Yes...it is all true. The last issue of Skydiving Magazine was January. We mailed out pro-rated refund checks on Friday, January 16th. Renewals and new subscriptions that have come in since late December have not been processed.
(Please note that we have never offered a "Lifetime Subscription" to Skydiving Magazine. About 10 years ago we offered a 10-year subscription with a copy of Norman Kent's Photo Book...these 10-year subscriptions are starting to come to an end.)
We will still be in the office to take care of any issues. If anyone has any questions or problems, please feel free to contact me, sandy@skydivingmagazine.com.
I've known Mike Truffer since I moved to Fla. in '77. I've subscribed to Skydiving since the first issue. During a period of about 8 years, when I was not jumping, I still subscribed and read his magazine. I have always credited that for getting me back to jumping after that layoff.
Good luck, Mike & Sue and Skydiving staff. Thanks for the great work in publishing the best skydiving publication ever.
What a shame! It seems like I've been getting the magazine since my first jump and really looked forward to the articles and pictures. Just about the only place to get the latest information or quell the local rummer. Mike did a super job and the many of large pictures were clipped out for display. Hate to think it won't be coming next month.
Mike, thanks for all that you did to keep us current of events and happenings..... The articles always addressed timely matters and I really loved the pictures.
first met MR Truffer @ the Collegiate Nationals in De Land Fla. Nov. 1974... ( we were both, just kids )
He was the type of person who was easy to remember, cause he is REAL.
Years could go by , yet whenever i might write to the publication, or call with a question, that same real and genuine concern and interest in me, by Him, or by Sue Clifton, was always evident..
Just Love that magazine, and when they switched to glossy paper,,,, WOW the pics just jumped out at the reader...
very very sad to now hear this news...
Thanks Mike and company, for allll the decades of information, editorials, humor, and advertising.... well done. best wishes in any and all of your future endeavors...
"Skydiving" was also great for those of us outside the USA.
In addition to all the jumping, there were interesting equipment related articles, and current controversies that might never get into an official organization's magazine.
There was no need to wade through the material in Parachutist that's organization-specific. (E.g., Lists of licenses earned.)
On the USPA site I don't see any way to just subscribe to the magazine. My gut feeling is that it would have to come out cheaper per issue than Skydiving to be worth it...
The Austrailian Parachute Federation magazine is good. I used to get it complemenatry as PIA Rigging Committee Chair but don't now since I'm no longer chair. It is a very well done magazine but closer to Parachutist than Skydiving.
Associate membership, mag only is $95 AUS, about $65 US.
I too will miss Skydiving. It was always good to get news and event reports a month sooner and get a broader perspective. I didn't always agree with Mike, but usually and always appreciated the viewpoints.
30 years with a monthly deadline had got to be brutal.
(This post was edited by councilman24 on Jan 21, 2009, 7:16 AM)
>>Please note that we have never offered a "Lifetime Subscription" to Skydiving Magazine.<<
I just checked and yes I was mistaken . . .
Our subscription was indeed for ten years. I guess when we got it in 1998 I didn't think I would last another ten years so I considered it for life.
On a personal note, thanks to Mike and Sue for a great ride. And if those knuckleheads in Alexandria fail to drop this year's "USPA Achievement Award" on both of you I'm going to be very annoyed . . .
And not only has it been wonderful reading since the 1970s, you guys chronicled the history of the sport since that time. Anyone with a full collection of "SKYDIVING" already owns a history of the sport book.
In my own writing I can't guess how many times I referred to back issues and also the Index of Back Issues you have posted on the web. Each synopsis there listed anything that happened of import that month and it really helped me with getting the dates of past events correct.
You also published some of my stuff when "PARACHUTIST" wouldn't touch it, so thank you for that too.
So, does this mean Robin Heid will have to go on Welfare?
Renewals and new subscriptions that have come in since late December have not been processed.
What's your definition of late December? I signed up online on 12/18/08 and the money was withdrawn from my account on 12/22/08. So I wouldn't say that they haven't been processed.
(This post was edited by wildfan75 on Jan 21, 2009, 11:29 AM)
I'm not digging for details but is there anyway to turn this around? Increase subscription rates and such? I really hate to see this happen. It was the one place to get uncensored news in the sport. I think I was up for renewal and would gladly pay more.
