Although written mostly for industry professionals, individual articles can be grasped readily by fairly well versed laymen. The scope of the publication is a bit daunting, though, with complete coverage of military and civilian aviation, to include pilot reports, weapons assessments, and governmental and budgetary issues of relevance, as well as space launches and satellites and the allied technologies intrinsic to those disciplines. The coverage of significant aerospace events, such as an airline accident, the loss of 'Columbia', or the events of September 11, 2001 is much better detailed than in the mainstream media, for a couple of reasons: first, 'Aviation Week & Space Technology' does not sensationalize the news, they only care about factual accountings of events; second, the reporting staff is much more technically knowledgeable than anyone in the mass media or on the television networks; and, third, the expectation of readers is so high that reporters are very cognizant that misreporting, incorrect statements, or over-simplification will result in a deluge of e-mail from annoyed technical professionals.

If you are interested in the world of aerospace, particularly if you are a professional in the field, get this magazine: it will put you far ahead of the pack in general industry knowledge. I highly recommend 'Aviation Week & Space Technology' for all your aerospace news.