Why Fly
Seeking Awe, Healing, and Our True Selves in the Sky
Book •
Caroline Paul's 'Why Fly' combines memoir with cultural and historical reflection to ask why people are drawn to flying.
Drawing on her decades of experience in varied aircraft, Paul explores how flight produces experiences of awe, perspective, and emotional healing amid personal upheaval.
The book examines technical aspects of flying alongside vivid descriptions of landscapes and the psychological 'overview effect' that can come from altitude.
Paul connects lessons from piloting — risk assessment, focused communication, and embodied perception — to broader themes of resilience and self-discovery.
Woven into the narrative is her personal story of learning gyrocopter flight during a marriage dissolution and how aviation aided her recovery.
Drawing on her decades of experience in varied aircraft, Paul explores how flight produces experiences of awe, perspective, and emotional healing amid personal upheaval.
The book examines technical aspects of flying alongside vivid descriptions of landscapes and the psychological 'overview effect' that can come from altitude.
Paul connects lessons from piloting — risk assessment, focused communication, and embodied perception — to broader themes of resilience and self-discovery.
Woven into the narrative is her personal story of learning gyrocopter flight during a marriage dissolution and how aviation aided her recovery.
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Alexis Madrigal
Caroline Paul
Pilot of Experimental Aircraft Asks ‘Why Fly?”
