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Erika Armstrong

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A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air Paperback – November 10, 2015

by Erika Armstrong (Author)

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard your flight. As you step onto my aircraft, take a quick glance into the cockpit. Yep, that’s me sitting in the captains’ seat, and that’s my first officer laughing about how he accidentally locked himself out of his hotel room. Naked. Again.

We’re both a little ripe from flying for the last five days, but we’re still smiling because we have spent years and thousands of hours training and living an uncommon lifestyle to be up here for you.

For the next few hours, you have to turn your life over to us. It’s hard to trust others, and there are moments when you don’t have a choice about being in control. During those moments, you’ll just have to tighten your seatbelt and trust that others will get you through the storm.

Our route today will take you through a segment of my life up in the air, and you will see things you could never imagine. Since I have been locked in the cockpit with men for several thousands of hours over the years, I have been given a perspective few get to experience. To help you see a different perspective, too, I am giving you a checklist to use as we move along our route. It will take you from gate to gate, and when we’re done, we will have both learned a little more about what it takes to fly.

Nowjust sit back and relax. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Erika Armstrong has worked every aspect of aviation in her twenty-five years in the industry, including an international corporate airline captain. She is an award-winning staff writer for Colorado Serenity Magazine and is a professional pilot columnist for Disciples of Flight, NYC Aviation, Contrails, Flying, LinkedIn, and Business Insider and is the owner of Leading Edge Aviation Consulting.

Print length

274 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Behler Publications
Publication date

November 10, 2015
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
ISBN-10

1933016140
ISBN-13

978-1933016146
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Editorial Reviews

Review

In the rarified atmosphere of flying, Armstrong’s memoir of life as a female pilot gives us a fascinating glimpse into a world where men still rule. But it’s her write-from-the-gut style of story-telling and the unexpected turbulence she meets, not just in her career but in her personal life, is what will captivate you. Riveting, informative, and break-your-heart funny.”
~ Lee Woodruff NY Times bestselling author of In an Instant; Perfectly Imperfect A Life in Progress; Those We Love Most; contributing reporter for CBS This Morning

Captain Armstrong brings to her work originality and humor which is rare in aviation literature. Her success flying the heavy iron’ for the airlines is a must read for any woman considering a career in aviation or facing the challenges of balancing work and home.”
~ Darcy Vernier, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, ATP, CFI, CFII, BA

Captain Armstrong’s powerful message of keeping sight of ourselves and our own hopes and dreams is a winner."
~ Dorothy C. Westby, Captain, Boeing 727, retired, Artist, BFA, MFA

Refreshingly smart and funny. Capt. Armstrong isn't afraid to show her humanity and her humiliating moments, and demonstrates deep courage and conviction. Figuring out how to 'have it all' is an ongoing question in most women's lives."
~ Kristen Moeller, MS, Author of Waiting for Jack

Reading her work reminds you, just in case you forget, that life is about fun, even though we have to live through some despair. Through tragedy we sometimes find meaning.”
~ David Lazaroff, Author of Live It Up!

“In the rarified atmosphere of flying, Armstrong’s memoir of life as a female pilot gives us a fascinating glimpse into a world where men still rule. But it’s her write-from-the-gut style of story-telling and the unexpected turbulence she meets, not just in her career but in her personal life, is what will captivate you. Riveting, informative, and break-your-heart funny.”
~ Lee Woodruff – NY Times bestselling author of In an Instant; Perfectly Imperfect – A Life in Progress; Those We Love Most; contributing reporter for CBS This Morning

“Captain Armstrong brings to her work originality and humor which is rare in aviation literature. Her success flying the ‘heavy iron’ for the airlines is a must read for any woman considering a career in aviation or facing the challenges of balancing work and home.”
~ Darcy Vernier, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, ATP, CFI, CFII, BA

“Captain Armstrong’s powerful message of keeping sight of ourselves and our own hopes and dreams is a winner."
~ Dorothy C. Westby, Captain, Boeing 727, retired, Artist, BFA, MFA

Refreshingly smart and funny. Capt. Armstrong isn't afraid to show her humanity and her humiliating moments, and demonstrates deep courage and conviction. Figuring out how to 'have it all' is an ongoing question in most women's lives."
~ Kristen Moeller, MS, Author of Waiting for Jack

Reading her work reminds you, just in case you forget, that life is about fun, even though we have to live through some despair. Through tragedy we sometimes find meaning.”
~ David Lazaroff, Author of Live It Up!

