Shows
Military AviatrixHighs and Lows of Force Life from the Longest Serving Female Chinook Force CrewmemberWhat if you could step inside the mind and experiences of an incredible woman who bravely served as a helicopter crewman in the British Air Force? Would you be captivated by her tales of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, or her journey as the only female crewman in her unit for five years? Join us in a powerful conversation with Liz McConaghy, author of the memoir "Chinook Crew Chick", as she pulls back the curtain on her extraordinary 17-year career.
Engage with us as we explore mental health, resilience, and the power of story-telling with Liz. This...2024-08-2452 minMilitary AviatrixInto the Storm: Encouraging Young Adults to change the WorldLiz Booker @LiteraryAviatrix talks with fellow retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot Darcy Guyant @dolph_and_gwen about his picture book, Into the Storm: The Coast Guard Adventures of Dolph and Gwen. Darcy started his aviation career in the US Army and transitioned to the Coast Guard, which hires about a third of its pilots from other services through their Direct Commission Aviator program. In retirement, Darcy has become a beloved volunteer at his local elementary school, where the teachers encouraged him to write a book for young readers. The result is a picture book inspired by a search and r...2024-08-2428 minMilitary AviatrixIgniting Dreams with Thunderbird Pilot Michelle "Mace" CurranGet ready to be inspired as we take to the skies with guest Michelle Curran, a former Air Force Major Fighter Pilot and Thunderbird Demonstration Team Pilot. She's here to share how she's using her experiences to ignite dreams in young girls' hearts through her new picture book. With an emphasis on mentorship, the book encourages children to chase their dreams, no matter how high they might fly.
Join us for this captivating conversation that brilliantly merges aviation, inspiration, and the power of storytelling.
Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer...2024-08-2443 minMilitary AviatrixBreaking Barriers: The Extraordinary Life of Valerie Andre, medevac helicopter pioneer and the first woman to fly a helicopter in combatDive into the thrilling world of aviation and military history as we explore the awe-inspiring life of Valerie Andre with acclaimed author Charles Morgan Evans. A woman of unparalleled courage and determination, Valerie Andre shattered gender stereotypes to become the first female pilot and doctor in the Vietnam War serving in the French Air Force. This episode is an exciting deep dive into the pages of Charles' riveting book "Helicopter Heroine, Valerie Andre: Surgeon, Pioneering Rescue Pilot, and Her Courage Under Fire."
Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer for young adults. She...2024-08-2452 minMilitary AviatrixFly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open The Door To Fly In CombatAuthor, retired Air Force Colonel, former flight test engineer, and Executive Director of the Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, Eileen Bjorkman, talks about her new book, FLY GIRLS REVOLT: THE STORY OF THE WOMEN WHO KICKED OPEN THE DOOR TO FLY IN COMBAT. Eileen weaves her own experience as an Air Force flight test engineer in this history that, uniquely among books that follow the history of women in military aviation, bridges the gap between the WASP and the first active duty female aviators in the 1970s with the stories of the women who served...2024-08-2455 minMilitary AviatrixLCDR Ronaqua Russel, USCGIn this interview, Liz Booker talks with Lieutenant Commander Ronaqua Russell about how she found her way into Coast Guard aviation, her participation in hurricane relief efforts as an HC144 pilot, the experience of receiving the Coast Guard Air Medal at Moton Field, home of the Tuskegee Airmen, and the role mentorship has played in her success as the fifth Black female pilot in the Coast Guard. Ronnie’s story was highlighted in Ann McCallum Staats’ middle grade biography collection HIGH FLYERS: FIFTEEN INSPIRING WOMEN AVIATORS AND ASTRONAUTS.
Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and w...2024-08-241h 01Military AviatrixMandy Hickson, a British Royal Air Force Tornado FR4 pilotIn this conversation with Mandy Hickson, author of An Officer Not a Gentleman, she talks about her experience as a Tornado GR4 combat pilot for the British Royal Air Force and how she has translated that experience to the business world as a motivational speaker. Mandy faced many of the challenges common to women in male-dominated fields with determination and humor. She also talks about how those moments seeded doubt and insecurity she might not have experienced otherwise, and how she overcame those feelings to become a successful pilot and leader. You can find her at her website, www.m...2024-08-241h 05Military AviatrixBev Weintraub, Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval AviatorsIn this interview Liz talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Beverly Weintraub, about her book Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators.
On Feb. 2, 2019, the skies over Maynardville, Tennessee, filled with the roar of four F/A-18F Super Hornets streaking overhead in close formation. In each aircraft were two young female flyers, executing the first all-woman Missing Man Formation flyover in Navy history in memory of Captain Rosemary Mariner — groundbreaking Navy jet pilot, inspiring commander, determined and dedicated leader — whose drive to ensure the United States military had its choice of the best Amer...2024-08-2448 minMilitary AviatrixJulie Tizard, The Road to Wings, Flight to the Horizon, Free Fall at Angel CreekIn this interview Liz talks with retired Air Force Colonel and airline pilot, Julie Tizard, about her flying careers and her book, The Road to Wings, a lesbian romance novel set in Air Force Flight Training in the early 1990s, which incorporates the intensity of military flight training from both the student's and instructor’s perspectives and the high stakes of same-sex relationships in the military at the time.
