Hardcover
- 332 pages
- Foreword by Rod Machado
- Photography by Mike Fizer
- Signed by the author on request
- Free US shipping for retail customers
- ISBN 978-0-9768274-0-5
Artful Flying by Captain Michael Maya Charles
It matters not what you fly, but how you fly it.
A book, in hardcover and read by its author, about the human side of flying: the judgment, awareness and practice behind every good pilot.
- flight hours
- 23,000+
- aircraft types flown
- 200+
- years as a flight instructor
- 50+
His writing has appeared in
- AOPA PILOT
- FLYING
- AVweb
- Skies
- Vertical
What if…
- … there was something more to flying than just getting the aircraft into the air and back to earth without damaging it?
- … there was a whole world of that "other," a rich, exciting world, full of discovery and lifelong learning?
- … 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!
Why this book
The part of flying that rarely gets talked about
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.
Captain Michael Maya Charles has lived aviation for almost 60 years, from tiny taildraggers to large helicopters to monster jets. His stories and wisdom come from making the mistakes, harvesting the gold that comes from those learning opportunities, and presenting them in a style that is clear and inviting. You might have read his work in such publications as AOPA PILOT Magazine, FLYING Magazine, AvWeb and Vertical Magazine. This book is his deep bow to his lifelong practice.
The aviation world is flush with technicians, artists are few. Artist or technician: which do you want to be?
“All my life, I've simply challenged myself to fly more precisely each time I step into the cockpit.”
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
Very few, however, articulate what actually sits beneath good airmanship the way you do.
… This is the kind of book that doesn't just get read once—it becomes something you return to as your experience grows.
Read Chris's full note
I’ve spent my career around aviation—as a working pilot, instructor, and aircraft manager—and I've read a lot of flying books over the years. 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.
What struck me most was how clearly you captured the quiet moments of flying—the internal conversations, the discipline of saying "not today," and the long arc of becoming a better aviator over time. I found myself nodding along often, and in a few places, stopping to reflect on my own habits and assumptions in the cockpit.
This is the kind of book that doesn't just get read once—it becomes something you return to as your experience grows. I've already recommended it to other pilots/artists, and I expect I'll revisit it many times myself.
Chris Bloom
Working pilot, instructor and aircraft manager
The author
Captain Michael Maya Charles
Michael Maya Charles started flying at 11, soloed on his 16th birthday, got his private on his 17th birthday, and commercial, instrument and CFI when he was 18. Now a 23,000+ hour pilot with ATP in both fixed wing and rotorcraft. He's been an active flight instructor for over 50 years, and has flown well over 200 aircraft types, from tiny homebuilts to heavy jets. He took early retirement from the airlines as an international MD-11 captain.
Michael is also a trusted consultant, coach, speaker, life-long musician (upright bass, flute and percussion), and has contributed to many of the world's leading aviation publications, including AOPA PILOT, FLYING Magazine, AVweb, Skies, and Vertical Magazine.
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.
The audiobook
Hear it in the author's voice
Michael reads every word himself, with original music he composed and sound effects recorded for the stories. Start with the 13-minute preface.
Behind the recording
Recording a real shoe shine for the story of Razzy in Chapter Ten. 
Michael recording alto flute for the section breaks. 
Setting up the sound of running on wet pavement for Chapter Ten.
Choose your format
Audiobook
- Read by the author
- Original music composed by Michael
- Sound effects recorded for the stories
- Free 13-minute preface to preview
Buying for someone else? It makes a fine gift for a chief pilot, a star student, the instructor who made a difference, or a whole flight department.
From the blog
Read the Blog
Make Mistakes Your Friend
Why Michael booked a simulator session with the goal of getting things wrong.
What Do You Do With YOUR Discomfort?
Speaking up when your gut says no, even when your job is on the line.
Thank You, Bob Hoover!
A memorial for a friend, and what his flying shows about being Artful.