LIFE EXPERENCE, FROM THE COCKPIT

For the Love of Flight and the Science of the Sky.

Why We Fly

Welcome to WhyWeFly.aero, the digital home of Dr. Mike Jones — a 4,000-hour commercial pilot, aviation author, and fierce advocate for small airports. For over 30 years, aviation has been a lifelong passion rather than a simple hobby. Flying is a rare pursuit that demands both physical eye-hand coordination and intellectual rigor, from understanding the mechanics of a wing to navigating the complexities of airport governance.


This site serves as a searchable digital portfolio and comprehensive library housing well over 100 published articles gathered from the cockpit and featured in premier aviation magazines like Cessna Pilots Magazine, Professional Pilot Magazine, and General Aviation News. To make exploring easy, the archive is broken down into core categories: Adventures in Destinations, Airport Stewardship, Specific Flying Skills, Flying with a Purpose, Pilots and People, and Technology. Whether you are looking to improve your specific flying skills, find new destinations, or learn how to protect your local airport "like a garden," you will find decades of insights here.


Readers can download original magazine layouts, browse aerial photography featuring beautiful neutral cloud backgrounds of Mike's beloved burgundy and gold Cessna 210, and watch embedded cockpit and commentary videos from his active YouTube channel.


More than just a library, this project explores the "why" behind our passion for flight and is a resource for fellow pilots and aviation enthusiasts who believe that learning never truly hits a ceiling — a philosophy Dr. Jones embodied by earning his doctorate at age 72. The site is designed for engagement, so we invite you to read the articles, leave comments, and rate your "readers' favorites" to join the ongoing conversation about all things aviation.

A glimpse into our archives. Explore three of our favorite stories below, or dive into the full collection for much more.

A small white and blue single-engine airplane flying in front of an aircraft hangar.
TECHNOLOGY

Range Anxiety & Summer Storms

There is no doubt: the future of the automobile is electric. All-electric
vehicles like the award-winning Chevy Bolt, the Nissan Leaf and a variety of
Teslas are on the road today. GM, Ford, Toyota, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Renault,
Nissan, Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche are announcing new models almost
daily. Sounds like a bright future, right?

A smiling person wearing a blue shirt stands in front of a red airplane inside a hangar, with event title text overlaid.
PILOTS & PEOPLE

Rick Giles and His Genial Beast

Rick Giles and his family have a rich aviation history, flying for the military, for airlines, bush flying, and sometimes just for family fun. They have maintained their strong connection to aviation by owning and flying the same airplane, a timeless but burly Cessna C180 taildragger, N180MW, for more than forty years. Here's how they did it...

A large group of people posing in an outdoor field, some smiling, in front of a parked aircraft with a dog sitting nearby.
DESTINATIONS

A Family Affair — Preserving Our Heritage of Grass Roots Flying

Two young brothers, Paul and Danny Rovegno, purchased Lake Ridge Aero Park (8NC8) near Durham, NC with a mission to keep grass roots aviation alive — and their fall 2021 fly-in drew over 100 planes, free meals, campfire sing-alongs, and even a P-51 touching grass for the first time in 30 years.

Airport Advocacy: Protecting our local infrastructure. Aviation Research: Data-driven insights into flight culture. Industry Trends: Staying ahead of the curve in a changing market.

A black map pin icon used to represent a location or point of interest.

Adventures

Fly-in adventures across America

A black outline of a shield containing a checkmark.

Destinations

Airports, fly-ins, and destinations worth the trip

A simple black line icon of a mechanical gear.

Airports & Stewardship

Protecting our local infrastructure

A simple black-outlined icon of an airplane flying toward the right.

Flying Skills

Tips, training, and techniques for pilots at every level

A simple line icon showing two overlapping human silhouettes, typically used to represent a group or users.

Flying with Purpose

Young Eagles and Angel Flights

A black and white line-art icon of a gear representing settings or system configurations.

History

The people and moments that shaped general aviation

A black outline icon of an airplane flying toward the right.

Plane Ownership

Buying, building, maintaining, and loving your aircraft

A black icon of two overlapping human figures representing a group, team, or user profile.

Pilots & People

Portraits and stories from the aviation community

A black outline icon of a mechanical gear with eight teeth and a circular center hole.

Technology

Innovation, avionics, and the future of general aviation

A person wearing a headset in the cockpit of a small aircraft, smiling with a rural landscape visible through the window.

Meet Dr. Mike Jones

Meet the self-described "old guy in the sky". Dr. Mike Jones is a 4,000-hour commercially rated pilot, a veteran U.S. Air Force lieutenant, and a former air traffic controller who has dedicated his life to continuous learning and the aviation community. For over two decades, he has explored the skies in his beloved burgundy and gold Cessna 210.


A firm believer that education never stops, Mike recently earned his Doctorate in Business Administration and Advanced Statistics from the University of Florida at age 72.


Today, Dr. Jones is a fierce advocate for small general aviation airports. He serves as the chairman of the Moore County Airport Authority and uses his extensive doctoral research to consult with communities nationwide, helping them protect and grow their local airports "like a garden".

Aerial view of the Chicago skyline, Navy Pier, and Lake Michigan, seen from an airplane cockpit.

Nature's Symphony

Breathtaking colors of our planet
Button
A bright red, single-engine bush plane parked on an asphalt ramp in front of hangars.

Faces of Humanity

Portraits of people from around the globe
Button
A smiling instructor and student sit in the cockpit of a small airplane, wearing headsets while in flight.

Sands of Time

Stark beauty of desolate dunes
Button
A person stands next to a banner in a grassy field that says,

Beyond Boundaries

Visual odyssey across continents
Button
A person wearing an orange vest on a red scooter on grass, facing a small green and white airplane on an airport tarmac.
Aerial view of the New York City skyline from a plane window, featuring skyscrapers along the Hudson River waterfront.
A person in a neon yellow shirt stands under a blue canopy, photographing a heart-shaped skywriting trail in a blue sky.
A red and white high-wing light aircraft flying above a treeline against a pale sky.
A vintage military aircraft with a green camouflage paint scheme, parked on an apron with smoke visible beneath the engine.
A red and white bush plane with large tundra tires flying against a clear blue sky.
A view from the side of a red and white small airplane in flight, showing its wing, propeller, and registration N112SC.
Four people in a hangar converse while preparing pancakes on a large griddle at an airport.
A small white and blue single-engine airplane flying in front of an aircraft hangar.
A line of ten young children posing and smiling in front of a Royal Air Force airplane on an outdoor runway.
A large UPS cargo plane with its nose door open at an outdoor airshow, surrounded by a crowd of people.
A young child with a red bow waves from inside the cockpit of a vintage olive green U.S. Army model AT-19 aircraft.
A crowd gathers on an airfield in front of a gray U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane and an F-15 fighter jet.
A person and three children in Halloween costumes pose in front of a red, propeller-driven plane decorated with a ghost.
A group of five people and a German Shepherd stand on an airport tarmac next to a small white and blue airplane.
A person stands beside a banner advertising
View more

Watch cockpit videos, airport commentary, and aviation adventures on Dr. Jones's YouTube channel.

Want to Connect?

Whether you have a story to share, a question about aviation, or just want to say hello — Dr. Mike would love to hear from you.

Contact Us