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Former FedEx captain new leader at ‘Flying’

Retired FedEx captain Michael Maya Charles, an occasional contributor to AOPA Pilot, is the new editor in chief of Flying magazine. Charles replaces J. Mac McClellan, a 30-year veteran of the magazine. Bonnier Corporation, parent company of Flying, made the announcement July 13; McClellan will leave the magazine effective July 23.

Maya Charles was a columnist for Flying into the 1990s before leaving to pursue other writing opportunities in addition to his airline career. He is the author of the book Artful Flying and also previously wrote for AvWeb.

“Michael has more than 22,000 hours of flying time in more than 200 aircraft types and has made a living as a professional pilot for 38 years—as a flight instructor, charter pilot, corporate pilot and airline pilot. He’s a certified airframe and powerplant mechanic, has owned airplanes since he was 19, and flies his two current airplanes from his airpark home in Colorado,” said Bonnier editorial director David Ritchie.

Maya Charles’ most recent contribution to AOPA Pilot was “ Dancing with Lucille,” a story in the January 2010 issue about the ungainly Sikorsky Skycrane.
Thomas B. Haines
Thomas B Haines
Contributor (former Editor in Chief)
Contributor and former AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines joined AOPA in 1988. He owns and flies a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza. Since soloing at 16 and earning a private pilot certificate at 17, he has flown more than 100 models of general aviation airplanes.

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