From the Author

1. Could this story have happened fifty years ago? What is your view on feminism and how has it changed through each of your own life phases?

2. Is the title, A Chick in the Cockpit, sexist or offensive to you? Why? Can you separate your own beliefs from what society has taught you?

3. There are certain industries that simply cannot be conducive to raising children/having family life. What other careers take parents away from home and what solutions are there to an absent parent?

4. Are you afraid to fly? Why or why not? What is your worst/best aviation experience?

5. Have you ever wanted to be a pilot? If you didn't follow through, what held you back?

6. Have your views or thoughts on aviation changed after reading this story?

7. Do you use checklists at work, at home, anywhere in your life?

8. Have you ever experienced sexual harassment or discrimination? How is it different from the last generation?

9. Erika uses an example of swearing in the cockpit to "talk like a man." Do women swear more now to fit into the man's world? Are we desensitized to it?

10. Erika loses one of her mentors and several friends in aviation accidents, but because of her mentor, she continues training. Have you ever had a mentor? How have mentors changed your life and why aren't there more?

11. Have women changed to blend into corporate America or has corporate America changed to allow women in? Do women lead or still just strive to blend in?

12. In A Chick in the Cockpit, Erika mentions being adopted and her belief that core character is set at birth. How does your character affect life choices and do you believe it is set at birth?How do life choices affect character and vice versa?

13. Like most of us, Erika had to spend some time working terrible jobs. What's the worst job you've had and what did you learn from it?

14. Erika never considers that her new female boss would ban her from the cockpit for being a woman. Have you ever been discriminated against based on gender by someone of the same gender?

15. How well do you think you know the opposite sex, and how did you gather that knowledge?

16. How have the roles of men and women changed during the last fifty years and is it anatural change or does it feel forced? Who or what is forcing it?

17. Why is there more divorce in our society now than the last generation? Are couples/families more or less "happy" that the last generation? What do you attribute that to?

18. Did Erika fit your image of an abused woman? Have you or someone you know been involved in a domestic abuse situation? Give examples of abuse, besides obvious physical damage. What would you have done differently to get out?

19. Faced with the probability of divorce while approaching the end of her child bearing years, Erika conceived a child on purpose. Do you agree or disagree with this choice?

20. Do you know your local laws on domestic abuse and what actions warrant arrest?

21. What can we do, as a culture, to strengthen marriage and curb abuse?

22. What past influences are shaping Erika's actions in the story?

23. What gives you serenity and can you find it even though you are alone? Are you only happy when in a relationship? What does our society teach us about happiness?

24. Now that an entire generation has lived through the post Gloria Steinem era, are webetter or worse off now as an individual, a family, a child, an employee, anation. How much of that status is based on the changing roles of women? Howcan we do better?

25. If you are in a book club, why? Would you have been willing to help Erika like the Book Club Warriors were willing to help her?

26. Has our society created a collaborative environment for women to work together, orcompete against each other, and how does that affect our society as a whole?

27. Were there any moments where you agreed or disagreed with Erika's choices? What would you have done differently?

28. What would you do for your children?

29. Did your opinion of the book change as you read it? How did you experience the book?

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Behler Publications (November 10, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933016140
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933016146
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #765,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,399 in Abusive Family Relationships
- #14,543 in Community & Culture Biographies
- #22,440 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
330

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Erika Armstrong

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A BOOK CLUB FAVORITE! In the high stakes, ego-driven world of aviation, this is an extraordinary bestselling true story of how a level-headed, self-deprecating woman with an aviation addiction finds herself in jail, her baby ripped from her arms, her piloting career taken away, and every feasible exit leads to a very dark place. This story is not what you think it will be about...Great topics for book club and book has discussion questions included!

