The Artful Flying Way                             April 2010                                                                                                                                                                 www.artfulpublishing.com       MMC somewhere over Arizona in DumboJet   Upcoming Artful Flying Events May 6  9:30-11:00AM Western Air Academy Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport Free Pancake Breakfast and a talk about Artful Flying FMI: (303) 466-6998 Artful Flying Work-Shop Coming to Denver soon!  Pilot Training?   As a writer, words mean a lot to me. When I hear the words "flight training," and see how that generally translates in the real world, I wonder if perhaps we've lost our focus on the real mission behind teaching people to fly. It is, afterall, about teaching pilots -- humans -- new behaviors and new thought processes so that they become capable of safely flying aircraft by themselves. Our mission is also a lot more complex than "training" which is largely a very "monkey-see/monkey-do" affair, for the most part. We demo to our students, and they try to duplicate our actions. Rinse. Repeat. What is missing from a lot of "flight traning" is the thought process required to safety operate the machine when things aren't exactly the way our instructor taught us. And let's face it: things that happen in our cockpits are often not exactly the way we learned in the monkey-see/monkey-do phase of our evolution as pilots. When I wrote "Artful Flying," this disconnect between "training" and "thinking" was one of the things that goaded me onward to finish the book. Taking time to learn more about the thought process is time well spent, and that scary corner is where I believe we have the potential to make the most changes in our flying enjoyment and our safety. Food for thought....   Michael   P.S. Please visit me on my new BLOG! Artful Thoughts     “Experience is the quiver from which we pull our arrows.   Wisdom is the way we use them.”   - Michael Maya Charles What is “Artful Flying?” From Chapter One Artful Flying goes beyond the memorized procedures, precise control movements, numbers and mnemonics; beyond checklists and training. Effort and attention to flying show if we look for them, and these signs come from a pilot’s decisions  about who she is and how he feels about flying. It is both ordinary and extraordinary. That pursuit of the possible is the journey I call Artful FLYING and I’ve found that the cockpit is a great venue for the creation of art.   Just look at the many ways art and flying are similar:   In art and flying… • it takes focus and awareness. • the basics are fairly simple and easy to learn. • there is a requirement for mastery of the fundamentals. • it’s the little nuances, folds, and deeper mysteries that take a lifetime to experience, appreciate and develop into mastery In art and flying… • you can go as deep or as shallow as you wish. • the requirement for discipline is high • you can spend a lifetime learning one thing well. • the higher levels of involvement begin within each person who undertakes in the journey. In art and flying… • what we produce is a very accurate reflection of who we are, our willingness to risk, to learn more than the superficial. • we are driven to know more. And more. And more still. • we become specialists because we can’t be experts in all things. It’s just too big. you can spend a lifetime pursuing an elusive, mysterious mistress called “perfect” and never reach it. there is no end to what we can learn, no end to what we can accomplish.   Beginning the Process   Before you can discover those deeper levels, you must first develop mastery of your craft, all the basic things: takeoff and landing, crosswinds, engine failure or the Perfect ILS Approach. Once you’ve got a pretty good handle on all of that, what’s next? What lies beyond simple mastery of the mechanics and craft of flying?   Art.       ALWAYS FREE SHIPPING! If you are a retail buyer in the U.S., we'll ship your copy -- or copies -- of Artful FLYING FREE. To receive free shipping just go to www.artfulpublishing.com and insert the code FREESHIP in the "Discounts" box at checkout. Feel free to pass on this newsletter (and free shipping offer) to your flying buddies who might enjoy reading Artful Flying. Order now!         Artful Flying Seminar coming soon! “Artful Flying is a doorway to new worlds of knowing.”  