Michael Maya Charles, a former AVweb columnist, was named editor-in-chief of Flying magazine in July, but on Tuesday he was out and longtime staffer Robert Goyer stepped into the job. “It was a mutual decision” for Maya Charles to leave, publisher Dick Koenig said. “We certainly wish him success in his next endeavor.” Goyer has been with the magazine since 1994 and said this week he plans to take the magazine to “new heights.” Koenig cited Goyer’s “skill with new media” along with a track record of success in the magazine industry and a wide breadth of aviation knowledge. Maya Charles had taken over the job from J. Mac McClellan, who had been editor-in-chief since 1990.
McClellan is now with EAA’s publications division, where he will contribute to their print and online media. He said in July that his departure was due to a disagreement with the magazine’s new owners, Bonnier Corp., over the editorial direction of the magazine. Bonnier, which acquired Flying last year, had “very specific ideas about how to produce editorial content for its special interest titles,” McClellan told EAA, requiring as much as 14 months advance planning in very specific detail for each issue. Maya Charles is expected to return to his work as an aviation writer and photographer, according to Flying’s news release.
