THE TOP 25 MUST-READ BLOGS FOR AVIATION ENTHUSIASTS
Below are the 25 most unique, informative, and entertaining aviation blogs on the web. They are enjoyed by thousands of flight enthusiasts from around the globe every month and cover a wide variety of topics including: business aviation, airline news, flight training, safety & regulations, airport design & operations, planespotting and more. Listed in no particular order, these sites are the best online resources for breaking news, in-depth articles and funny stories from the world of flying.
The overall goal of the BFI Aviation Award for Top 25 Blog hosted by BlastFence International is to recognize the thought leaders and industry experts who consistently provide the aviation industry with the best content. The list was also created to showcase blogs and topics that you might not have known about (but will really enjoy) and on the flipside, to bring new readers to blogs that deserve the attention.
Our methodology for selecting the top blogs involved weighing and analyzing the following factors:
- Activity – All of the blogs have to be active and posting on a regular basis
- Relevance – The percentage of posts that were focused strictly on aviation related topics
- Engagement – The average number of social shares, likes and comments on posts
- Social Following – The number of Facebook likes, Twitter followers and email subscribers
- Writing Quality – How well written, educational, useful, insightful and entertaining the posts typically are
We have to say that it was tough to finalize this list. There were a number of blogs that just missed the cut and will be re-considered when we update this list next year.
Note for the Winners: Congratulations on making the list. You can show off your shiny new badge on your blog by simply copying and pasting the code below. A version of the badge without the wings can be found at the bottom of the post.
Without further adieu, I give you the best aviation blogs on the internet.
1. Cranky Flier: This is an appropriate name for this unique blog created and maintained by Brett Snyder. The blog provides airline news from around the world, tips and advice for fliers, and offers the airline travel service “Cranky Concierge” to travelers that will book/track their flights, troubleshoot issues such as flight cancellations, and locate/arrange travel accommodations once fliers reach their destinations.
2. Aviation Queen: An upfront and talented aviation journalist, Benet J. Wilson is an experienced freelance writer and the Air Travel Expert for About.com. She writes about her many flying experiences and her thoughts and opinions concerning the latest airline news or hot topic of discussion such as when weight becomes a deterrent to travel. Her posts keep you reading from beginning to end and the weekly Strange But True Aviation News feature is always entertaining.
3. NYC Aviation: This is a one-stop hot spot for virtually every aircraft topic imaginable — from famous dates in flight history to crash records. The website was originally founded in 2003 by Phil Derner Jr., a writer and aviation photographer. The site’s blog is actually organized by columnist, and each post reads somewhat like a feature in a newspaper as opposed to the traditional blog post format.
4. EAA: The Experimental Aircraft Association was first launched in 1953 by flight expert Paul Poberezny. The official EAA website is actually home to three highly innovative aviation blogs. J. Mac McClellan authors Left Seat, which provides flight enthusiasts with relevant news regarding all aspects of aviation including flying techniques, technology and aircraft ownership. EAA also hosts two other creative blogs. The Zenith 750 Project blog tracks the construction of a Zenith 750 aircraft by employees of the EAA, and Dream Build Fly is a similar blog that charts the creation of an aircraft being built in a garage.
5. Aviation Chatter: Founded in 2009, this blog by airline pilot Pat Flannigan is centered on actionable flight training and flying tips with the goal of helping others learn advanced aviation skills and become more knowledegable and experienced private pilots. His writing has been featured in AOPA, Airplanista and Forbes and he’s even developed an iPhone app that helps you find holding pattern entries that can be found here.
6. The Runway Centreline: Australian blogger Dan Parsons hosts this straightforward blog on airport operations & regulations. The content is practical and extremely well-focused on its topic. He doesn’t post as often as some of the other blogs, but his latest series onWildlife Risk Management is an interesting read.
7. Flight Story: FlightStory.net was founded in March 2007 by Michael Schindler, a German aviation enthusiast. Focusing on aviation news, stories and technical articles, this online magazine features well-written articles submitted by companies, the community and staff members accompanied by awesome images of aircraft.
8. Airplane Geeks: This innovative site is a podcast that offers content on many aspects of the flight industry. Spearheaded by aircraft engine “geek” Max Flight, Airplane Geeks is the go-to source for user-friendly information on topics such as security, military aviation, and airlines. Listeners get to hear from other aviation professionals and enthusiasts (some of which are on this list!) including: Brett Snyder, Shashank Nigam and Mary Kirby.
9. Jetwhine: With longtime flight expert/pilot Scott Spangler at the helm, Jetwhine is an informative blog that, as the site’s byline promises, provides “Aviation buzz and bold opinion”. Spangler is the former editor-and-chief of the EAA, and he uses this experience to give readers a wide breadth of content relevant to the industry. Along with the blog’s publisher Robert Mark, they recently posted Episode One of The Aviation Minute podcast that focuses on the pilot shortage. You can listen to it here.
10. Runway Girl Network: Is a groundbreaking site that provides readers with news and insight into airline services and passenger comfort, connectivity and safety. Founder and Editor Mary Kirby’s goal for the blog is to turn the traditional B2B news model into a community that takes passengers’ wants and needs into consideration. What makes Runaway Girl truly unique is its dedication to highlighting the achievements of women in aviation and retelling inspiring stories about the most impactful and impressive female pilots, executives and airline workers in history.
