Support Air Classics/Warbirds International Magazine

[oscardeuce]

Is there a digital version?

[Scott Rose]

The irony of this is killing me.... but I wish them the best.

[Sasquatch]

I just ordered up 10 back issues in the hope this helps them out a little bit. I know I'll enjoy the reading and photos over time, and I'd sure miss Air Classics, Sea Classics, and Warbirds Int'l if they were to go away. Good luck Mike and company, getting through all this.

- Tom

[Matt Gunsch]

sorry, if they were on fire, I would not bother to piss on them to put it out.
O'leary has made a living off of stealing others work and photos, and not dealing with complaints. When I got started in Warbirds, I bought a subscription using money from my paper route, I received 2 issues and then a note saying I had not paid. I sent them copies of the check that they had cashed. Years later a friend of mine took O'leary up in his 6 for a photo ship, when the story was published, it stated that he had been shot down and had been a POW in Vietnam. Well, he had never been shot down, and was never a POW and never claimed to have been, Air Comics refused to print a correction.

[Jack Cook]

The irony of this is killing me.... but I wish them the best.

Scott's clearly a bigger man than I am considering MO'L threatened to sue the both of us
over some trivial BS. That and seeing him in action at Reno and at a few shows has sealed the deal!
I haven't purchased or even gazed at one of his mags since and could care less if it goes the way of the dodo.
Remember there's a class act named Tim Savage who owns a fine aviation related publication!

[Randy Haskin]

The irony of this is killing me.... but I wish them the best.

Scott's clearly a bigger man than I am considering MO'L threatened to sue the both of us

Just as Matt said, what about all the people (like me) who, when he published unauthorized photos and writings of theirs, responded to our complaints with "see you in court!"

Ironic request, indeed.

[Joe Scheil]

I am very sorry to see the thread turn this way.

This was not my experience with Michael or the magizine, and I wanted to post something of a rebuttal. Air Classics was the magazine that had history pieces about the Aviation eras that fascinated me. It taught me about planes I did not know about at 10 years of age, and most importantly it educated me about what was happening at Chino, just 26 miles away by bike. ( I didn’t make it there I was 14.)

As I grew I found there were all kinds of folks in the game, and over that time I found Michael was always willing to talk, and had tremendous knowledge and information. He was out there as a young person discovering these planes just as they had arrived back from overseas, and it became his adventure too.

I am sorry that some have had a bad experience with him, and while I don’t have an answer for you, I hope that what does come through is something bigger and more important.

What strikes me so deeply is that for all the museums, Organizations, shops, subcontractors and magazines dedicated to one thing, and some of these things which have helped the movement are fighting for survival, that a simple plea for help gets turned into this.

For those that haven’t picked up a magazine, or won’t, please find another way to solve what has transpired in the past. But I still hope that those $8.00 magazines keep the high purpose, beautiful planes and the incredible people that do this stuff out in front of the masses that can’t afford planes or even leather jackets sometimes. There are thousands out there thta love the magazine. I have recently discovered Susan Dupree and Sea Classics, and if you haven’t you are missing something. In my experience everyone that I know as a contributor and writer is a first rate historian and lives this stuff all the time. They are all believers in the idea that this history belongs to everyone. I hope thta gets to continue.

Randy I think you are first rate and hope you are well. Hope to see you soon.

[Randy Haskin]

Randy I think you are first rate and hope you are well. Hope to see you soon.

Likewise, friend. BTW, really enjoyed seeing you in the L-4 article in Air and Space recently! Good stuff.

Honestly, I hadn't intended on throwing any gas on to the fire on this one, as I've long since shrugged off any sour grapes I may have had on the issue. I am not really an "axe to grind" type of guy, but Scott's comment made me chuckle.

Like others, I truly wish Challenge well and hope for their continued success as the most commercially-successful outward media face for the aircraft and history we love. I think we can all agree that in these tough times it is more important for us to focus on the appreciation and preservation of the history; that which brings us all together rather on the stuff that might drive us apart.

[Craig59]

Not to pile on but, O’Leary clearly has credibility issues within the community.

I’ve never been nor will I ever be a prolific writer but, the editors of both Air & Space and Aviation History have ALWAYS responded and paid in a timely manner. I could never get the time of day out of O’Leary and was warned by an author of books well known to the members of this board to steer clear of him because of his propensity for non payment.

While I wish the publications and the man no ill will, it would appear that perhaps the problems are self manifested and a change in his way of doing business may be warranted.

[Mark Allen M]

What's a "Magazine"?

[Chris Brame]

"It's like the Internet made out of a tree."

[Scott Rose]

I am very sorry to see the thread turn this way.

This was not my experience with Michael or the magizine, and I wanted to post something of a rebuttal. Air Classics was the magazine that had history pieces about the Aviation eras that fascinated me. It taught me about planes I did not know about at 10 years of age, and most importantly it educated me about what was happening at Chino, just 26 miles away by bike. ( I didn’t make it there I was 14.)

