Mark Vanhoenacker, author of the new book Skyfaring, shares a story familiar to many aviators — as a kid growing up in the hills of western Massachusetts, he was fascinated with airplanes, but unsure how to pursue or afford an aviation career. So he got sidetracked — until he ended up flying a 747 for British Airways. How he got from that kid flying paper planes to driving an airliner all around the world is the story he tells in Skyfaring, his first book, and along the way he aims to convince readers — who may not be pilots, but those who fill the seats in the rear of the airplane — that to fly above the planet on jet-driven wings is a wonder and a privilege. “The book is really my attempt to share with readers what it’s like to fly a long-haul airliner,” he told AVweb in an interview. “And I hope that people who might not really like flying, will enjoy the view a little more because they read the book.”
The book, which was published first in the U.K., and just this week released in the U.S., has attracted a wide range of rave reviews. “A big-hearted book … Vanhoenacker is a talented writer, and we greet him at the start of what I hope is a career of writing about life in the heavens,” wrote Dwight Garner in The New York Times. Atlantic contributor and pilot James Fallows wrote: “Skyfaring is a beautiful, revelatory work … Vanhoenacker captures and conveys the magic of seeing the world from above.” Vanhoenacker will be giving talks about Skyfaring and his aviation career, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 10, at the Powerhouse Arena bookshop; in Lenox, Massachusetts, on June 19, at The Bookstore; and on July 9 in Seattle, Washington, at the University Bookstore. More details about the book, excerpts from reviews, and more speaking appearances can be found at the Skyfaring website.
