Pilot: Britain's Best-Selling General Aviation Magazine

Pilot is a British monthly general aviation magazine, published under the strapline "Britain's best-selling GA magazine". Launched in 1966, it is one of the longest-established titles serving the private flying community in the United Kingdom, with a history spanning nearly six decades. Known for its flight tests, buyers' guides, adventure flying features and engineering coverage, the magazine is now published by Kelsey Media and operates the PilotWeb platform at pilotweb.aero, offering news, forums and guidance for beginners in aviation.

Founded in 1966

Pilot was launched in 1966, entering a British general aviation scene that was still finding its post-war feet. Private flying in Britain was a smaller, more club-based world than it is today, and the new magazine set out to serve it with serious, practical journalism. From the beginning it aimed at the whole spectrum of private aviators: from students taking their first lessons to experienced owners flying complex aircraft across Europe.

The magazine's early publisher was Lernhurst Publications Limited, and for decades the title was closely identified with its founder, editor and publisher James Gilbert. Gilbert built Pilot into what contemporaries described as the pre-eminent general aviation publication of its day, a magazine whose influence over the market was underlined by the price it eventually commanded when he sold it to a publishing group.

James Gilbert: The Founder

James Gilbert, who died in February 2006 at the age of 70, was one of the great characters of British aviation journalism. He learned to fly at White Waltham, the famous Berkshire airfield, and moved into aviation journalism with a passion for accuracy, strong opinions and good writing. An accomplished aerobatic pilot — he was runner-up in the national aerobatics championship in 1964 and won the Esso Voltige Trophy the same year — he brought a practitioner's authority to the magazine.

Under Gilbert's editorship, Pilot reflected his idiosyncrasy, humour and passion for flying. He was, by his own colleagues' account, a stickler for accuracy who hated clichés and respected opinions that differed from his own, and the magazine of his era was described as always interesting and often surprising — a title from which the reader, whatever their flying experience, would learn something new. His interests extended beyond aviation: he assisted in the production of the 1969 film Battle of Britain, flew in the warbird film Aces High and appeared briefly in The Eagle Has Landed. He was also a jazz lover and bon viveur whose wide reading informed the magazine's literate tone.

The Archant Years

After the Gilbert era, Pilot became part of Archant Specialist, the specialist magazine division of the Archant publishing group, and was published from Wokingham in Berkshire. The Archant years saw the magazine maintain its position as the market leader in British general aviation publishing, with a small editorial team supplemented by contributors producing a substantial monthly package.

The editor since 2011 has been Philip Whiteman, who served as deputy editor under James Gilbert before taking the helm. Whiteman is himself an active pilot who owns and operates a Piper Cub, the classic American taildragger — a fitting aircraft for the editor of a magazine devoted to the pleasures of private flying. His tenure has continued the magazine's tradition of being edited by someone who genuinely flies.

Sale to Kelsey Media

In February 2022, Pilot was sold to Kelsey Media, the Kent-based specialist publisher, marking a new chapter in the title's history. Kelsey Media, based at Yalding in Kent, is one of Britain's largest independent publishers of special-interest magazines, and the acquisition placed Pilot within a portfolio of enthusiast titles. The move continued a broader consolidation in British specialist publishing while keeping the magazine in independent hands.

The sale came at a time when the general aviation magazine market had thinned considerably. With several former rivals having closed or moved online, Pilot has been described as the only UK general aviation magazine still in print — a testament to the loyalty of its readership and the durability of its editorial formula.

Content and Regular Sections

A typical issue of Pilot is a substantial package: the June 2019 issue surveyed ran to 100 pages on quality gloss paper with a heavyweight perfect-bound cover, priced at £4.25. The magazine opens with "Notes", around ten pages of news, followed by columns, letters and reviews interspersed with the meatier content: the cover feature, flight tests, and historic and restoration features.

Regular sections include adventure flying, engineering and historic aircraft news, alongside a comprehensive calendar of aviation events and a useful classified section — the latter famously carrying advertisements for everything from aircraft shares to properties with their own landing strips. The readers' column "ILAFFT" — I Learned About Flying From That — on the last page has become a beloved institution, sharing the hard-won lessons of the magazine's readership.

Flight Tests and Buyers' Guides

The magazine's flight tests are among its most valued content. Each month Pilot puts a light aircraft through a thorough evaluation, combining performance data with the subjective impressions of experienced test pilots. Buyers' guides complement the tests, helping readers navigate the second-hand market — still the main route into aircraft ownership for most British private pilots.

The tests cover the full range of general aviation aircraft, from microlights and vintage taildraggers to modern composite tourers and high-performance singles. For a community in which buying an aircraft is one of the biggest financial decisions a pilot will make, the independence and rigour of Pilot's assessments have made them essential reading.

Adventure Flying

The "adventure flying" section captures the romance at the heart of private aviation. Contributors write about flying expeditions to far-flung destinations: crossing continents in light aircraft, exploring the airfields of Europe, and tackling challenging strips in the mountains and deserts. These features combine practical planning detail — routings, fuel stops, paperwork — with evocative writing about the experience of seeing the world from a small aeroplane.

Alongside the adventures, a section detailing what is involved in various flying activities introduces readers to new disciplines: aerobatics, formation flying, tailwheel conversions, night ratings and more. For pilots looking to extend their skills, the magazine serves as both inspiration and practical guide.

Rotary-Wing Coverage

Pilot is noted as the only UK general aviation magazine to include content on rotary-wing aircraft in every edition. Helicopter coverage — from training and ownership to the machines themselves — is woven into the magazine's regular mix rather than treated as a separate specialism. This reflects the reality of the British GA scene, where fixed-wing and rotary pilots share airfields, airspace and many of the same concerns, and it gives Pilot a breadth of coverage its rivals have not matched.

PilotWeb

The magazine operates PilotWeb at pilotweb.aero, its online home. The site carries aviation news, overviews of the magazine, discussion forums and information aimed at beginners in aviation — a first port of call for anyone considering learning to fly. Sections on gear, techniques and training, and flying schools are complemented by classified advertising, extending the magazine's community into the digital space.

The website's forums provide a meeting place for the Pilot readership, continuing the tradition of pilot-to-pilot conversation that has always been part of the magazine's culture. Links to the title's social media channels carry engaging pictures and videos that showcase the visual appeal of private flying.

Circulation and Standing

Pilot's strapline claims it as "Britain's best-selling GA magazine", a position supported by its last audited circulation figure: 12,041 for 2017, the final year it was registered with the Audit Bureau of Circulations. In a specialist market where circulations of a few thousand are common, the figure underlines the title's dominance of its niche.

The magazine's longevity — approaching sixty years in print — makes it one of the enduring titles of British specialist publishing. It has survived the decline of the high street newsagent, the rise of the internet and the consolidation of the magazine industry, adapting its format and ownership while keeping its editorial core intact.

Legacy

From James Gilbert's fiercely independent Lernhurst days to the Archant era and now Kelsey Media ownership, Pilot has remained the standard-bearer of British general aviation journalism. It has taught generations of pilots to fly better, buy wisely and dream bigger, and its pages form an unrivalled archive of private flying in Britain. Described by its chroniclers as the only UK GA title still in print, it carries the torch for a whole tradition of aviation writing.