Women of the Air [Hardcover]

Judy Lomax (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To the many other fields in which the role of women has been ignored or played down, add what is called "manned" flight. British pilot Lomax does a praiseworthy job here of showing that females were as airborne as males right from the start. Readers learn that a woman flew as a balloon passenger in 1784, another parachuted from a balloon in 1815, yet another was the first female airplane passenger in 1909, and the first female pilot was licensed in France in 1910. Also eye-opening are the tales of female wing-walkers in America and the "flying aristocrats" in Britain during the 1920s. And there are accounts of Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Jacqueline Auriol and so on to Valentina Tereshkova and Sally Ride, the first women in space, and Jeana Yeager, the record-setter in 1986 for nonstop, round-the-world flight. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Dodd Mead; 1st edition (May 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0396089801
• ISBN-13: 978-0396089803
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,344,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparkling Sketches of Free Spirits in Flight, May 8, 2003

By 

E.M. Singer (Central Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women of the Air (Mass Market Paperback)

(by E.M. Singer, author of "Mother Flies Hurricanes") An enlightening, engaging account of many of the early women pioneers in aviation, and of the contributions that women pilots made to the war effort in WWII. The women of Britain's Air Transport Auxiliary are featured, but the American WASPs get only a very brief mention in the chapter bio on Jacqueline Cochran. My favorite chapter is "Those Good Old Crazy Days in America," which features many pre-Earhart aviatrixes such as Harriet Quimby and her friend Matilde Moisant. One of them lost her life in a freak aerial accident; the other cheated death in spectacular fashion. Then there are the intrepid Stinson sisters, who with their mother founded Stinson Aviation Company. (A Stinson Reliant plays a key role in "Mother Flies Hurricanes.") The women barnstormers (the origin of that word is explained in this book) are a real kick! Two ex-waitresses entertained crowds with their aerial antics; another woman, Mabel Cody, was famous for her signature stunt, the "Iron Jaw Spin." Women of the Air also features other women barnstormers and wingwalkers, whose stunts would probably reduce the average male to a quivering mass of terror at the prospect (proving that you don't need to be a guy to have balls!) For sheer audaciousness, no one can touch The Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce (Mary to her friends) who in 1930 embarked on a round-the-world journey from her native England just a few weeks after getting her flying license! Not totally aerial, though; she wisely went by ship across the Atlantic and Pacific. Still, she did have adventures galore: abduction by an amorous Armenian, a forced landing in the Middle East which resulted in a rather unpleasant episode with a cross-dressing desert tribesman, an embarrassing incident in San Diego in which she mistook a military review for a reception in her honor, and lots, lots more (proving that you don't need to be American to be wild and crazy!) Did she finally get back to dear old England? Read this book and find out! For more recommendations on books about women pilots and about the women of Britain's Air Transport Auxiliary, visit the motherflieshurricanes.com website.

4.0 out of 5 stars Varied Cast of Women Pilots, September 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Women of the Air (Hardcover)

The author is from England and more information is given about foreign pilots. While women from the United States are included in this book, others who had places in aviation history are covered. Included are: Amy Johnson(England), Nancy Bird (Australia), Jean Batten (New Zealand), Beryl Markham (Africa), Hanna Reitsch (Germany), Pauline Gower (England), Jacqueline Auriol (France), and Sheila Scott (England). From the U.S.: The Stinson Sisters, Amelia Earhart, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Jacqueline Cochran. Early aviation (1783 - 1930)is covered. I like reading about the achievements of women aviators outside the USA.