About Me

Brief bio for Captain Maria Langer. You may be surprised by what you learn.

In my 60-something years of life, I’ve worn many hats, including:

  • OUPV boat captain
  • Commercial helicopter pilot
  • Freelance writer
  • YouTube content creator
  • Silversmith

There are other things I’ve done and I’ve listed them at the bottom of this page. But I’ll discuss the above list in more detail since these things are more recent and important.

Boat Captain

I’ve been boating on and off for most of my life, starting as a child on family trips in the Hudson River with occasional cruises around Manhattan Island and later in Long Island Sound. Throughout my life, I’ve chartered boats for trips on various lakes, including houseboating on Lake Powell, and rivers in the U.S. I’ve owned Waverunners and, more recently, a small jet boat.

In the early 2020s, I started getting serious about boating as a possible retirement career. I joined two boat captains — Captain Paul on his 2018 Ranger Tug R27 and Captain John on his 1985 35-foot Aft Cabin Carver — on five week trips along the Great Loop, gaining experience and trying to determine whether I liked the cruising lifestyle. I decided that I did.

In August 2022, I purchased a 2019 Ranger Tug R-29 CB. Since then, I had it shipped to Chicago, where I started my own Great Loop journey with friends and then solo. On August 12, 2024, I crossed my wake in Chicago, traveling 8,330 nautical miles in 464 days on the loop. I subsequently trailered the boat back to Washington state where I’ve been cruising in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the waterways between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland.

Meanwhile, in October 2023, I obtained a Coast Guard-issued OUPV (or “six pack”) Captain’s License. This enables me to take groups of up to 6 people on boat charters, offer various educational cruises, and reposition boats for owners and dealers. You can learn more about the services I offer on my Captain Services page. I look forward to working with other Loopers to help them achieve their dream of completing the Great Loop safely, cost effectively, and enjoyably.

I’ve already worked closely with two new Ranger Tug owners to give them the kind of boat-specific training I had such a hard time finding when I bought my boat back in 2022. In the summer of 2025, I’ll be working closely with San Juan Yachting and Anacortes Yacht Charters to provide powerboat training services in the San Juan Islands area of Washington.

Helicopter Pilot

My third career was as a commercial helicopter pilot. I was the owner/operator of Flying M Agricultural Services, a Wenatchee, WA area company that provided cherry drying hover services to local cherry orchardists. I retired from this work in August 2023.

I also founded the helicopter tour and charter company, Flying M Air, LLC, in 2005. Flying M Air was featured in an article in the May 2009 issue of Arizona Highways magazine and the April 2004 issue of Flying magazine, as well as in the Jon Davison coffee table book, Robbie: The Robinson Helicopter Experience. Flying M Air’s Southwest Circle Helicopter Adventure was highlighted in the August 2009 issue of Arizona Highways as “The best way to see Arizona in a week.” I sold Flying M Air, LLC in the summer of 2022.

I also flew tours at the Grand Canyon for Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. That was way back in 2004.

As of January 2023, I have logged approximately 3,800 hours flight time in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L helicopters.

Freelance Writer

My second career was as a freelance writer of computer books. From 1990 through 2014, I wrote 85 books, hundreds of articles, and lots of video training material, mostly about Macintosh and Windows computing.

My publishers included Peachpit Press (a division of Pearson Education), Quicken Press (an imprint of Osborne/McGraw-Hill), Microsoft Press (an imprint of O’Reilly), Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning), and Flying M Productions.

Wearing my computer book author hat, I appeared as a speaker at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Boston, New York, and Toronto. I’ve also participated in podcasts, including video podcasts, including MacJury, MacVoices, and WordCast Conversations.

I still write occasionally for hire, but these days it’s about aviation and boating. I’ve written for Vertical, Rotor & Wing, Aircraft Owner Online, HeliNews, Sport Aviation, Southwest Aviator, and American Flyways. For a while, I was a avid reviewer and Cruising Editor for Waterway Guide.

And of course, I blog as often as I can on this blog, My Great Loop Adventure, and my personal blog, An Eclectic Mind.

YouTube Content Creator

I began recording video footage during helicopter flights in the mid 2000s and, over time, improved my setup and editing capabilities to build a widely viewed YouTube channel called FlyingMAir. My interest in making videos soared when one of my videos went viral, getting more than 12 million hits over time. My fans say they like my approachable style and narration and my hype-free content.

Since then, I’ve begun recording videos of days in my life, boating, and jewelry making. I enjoy sharing the things I do and know with others and think video is a great way to do it. You can find my non-flying videos, including the videos I make about my Great Loop travels on my personal YouTube Channel, Maria Langer.

Silversmith

I began making jewelry from gemstone cabochons and silver wire in early 2018 and have since developed my jewelry making into a business: ML Jewelry Designs. I’ve expanded my offerings to include sterling and fine silver and copper pendants, earrings, rings, and bracelets in a wide variety of styles. My work is heavily influenced by native American silversmithing and stone work.

I have sold my jewelry at art shows in Washington, Arizona, and California. My work also appears in a number of galleries and shops in Washington and Arizona. In 2019, I opened an online shop to sell directly to customers.

I have taken a number of jewelry making classes in Tacoma and Tucson to learn new skills that I can apply to my work. I have also taught jewelry making at Gallery One in Ellensburg, WA, Tyson Wells in Quartzsite, AZ, and in my Malaga, WA home studio.

Past Activities

In the past, I also:

  • Managed a five-star Airbnb glamping property.
  • Acted as general contractor for the construction of my custom home. I also did all the wiring and much of the finishing work.
  • Developed and managed websites for a variety of small commercial and nonprofit organizations.
  • Owned and managed two rental properties with a total of six units.
  • Operated an FBO at Wickenburg Municipal Airport.
  • Addressed computer users and professionals at conferences such as Macworld Expo, user group meetings, online chats, and book signings.
  • Wrote software documentation.
  • Created custom FileMaker Pro database solutions.
  • Developed computer applications training material.
  • Taught software applications and hardware troubleshooting in a classroom environment.
  • Developed and taught software applications for online universities.
  • Provided general computer consulting services.
  • Produced the newsletter, Macintosh Tips & Tricks for Giles Road Press (now Flying M Productions).
  • Held various full-time jobs as an auditor and financial analyst with Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and The New York City Office of the Comptroller.

Hobbies, Interests, & Education

My hobbies and interests keep me busy when I’m not working. Other than the things listed above, I enjoy photography, travel, reading, camping, gardening, bookbinding, watercolor painting, linocut printing, beekeeping, and astronomy.

I received a BBA with highest honors in Accounting from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.