Book excerpt: This book goes beyond the physical act of flying - it's about conquering the nagging fears that consume every new pilot when mastering this most revered and challenging of human endeavors. Most of all, it's about the joy and boundless freedom of being a pilot, pursuing like our aerial ancestors the inescapable lure of the map. Flying Carpet shows not only how people fly - but why. The author's adventures take place in the course of every type of mission from surmounting family emergencies to visiting unusual destinations - in ways that only travel by airplane allows. Pilot readers will be stimulated to pursue similar destinations in their own flying carpets. Aviators seeking purpose for their flying skills will find it here.