As I grew I found there were all kinds of folks in the game, and over that time I found Michael was always willing to talk, and had tremendous knowledge and information. He was out there as a young person discovering these planes just as they had arrived back from overseas, and it became his adventure too.

I am sorry that some have had a bad experience with him, and while I don’t have an answer for you, I hope that what does come through is something bigger and more important.

Like I said, I wish them well. I would not like to see them go under (nor any magazine). I met Mr. O'Leary once at Thunder Over Michigan, this was a couple of years after the lawsuit threat. He stared at me for a few seconds and without a word turned and walked away without a word. I decided at that point to direct my funds to different magazines. I still have a massive collection of Air Classics up to that point but haven't bought one since. When the lawsuit threat happened it scared the crap out of me and I nearly shut the site down. Threats of law suits by the wealthy are an effective and morally reprehensible way to shut down the little guy regardless of whether there is any legal basis for the suit in the first place. Several magazines and even more websites have vanished due to this tactic. If it hadn't been for the help and support of several WIX members this forum would have been shut down and the site as a whole would have followed soon after.

So Mr. O'Leary using the site he tried to shut down as an attempt to help his now troubled publishing endeavors is a bit ironic too me. However... the loss of Air Classics and it's sister publications would be a loss to the community as a whole. Another thing to consider is that if they all go away then so do a lot of jobs since I am assuming the Mr. O'Leary does not do all the work himself.

So I will attempt to let bygones be bygones and will consider subscribing for the first time in a decade.

[hurricane_yank]

I am very sorry to see the thread turn this way.

This was not my experience with Michael or the magizine, and I wanted to post something of a rebuttal. Air Classics was the magazine that had history pieces about the Aviation eras that fascinated me. It taught me about planes I did not know about at 10 years of age, and most importantly it educated me about what was happening at Chino, just 26 miles away by bike. ( I didn’t make it there I was 14.)

As I grew I found there were all kinds of folks in the game, and over that time I found Michael was always willing to talk, and had tremendous knowledge and information. He was out there as a young person discovering these planes just as they had arrived back from overseas, and it became his adventure too.

I am sorry that some have had a bad experience with him, and while I don’t have an answer for you, I hope that what does come through is something bigger and more important.

Like I said, I wish them well. I would not like to see them go under (nor any magazine). I met Mr. O'Leary once at Thunder Over Michigan, this was a couple of years after the lawsuit threat. He stared at me for a few seconds and without a word turned and walked away without a word. I decided at that point to direct my funds to different magazines. I still have a massive collection of Air Classics up to that point but haven't bought one since. When the lawsuit threat happened it scared the crap out of me and I nearly shut the site down. Threats of law suits by the wealthy are an effective and morally reprehensible way to shut down the little guy regardless of whether there is any legal basis for the suit in the first place. Several magazines and even more websites have vanished due to this tactic. If it hadn't been for the help and support of several WIX members this forum would have been shut down and the site as a whole would have followed soon after.

So Mr. O'Leary using the site he tried to shut down as an attempt to help his now troubled publishing endeavors is a bit ironic too me. However... the loss of Air Classics and it's sister publications would be a loss to the community as a whole. Another thing to consider is that if they all go away then so do a lot of jobs since I am assuming the Mr. O'Leary does not do all the work himself.

So I will attempt to let bygones be bygones and will consider subscribing for the first time in a decade.

This post just made me want to donate to this site for the first time. Let me know how to best do so.

[Jack Cook]

I met Mr. O'Leary once at Thunder Over Michigan, this was a couple of years after the lawsuit threat.
He stared at me for a few seconds and without a word turned and walked away without a word.

We had the B-25J at Fresno for the B-25/Doolitttle reunion and he and another guy walked by us has we stood next to the 25.
Guy#2 asked him if he wanted to talk to us and he loundly responded "No.... they're just a bunch of nobodies"!
Like I said Scott you're a bigger man that me because if his publishing empire folds I could really care less!

[old iron]

I remember some long while ago - and I am afraid that my memory does not allow me to be more specific here - seeing an article in Air Classics that provided a first-hand account of some guy in a Privateer who machine-gunned a Japanese ship, then while gaining altitude came onto a Japanese floatplane and shot that down, and then along came an Emily flying boat and shot that down as well, all in the same sortie.

I remember thinking "WOW, what a great piece of history!" I later learned, though I still do not know the particulars, that the story was largely (or completely) made up. That is when I quit reading Air Classics.

Presenting real history is a serious matter that requires critical thought and an attention for getting the details right. Air Classics did not so that. There were always interesting things about restorations in progress, but historical information too often had the trappings of bad fiction. I remember reading through Air Classics on the news stand - I would not pay money for the rag - and seeing this-and-this-and-this facts that were wrong, and other information that raised red flags concerning authenticity.

There are good avhistory periodicals - the AAHS (American Aviation Historical Society) Journal just came in the mail yesterday - and the news stands have a fair number of magazines with both writing and paper of better quality. I am sure that many of these need help as well, and suggest that money can be better sent in those directions.