11. Aviation Pros: An ingenuous combination of press releases, articles, opinions, advertising outlets, and much more, Aviation Pros provides an extremely thorough range of content that covers nearly every flight-related issue imaginable. The site is also home to several successful flight magazines and hosts a trade site for aircraft-based purchases.
12. Airports International: Airports International is the online home of the world’s number one airport magazine in terms of circulation and readership. The magazine was founded in 1968 and while it has gone through many changes over the past 4 decades, it is still keeping subscribers up-to-date with developments in technology and equipment for the airport and airline business. The blog is updated with the latest international news on a daily basis.
13. JetBlue: With a Twitter fanbase of 1.7 million followers, JetBlue is the highly successful corporate blog of JetBlue Airways. Authored by Allison Steinberg, the blog is built around a number of informative and entertaining columns including Tuesday’s Travel Tips, A Day in the Life and the amusing “Tales of the Absurd” which gives a hilarious account of notable flight misadventures.
14. Delta Airlines Blog: Cleverly titled “Taking Off”, Delta Airlines official blog provides news, entertainment, contests, travel information and more that keeps readers coming back. The site’s image centered design and expertly-selected graphics greatly add to the reading experience.
15. Nuts about Southwest: This official blog by Southwest Airlines is anything but ordinary. With posts centered on everyday life in the Southwest region of the U.S., “Nuts about Southwest” is a testament to the individuals who live in this area, both in culture as well as socioeconomic interests.
16. The TSA Blog: Expertly managed by Bob Burns who has worked with the Transportation Safety Administration since 2002, The TSA Blog was created to educate the general public about travel safety. Simple and uncluttered in format, the blog is user-friendly and regularly features helpful tips and advice for travelers such as how to travel with personal medical electronic devices and what padlocks are TSA recognized. The blog has an active following on twitter and sparks discussion amongst its readers as there are typically around 20 or more comments on each post.
17. Operational Insight by Universal: With content specifically developed for the business aviation community, Operational Insight offers a wealth of information to assist individuals with managing the management and execution of business flights. The site also extends the opportunity for those in flight-related professions to submit guest blog posts.
18. DC Design Technologies: Developed by Jinan Alrawi, an early adopter of new technologies and aviation tech buff, DC Design Technologies is a new online channel that offers information, tools and services to airport professionals and engineers to help solve airport challenges. Some of the best articles on this relatively new blog are concentrated on the topics of marketing and consulting, which is a testament to Alrawi’s expertise and interest in both aviation and business.
19. AirlineReporter: Founded and written by expert pilot David Parker Brown since July 2008, Airline Reporter offers a detailed and engaging blog on travel, aviation, and airlines. Their posts are simple, exciting and even include the occasional joke. In addition, they do a great job of making the their articles interesting to both professionals in the industry as well as general fans of aviation.
20. Aviation Writer: A “sleeper” of a success with pageviews skyrocketing to an average of over 220,000 per month, Aviation Writer is a clever combination of technical as well as entertainment-related airline stories and top 10 lists. Managed by flight enthusiast Robeel Haq, the site is the prime example of one man’s passion in action.
21. AAAE Blog: With content tailored specifically for airline executives, the AAAE shares membership information and other wisdom on its official blog. The AAAE’s rich history of nearly 100 years is clearly evident in each thoughtful and community focused blog post.
22. EAS Flights: This blog by Nate focuses on how the Essential Air Service (EAS) program maintains business & a way of life for many communities, but also how it has been used & abused by the airlines, the communities, and the politicians. His goal is to bring attention to the problems with the program so that it can be used to make markets work instead of functioning like an airline-welfare program.
I think this program is a good one, however there are abuses that need to be fixed and airlines need to be motivated to try to make markets work, rather than allow EAS to become an airline-welfare program.
23. The Regulator’s Lot: A blog about safety regulation authored by Dan Parsons, The Regulator’s Lot takes a high-level, intelligent and in-depth look at topics that have a huge impact on airlines and the aviation industry as a whole including: risk management, safety management systems, organizational culture and risk assessment.
24. My Flight Blog: Authored by Todd McClamroch, an aviation enthusiast and private pilot, My Flight Blog is a unique and interesting account of one man’s journey through the entire process of becoming a private pilot. He shares his experiences on the blog to answer the questions he’s frequently asked about flying and to help motivate others to make their dreams a reality.
25. The Aviationist: Founded and authored by the well-known Italian pilot and former 2nd Lt. of the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force, ItAF) David Cenciotti, “The Aviationist” is a professional collection of primarily military aviation articles and captivating images of new technologies and weapon testing.
Thanks for checking out the list. We hope you found a few blogs to read!
For those who won, consider adding the badge to an about, media, award, press or advertise page. It’s a great way to show new visitors how awesome your blog is and to prove to them that it’s worth subscribing.
You also can see aviation blog ranking from here: http://www.blogmetrics.org/aviation
You also can see aviation blog ranking from here: http://www.blogmetrics.org/aviation
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