From the front desk of a small FBO, to the captain's seat of a commercial airliner, Erika Armstrong has experienced everything in between. During her aviation career, she has been a Red Cross, air ambulance, hazmat, cargo, parts runner, and international charter, corporate and airline pilot. After all those hours locked in the cockpit with men, she has accumulated a few funny stories which can be found at Plane & Pilot, Disciples of Flight, NYC Aviation, LinkedIn (450,000 followers) Colorado Serenity, Contrails, Mentor, Consumer Affairs, General Aviation News, Flying.com and Business Insider. She the Director of Instructional Design at Advanced Aircrew Academy and is also a Professor of Aerospace and Aviation at MSU Denver.

Since the heroes of her story are a book club, she is always willing to return the favor to other book clubs. She'd love to call or Skype in and chat with everyone. Just drop her a note at Erika@achickinthecockpit.com

Erika's story is currently being adapted into a screenplay.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

330 global ratings

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servalan

Courageous, Funny, Incisive, Filled with Hope - About Much Much More Than Flying

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

I’ve always read a lot and have been reading even more during the pandemic. I’ve had a special interest in heroic women, having read Amy McGrath, MJ Hegar, and Tammie Jo Shults. I’m sure Erika doesn’t see herself in that company but as a retired family therapist who has always loved aviation that’s how I see her. And as a former English prof, I find her a gifted writer, funny, warm, and incisive.

And again as a retired family therapist her story about several years of dealing with an abusive narcissist was painfully familiar. Yet her ability to rise above her ex-husband’s relentless efforts to humiliate and control her is as impressive an achievement as any I know. Her personal integrity and concern for others comes through in how others come through so well for her.

I loved the checklist format, which was both fun and enlightening. And I felt moved enough several times to find myself wiping away tears as Erika's struggles unfolded. I gave my wife a copy and said if her book club didn’t pick it for next year they will have missed one of the best memoirs out there, and I've read hundreds. I also gave a copy to a friend who was married to her own version of Erika's ex, but without the added weight of children in the picture.

Again as a family therapist I know the value of Erika's efforts to help women survive divorce. Few of us understand that it can be a gift rather than a penalty.

All of which is simply to say Erika and her book are a wonderful example of the best of us under terrible conditions. To read her story is to learn hope is precious. Anyone who reads it will be enriched.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

ArtZFriend

A Life Worth Reading for Our Own Success and Recovery

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2017

Verified Purchase

A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air is a biographical book by a female pilot named Erika Armstrong who loved and enjoyed her career with a passion. She writes it by using aviation jargon to describe her professional and personal experiences that are a combination of laughs, tears, and triumph by the end. In this book, she reveals her struggles of being a woman pilot, her joys of meeting the man of her dreams, the pain of spousal abuse, and of course the light at the end of the tunnel. Erika is a survivor and she was always the breadwinner in her and her husband’s household.

What I liked about this book most of all was how Erika defied her unique position of being a female in an all-male occupation. She tells of the time when she had to face sexual harassment from a male colleague to the unfairness of a female employer who she thought would take care of her since she was of her gender. Erika mentions one incident while she was piloting a flight between Mexico and the USA where there was a false bomb threat and the commotion that came about because of it. Erika also recalls 9/11 and what she was doing on that dreadful day. Another aspect of the story is where Erika delineates how she met her husband and how she pursued him to eventually getting hitched

This is a wonderful how-to-recover-from-a-fall instructional book for the oppressed because it features someone who fell from grace but instead of crying and dwelling on the problem this someone did something about it and was able to climb back to the top. It has a lesson for both men and women alike that if you don’t cry out for help, or if you don’t get out and do something about your problem situation, you will never get out of it alive. Erika Armstrong was overridden with oppression from someone she thought was the love of her life but it was acquaintances and luck that came to her rescue. You should read her story, it will help you get a positive perspective on life if you are stuck at the bottom and don’t know how to get out of it.