Renewals and new subscriptions that have come in since late December have not been processed.
What's your definition of late December? I signed up online on 12/18/08 and the money was withdrawn from my account on 12/22/08. So I wouldn't say that they haven't been processed.
Late Dec. starts on 12/23. They said refunds are coming so I would say you have no problem unless that doesn't happen.
While we're at it, now is a good a time as any to announce that Fayard sold all of his airplanes.
Any more info on this?
Talked to Paul today, no worries. Business as usual, some changes were made. More Casa's are to be delivered soon! i quote "Business as usual" Paul Fayard
This is really sad news.... the end of a great era.
I remember when Kevin Gibson passed the torch, and Mike Truffer carried it to what we've all grown to love. People subscribed to Skydiving Magazine because they wanted to read it; not because it came along with membership dues. Base jumping was freely talked about with great photos, when Parachutist wouldn't even mention anything that didn't adhere to the BSRs. You got more details about incidents and accidents that provided real learning, not just speculation that "an AAD might have prevented this..." I even got some of my own stories and photos published by Mike & Sue. I guess they're real collectors' items now.
Nope, raising subscription prices won't save the magazine. Subscriptions rarely cover the costs of publishing. It's your advertisers who are the bread and butter, and I know how many of my own clients have cut their advertising costs over the past few years.
Thanks for the many years of great reading to Mike, Sue, Sandy and all the staff over the years. Sandy, it's been a great pleasure working with you. I'm sure our paths will cross again soon. To Robin, I hope you find another creative outlet for us to pick on. We've enjoyed your tenacity. To Troy White, dear friend and ex-patriot, You can come back now. We have a new president!
I had the pleasure of jumping on an 8 way team with Mike and Sue at the Nationals held at the Ranch about 12 or 13 years ago. I have never laughed so hard and jumped so well. We named ourselves the "French National Team", just so all the Frenchies would be scratching their heads in Paris as to why Airspeed and the GK's kicked their butts so hard!
I have spoken with Mike about many, many issues over the years, not always in agreement, and have enjoyed his and Sue's friendship. They even took a chance and came to my first boogie!
OK, he didn't make a million; but he did make a living. And one that I am very sure that he enjoyed doing.
The question I have is this. Why jump straight to a shut-down? Why not offer the publication up for sale, with rights to the magazine name, the office equipment, etc. That way, Mike Truffer could make some money off his accumulated assets from the mag, and someone else could take over and make a living by continuing to publish it, and us readers could continue to enjoy alternative skydiving news coverage. That would be the win-win-win solution I'd like to see.
Like everyone else, I've enjoyed the mag immensely. And I wish Mike and his staff the very best for their future.
(This post was edited by JohnRich on Jan 21, 2009, 9:17 PM)
Sad. While Parachutist was glossy and designed to impress non and new skydivers, Skydiving provided the only tool for active skydivers to keep informed about their sport in a timely and unvarnished manner.
Mike and Sue were the only ones willing to honestly report the Official hypocritical grandstanding that surrounded a certain video I starred in 20 years ago, and the only ones willing to report the follow-up. For that, I will remain forever grateful.
Mike's willingness to speak frankly and refusal to buy in to bureaucratic talking points or official policies encouraged open discussions of critical issues in our sport throughout the years. His voice and the reporting so broadly captured and quickly disseminated by Sue and their team has stood as an Icon for decades. They will be sadly missed.
Im bummed, have been getting the mag last two years..fun to read at work to get mind off work and into skydiving fun. Thanks for the motivation Florida dudes !
Then you may want to be sure your life insurance is paid up. Cause time's up.
By-the-way, this all reminds me of another niche publication that went a similar route...but they've kept publishing electronically even after they stopped selling subscriptions. It is run by people who just love to put out good info on their own favorite sport. RCSD. Additionally, they put all of their back issues on their site as PDFs.
It might be nice to have back issues available at some point for Skydiving. It is clear that they are getting out of the business, so...all that would be needed is copyright clearance from the publishers, a stack of back issues, a scanner, and an old fart with spare time and cable (if you've ever done mass scanning with a manual scanner, you know what I mean).
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