Michael Maya Charles           Two questions that often come up after someone finishes Artful FLYING are, "Michael, what's next?" and "How do I create more Artful Flying in my own cockpit?" Well, those are questions that I've been thinking about for some time, and have finally decided to offer an all-day seminarto address them. It's one thing to read a book like Artful Flying, quite another to live it. The concepts of this book are not that hard to understand and "learn," but they can be very difficult to "know." To really know these concepts, we must move them out of our heads and into our bodies. We need to practice. For a full day, we will: Experience Beginner's Mind and Awareness, taking it from concept to "knowing." Learn the Art of asking the right questions -- at the right time Focus on what's important -- now. Delve more deeply into the stories of Artful Flying -- and our own Practice ways to balance the Pilot Ego Probe the dread -- and joys -- of discipline Discover the crippling effect of striving for perfection Create a practice that you will perform for all the rest of your flying days. The ultimate goal for the seminar is to take Artful Flying's ideas back to your cockpit, and to make them a part of your everyday flying. You will have many new tools to create an Artful Flying practice of your own, and you will not only become a more aware, thoughtful, safer pilot, you will learn how to have more fun during your hours aloft. The introductory price for this action-packed seminar is just $180, less than a couple hours of dual. Does this sound like something you just have to try? Then please contact me at mmc@artfulpublishing.com and we’ll sign you up. Class size will be limited to ensure the individual success of each participant. I hope you'll join us.   Very best,   Michael Maya Charles .     Join our Community! Tell us YOUR story!   . What do you do that is artful? Since I released Artful Flying, I’ve talked to many pilots who said, “Finally...someone has written about the way I’ve always tried to fly!” There are a lot of you out there, flying artfully in helicopters, gliders, Pitts Specials, huge transports, even powered parachutes. Well, tell us your story. How do you make your flying count, make it artful, raise the bar, devoting the attention and  awareness to your moments in the cockpit that create a work of art? Interestingly, I’ve also heard from some of you who are engaged in an artful process in many other areas of your lives other than flying. I’ve heard from painters, photographers, writers, attorneys — and one pilot who is a union negotiator. Each of these people felt they were artful in what they do. So...tell us about your artful way! We’d love to hear from you!   Contact us here: info@artfulpublishing.com LOVE NOTES FROM READERS "It is rare when an author can take a technical subject like flying and infuse it with such clarity and passion. This work skillfully blends years of aviation experience, with a touch of Eastern philosophy and a lot of common sense. The result is a provocative essay that takes the insightful reader on a journey of introspection; primarily in their approach to flying, but easily extended to their approach to life".   Joe Romson MD, PhD Private pilot Love notes I have read your book and I love it! Great job! I identified with "beginners mind" and "relaxed awareness" and the value of practice. I, like you, believe in creating a relaxed, friendly, but very professional atmosphere in the cockpit. I like the concept of a pilot being engaged in a "professional practice." Again, well done, Michael. Thanks to you, my next flight and all future flights will be more Artful. Ken Hoffman, Former Chairman National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) Charles explores flying from a dramatically different perspective than the dry, rote push-the-stick-here or do-this-before-you-do-that vision taken up by so many texts. You won’t find mathematical models for lift or explicit decision trees in Artful Flying. Instead, you’ll be greeted by a philosophy that embraces flying for flying’s sake, and advances the notion that manipulation of a great machine can, indeed, be artful.   Artful Flying, if you let it, will make you a better pilot.   Marc Cook Editor-in-Chief Kitplanes Magazine   Inspiring, helpful, life-changing. Your book has motivated me to set new and higher goals and WHY I should. The WHY is the most important part... its the part I had missed. Thank you for waking me up. Ron Tyler Private Pilot working on Instrument Rating Your book, "Artful Flying" is the finest, most interesting and valuable book I have ever read on flying style, quality and personal attitude thereof.  I have recommended the book to my flying friends and instructors. Artful Flying has helped me toward my efforts toward becoming a "Class Act" pilot.  I shall read it again and again. Lawrence Cohn New Mexico   Artful Publishing, LLC 140 Cessna Drive Erie, CO 80516 303.604.0746 mmc@artfulpublishing.com http://www.artfulpublishing.com  Artful Publishing, LLC's mission is to create beautiful, thought-provoking aviation books and products contributing to an artful, mindful approach to flying and living. We hope that you find this newsletter thought-provoking and useful. If you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at info@artfulpublishing.com Entire contents of this newsletter are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, Artful Publishing, LLC. Please email requests to: info@artfulpublishing.com.