One person found this helpful

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V.E.

Aviation and Personal Struggle

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air by Erika Armstrong is much more than a simple re-telling of what it is like to be a female pilot in a male dominated industry. About a third of the way through the book, it gets much more interesting than that. Armstrong tells a strong personal story that involves domestic abuse, and how she gets out of a terribly abusive and dangerous marriage. Written from the heart in plain language, Armstrong details the way her two lives, one as a professional pilot, the other more personal side as a wife, cross over and intertwine. This book is the story of a woman who forged a career despite rampant discrimination, and also overcame personal challenges. A highly inspirational read, would recommend for a glimpse into the aviation industry coupled with personal drama.

One person found this helpful

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tinco123

Wow, and not what I thought at all.

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

First, I know Erika and met her through the horse, Naomi, who is mentioned in this book.
Second, I never knew what Erika was going through or I would have stepped up and in to help.
Third, Brad just gives you the willies if you ever meet him.
That all said, I'll get on to this review. I hadn't read this book because, honestly, I expected it to be a story about a bravado 'chick' who was a pilot and likely faced issues in a man's world. Yeah, yeah. And it IS about that to a point, but not completely. It's so much more. Still, thought I should since I know Erika and yet I didn't buy it or read it until a mutual friend told me that I had to, that it is amazing to learn who Erika really is, what she's gone through, how strong a woman she is; so I got it, and just finished it this morning.
Here's the thing that is most important about this book: It will make you realize just how important we all are to one another and what is most important in our lives. If you are a woman in an abusive relationship, it may help you to find your own way up and out. If you aren't sure if you're in an abusive relationship, this story will help you make that determination.
Well-written, well told and full of surprises, I highly recommend this book for the story, the message and the knowledge about aviation. Who knew??

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

US Admirer in Canada

My thoughts

Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

Very readable, kudos to the author for her clarity and focus. Her successful attempt in the book to create a parallel between the cockpit proedure and life is indeed quite original and thought provoking. For me, as I pilot, the book held my attention.

Rosey Bookworm

whilst managing to bring humour and joy. She had some difficult times

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

When I picked up the Kindle version of this book, I was not expecting what I got for the reasonable price tag. I got so much more. I expected to be reading a novel about he challenges of aviation, and perhaps even a battle for respect a female pilot may have. But I found that 'A Chick in the Cockpit' was more a story of survival – survival of balancing a successful career as a pilot and a difficult home life.

She is a brave woman, and has written the account of her life in an honest and frank way, whilst managing to bring humour and joy. She had some difficult times, but managed to overcome them with amazing courage. Whether it is turbulence in the air, or turbulence at home, Erika Armstrong manages to fly through it and come out the other side. I don't know how she does it, and keep such a positive attitude, but I know that I would feel in safe hands, if she was the 'Chick in the Cockpit' of my flight.

A five star memoir.

Steve Knox

Zen and the art of Boeing 727-handling

Reviewed in Australia on May 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

I love Erika's style of writing; by turns, funny, playful, and she has amazing powers of recall. This book begins with a woman's perspective into what it takes (and the sacrifices necessary) to be a successful professional in the aviation world. Then the story completely diverts, just like life has a habit of doing. Whether piloting a plane full of passengers through choppy weather, or piloting her life through some very rough experiences, this woman never loses her checklists, or her professionalism and sheer class.

This is a great book. You'll really enjoy it. Check out Erika's fantastic aviation articles on Disciples Of Flight too.

Kamila_C

A must read for any aspiring female pilot

Reviewed in France on February 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book provides a unique female perspective into male dominated world of aviation and piloting.
But it's not only this, it's also a story of a strong and ambitious woman brought down by a man, not able to deal with his own insecurities.
I read it in one sitting.
I hope that one day she'll get back in the skies where she belongs.

Grant

Took a surprising turn and became something different.

Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

Gripping story. Great writing. But takes a turn mid-course and becomes a different book than the one on the cover.

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