Flying South: A Pilot's Inner Journey (Paperback)

by Barbara Cushman Rowell (Author), Galen A. Rowell (Photographer), Frans Lanting (Afterword) "In the hour before dawn, I passed through metal security gate at Oakland Airport and drove out toward a dimly lit Cessna sitting alone on..." (more)
Key Phrases: partial panel, instrument flight plan, rafting accident, United States, Five Lima Yankee, South America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Flying South A Pilot’s Inner Journey by Barbara Cushman Rowell Photographs by Barbara and Galen Rowell

Call it love at first flight. Barbara Cushman Rowell was already a powerhouse by anyone’s measure, but it wasn’t until she tried flying that she found the inner fulfillment and sense of self she’d longed for all her life. As the driving force behind husband Galen Rowell’s business success, Barbara’s adventures and accomplishments had always been the byproduct of her husband’s career. Until, that is, she took off and sailed into a strata all her own. FLYING SOUTH is the hair-raising, reflective, and ultimately inspiring story of

Barbara’s trip of a lifetime—a 25,000-mile, 57-leg journey through Latin America and the recesses of her soul, discovering unrealized self-confidence, irrepressible resourcefulness, and vast reserves of emotional and physical strength she never knew she had. And what a journey it was. She recounts landing in the middle of a coup in Panama, narrowly escaping disaster when key flight instruments failed over Peru, flying herself to an oral surgeon after a mouth-smashing rafting accident on the Bio Bio River in Chile, fighting plane-shredding winds over the Andes, and surviving a life-threatening and disorienting tropical storm off the coast of Brazil—all while navigating the pervasive and demoralizing chauvinism of the aviation world. But much more than a harrowing page-turner, Barbara’s tale of finding herself through flight inspires us all to go after the experiences we long for, and to live the lives we only wish for. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher
•Includes over 100 stunning photographs, principally by GalenRowell.

•Adventure travel doubles as inspirational manifesto for women trying to find their own direction in life.

•Rowell is a role model for every woman who longs to nurture her own aspirations. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580084710
• ISBN-13: 978-1580084710
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #232,512 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just for Pilots or Flying Enthusiasts, December 13, 2002

By	John G. Powell (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying South: A Pilot's Inner Journey (Hardcover)

You do not have to be a pilot or do not even have to enjoy flying to enjoy this book. Rest assured that it will appeal to pilots, especially those who have longed for planning and completing that flying adventure! I happened to be in Bishop, CA and ordered this book from Barbara in July of 2002 only to be shocked, like everyone, to learn of the death of Barbara and Galen in August of 2002. In talking to her, it was obvious that she was very excited about her book coming out soon. I received the book in November and even though I am not a particularly fast reader, once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days. So what is this book about? It's about an adventure, it's about a woman who discovers the inner strengths that she didn't know she had, it's about the relationship of being married to a world renowned photographer and not getting lost in his shadow, it's about survival, and most importantly it's about living a dream. While most of us dream our lives, in this book Barbara Rowell shows the reader that it is possible to live our dream. My only regret is that I will not get the opportunity to tell Barbara personally how much I enjoyed her book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There are no old bold pilots, May 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Flying South: A Pilot's Inner Journey (Hardcover)

I am not sure if this is a travel book, a flying book, or a book towards self discovery. It seems to be a little of each, but not enough of each. As a travel book, I get only a sense of the towns she visits, and the cultures she adores. She gives snippets, and I wanted more. As a flying book, she reveals the most about herself. She is (was) a poor pilot. She set aside her responsibilities as pilot in command and did whatever Doug told her to do, no matter the danger. Her go-no go decisions were terrible, and every novice pilot should learn from her example. As a journey into self discovery, the book was its strongest. How does the spouse of a famous and outgoing person carve out an identity of her own? This was very interesting, and here the author found her voice.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, June 9, 2004

By A Customer

This book is not only extremely entertaining but also a great collection of beautiful color photographs of different spots "South of the border...WAY South."

The author bears her soul for the reader in such a manner that you will feel you're sitting right next to her in the cockpit of her single-engine Cessna as she flies herself (as well as her husband and brother) to the adventure of a lifetime.

Some will say she was a bad pilot. Who are we to judge? She was a brave soul and I am glad she had the courage to share her experience with the rest of us "safe" pilots.

Barbara's book is an inspiring story of self-discovery. One that pilots and non-pilots alike will enjoy.