Artful Flying
The pursuit of the possible
Hardcover · 332 pages · Foreword by Rod Machado · $34.95
What if… there was something more to flying than just getting the aircraft into the air and back to earth without damaging it?
What if… there was a whole world of that “other,” a rich, exciting world, full of discovery and lifelong learning?
What if… there was much more to flying than what conventional flight training has offered us, a world that exists beyond flight schools that is every bit as magical and amazing as flight itself?
What would that world look like? It would look just like Artful Flying!
What readers are saying
"…this book goes beyond basic proficiency and addresses the human elements that automation can never replace."
By emphasizing awareness, anticipation, and reflection, Artful Flying enhances performance in high-pressure situations and helps pilots remain composed and adaptable. The book’s personal stories—moments of doubt, discovery, and refinement—offer insight without preaching, allowing readers to apply similar reflection to their own flying.
Jason Blair, long-time flight instructor, DPE and former executive director of the National Association of Flight Instructors, in “Five Aviation Books Every Pilot Should Read”, Sporty’s Air Facts
"Very few, however, articulate what actually sits beneath good airmanship the way you do."
Your reflections on judgment, restraint, humility, and personal accountability resonated deeply with me, not just as a pilot, but as a professional who thinks a great deal about decision-making and responsibility. This is the kind of book that doesn't just get read once—it becomes something you return to as your experience grows.
Chris Bloom, working pilot, instructor and aircraft manager
There is no other aviation book like this.
"Artful Flying" is unique because it addresses the real human performance part of flying that is rarely talked about, and couldn't be more important, especially as we become more inundated with screens and automation in our cockpits.
$34.95
- Hardcover, 332 pages
- Foreword by Rod Machado
- Photography by Mike Fizer
- ISBN 978-0-9768274-0-5
Michael will be happy to personally sign the book for you.
"You have to polish something to make it shine, to banish darkness from shadow. In all human skills, especially those as complex as flying, the polish is practice."
From Artful Flying, Chapter 10, “The Practice of Flying”
Listen to the preface
The new preface of the Artful Flying audiobook, read by Michael Maya Charles. Runtime 13 minutes.
Make it Artful!
“It matters not what you fly, but how you fly it.”