Richard Lawrence Collins (November 28, 1933[1] – April 29, 2018) was an American aviation author and journalist.
Richard L. Collins | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 28, 1933 |
| Died | April 29, 2018 (aged 84) |
| Occupation | Author and journalist |
| Nationality | American |
| Subject | Aviation |
| Years active | 1947 ― 2018 |
| Notable works | Flying IFR |
| Spouse | Ann Slocomb Collins |
| Children | Three |
| Relatives | Leighton Collins |
Collins earned his private pilot certificate in 1952 and subsequently logged over 20,000 hours in general aviation airplanes. He was the son of Leighton Collins (20 April 1902 — 16 January 1995),[2] a well-known aviation writer, pioneering flight safety advocate and founder of Air Facts magazine.[3][4][5] Richard Collins died on April 29, 2018, aged 84.[6]
Magazine editor and writer
editThe first article that Richard Collins wrote appeared in the November 1947 issue of Air Facts.[7] In 1968, Collins began writing for Flying magazine, and he was named Editor in Chief in 1977. He moved to AOPA Pilot magazine as Publisher and Editor in 1988. In 1993, he returned to Flying as an editor at large, where he wrote a monthly column as well as feature articles. In October 2008 Collins retired as a regular contributor to Flying magazine. At the time of retirement, Collins had been on the masthead of an aviation magazine since July 1958.[3][8]
Re-launch of Air Facts
editIn 2011 Richard Collins and John Zimmerman joined with Sporty's Pilot Shop to launch an online version[4] of the print magazine Air Facts, which Richard's father had originated in 1938 and which had continued until 1976.[2] Listed as 'Emeritus Editor', Collins published a blog on the site and wrote articles for the journal.[5] His final contribution to the site was published on 22 March 2018,[6] five weeks before his death.
During his nearly 61-year writing career, Collins wrote 1500+ magazine articles, 13 books, and created a library of aviation training videos.[7]
Books
editCollins authored 13 books about aviation weather and flying technique:[9]
- Flying IFR
- Flying the Weather Map
- Flight Level Flying
- Instrument Flying Refresher
- Air Crashes
- Mastering the Systems: Air Traffic Control and Weather
- The Perfect Flight
- Tips to Fly by
- Thunderstorms and Airplanes
- Flying Safely
- Pilot Upgrade: How to Stay Current in Safety
- Logbooks: Life in Aviation
- The Next Hour: The Most Important Hour in Your Logbook – released in 2009; the last of his books, dealing with the prevention of aircraft accidents.[10]
Personal
editCollins married Ann Slocomb in 1958. They had three children, Charlotte, Sarah, and Richard. His wife died on 26 March 2013. She was a staunch supporter and editorial assistant to Collins during their 55-year marriage.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Carlisle Family History: Particularly as it Pertains to the Descendants of Richard Carlisle; Allied Families". Cecil Allten Carlisle. 30 April 1961 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Arkansas Aviation Historical Society (2018). "Leighton Collins". Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ a b Flying Magazine (November 2007). "Meet Our Editors". Archived from the original on 10 December 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- ^ a b "About Air Facts". airfactsjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Meet the Authors". airfactsjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b Phelps, Mark (30 April 2018). "Famed Aviation Journalist Richard Collins Dies at 84". AINonline.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Richard Collins Celebrates 70 Years of Writing about Airplanes - Media Center – Sporty's Pilot Shop | Media Center – Sporty's Pilot Shop". sportyspress.com. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ Collins, RichardL. (October 2008). "A Long and Satisfying Journey". Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
- ^ "Amazon's Author Page". Amazon. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ Sportsman's Market (2009). "The Next Hour". Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ Richard Collins (3 April 2013A). "The perfect co-pilot of many years". Retrieved 24 July 2022.