot.com website and one that has not been developed yet should help to get female pilots together with male pilots. I am sure there are female pilots, or wannabe pilots, who would love to find the “Mr. Right” male pilot. I guess a pilot dating site, but the sites that I have seen so far are only non-pilot females looking for an airline pilot, because of the income, in other words, gold diggers. I had a female student in Decatur, Illinois, many years ago, and we were going to get married, but she would only marry a man who was, or would join, her church, which as far as I am concerned is anti-Christ. Because female pilots are relatively rare, it is hard to meet any. Many females are not interested, or even afraid of flying, so that makes it difficult to meet the one who enjoys flying with a husband. Maybe someone with the knowhow and bucks can start the website, and advertise it.
I met a very cute gal at our local airport years ago… she had the cowl off her Mooney up and we struck up a short conversation. She flew Caravan’s for Fedex and her husband was a corporate pilot.
Days later I pulled up to the FBO on my motorcycle as she was just about to get on hers… a new Yamaha R6 sport bike. We talked a bit about motorcycles and she offered…. “Yeah, I bought my husband an R1 (sport bike) hoping we could ride out the the airport more and go flying but it didn’t work”.
Unicorn I tell you!
I’ve been a FLYING subscriber for over 60 years–as well as most aviation periodicals. (I KEEP all of the back issues–an entire room filled with back issues. Always interesting to see the opinion of the new product reviewers to see what their thoughts were at the time.
FLYING has reclaimed the “best produced magazine” title I mentioned earlier–but fails in CONTENT, UTILITY, and “HERE’S NEWS YOU CAN USE.” Great photos, but little practical content or context. They brag about their new printing/production plant–and their Real Estate plans (“The Landings”)–but they seem to forget that they should be addressing a WORLD-WIDE MARKET–not a fashion magazine, or “Gentleman’s Quarterly.”
Let’s get back to “news you can use”–CONTENT (“what is the effect of the latest FAA policy?”) and “how can I get better utility and safety from my airplane?” (I’ll gladly forego the pretty photos!”