What does it take to earn air force wings? Your heart, your soul, even your very life? Lieutenant Casey Tompkins is starting the most difficult flight training program in...2024-08-2429 minMilitary AviatrixFrom Plain To Plane: Retired USAF Pilot Patty BearIn this interview, Liz talks with Air Force Academy graduate and pilot Patty Bear about her memoir, FROM PLAIN TO PLANE: MY MENNONITE CHILDHOOD, A NATIONAL SCANDAL, AND AN UNCONVENTIONAL SOAR TO FREEDOM. The book chronicles Patty’s journey from her childhood in an old-order Pennsylvania Mennonite community through a highly publicized scandal involving her father’s excommunication from the church, and her path to the Air Force Academy in the first wave of women to be accepted.
You can find Patty at her author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorPattyBear
And at her we...2024-08-2427 minMilitary AviatrixTAKING FLIGHT: THE NADINE RAMSEY STORYIn this interview, Liz talks with author Raquel Ramsey, the widow of decorated veteran Ed Ramsey, and her coauthor, Tricia Aurand about their book TAKING FLIGHT: THE NADINE RAMSEY STORY, about WWII Women Air Force Service Pilot, Nadine Ramsey.
In October 1944 Nadine Ramsey was thirty-three and she was flying the cutting-edge P-51 Mustang to New Jersey, its last stop before heading to the war in Europe. The irrepressible young woman from Wichita had long been determined to fly and the gathering storm clouds of World War II provided an unexpected opportunity. Taking Flight is the inspiring story of a...2024-08-2437 minMilitary AviatrixThe Women Who Flew With HitlerIn this interview, Liz talks with author Clare Mulley about two incredibly complex and fascinating women: Hannah Reitsch, who was the first female helicopter pilot in the world and a fanatical Nazi, and Melitta Stauffenberg, who was an aeronautical engineer and test pilot for the Nazi regime, but who was also a resistor.
Clare has written three historical biographies including THE WOMAN WHO SAVED THE CHILDREN: A BIOGRAPHY OF EGLANTYNE JEBB, FOUNDER OF SAVE THE CHILDREN; THE SPY WHO LOVED: THE SECRETS AND LIVES OF CHRISTINE GRANVILLE who was Britain’s first female special agent in WWII; and...2024-08-2431 minMilitary AviatrixCol. Merryl Tengesdal USAF (Ret) Shatter The SkyIn this interview with Col. Merryl Tengesdal, USAF (ret.) @dragonlady788, the only Black woman to fly the U2 reconnaissance plane and a contestant on the reality television series TOUGH AS NAILS, she talks about growing up in the Bronx, her start in aviation with the Navy, flying H60 helicopters at sea, challenges with supervisors, the difference in Navy and Air Force aviation cultures, the importance of mentoring and how to find mentors, flying the U2 and how to become a U2 pilot, parenting and how it affects career choices, the journey of fostering to adoption, participating in TOUGH AS N...2024-08-242h 01Military AviatrixA SPITFIRE GIRL: One Of The World's Greatest Female ATA Ferry PilotsIn this conversation with author Melody Foreman, Liz and Melody talk about WWII British Air Transport Auxiliary pilot Mary Ellis who she features in her biography A SPITFIRE GIRL: ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST FEMALE ATA FERRY PILOTS TELLS HER STORY, and Melody's other work, which focuses on Britain in WWII. The ATA Ferry pilots were challenged with climbing into a variety of aircraft with little-to-no type training and made significant contributions to the war. Mary Ellis alone flew 76 different types of aircraft and 400 Spitfires in her five years of service as an ATA pilot, often with no other...2024-08-241h 09Military AviatrixOPEN SKIES: My Life As Afghanistan's First Female PilotPowerful and Eye Opening Interview! A Must Listen!
OPEN SKIES: MY LIFE AS AFGHANISTAN’S FIRST FEMALE PILOT
In this interview with the Afghan Air Force's first female fixed wing pilot, Niloofar Rahmani, and her co-author, Adam Sikes, we talk about the incredible challenges Niloofar faced to fulfill her dream of flight, and her ultimate decision to seek political asylum in the United States. This book is a compelling and impactful read that illustrates in great detail what it's like to be a woman in Afghan culture and offers an entirely different perspective on the ex...2024-08-2448 minMilitary AviatrixAmber Smith: Kiowa Warrior Helicopter PilotWomen Veteran Helicopter Pilots
Amber Smith – DANGER CLOSE: MY EPIC JOURNEY AS A COMBAT HELICOPTER PILOT IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Guest Host Liz Booker talks with Amber Smith, a former U.S. Army Warrant Officer and Kiowa Warrior helicopter pilot and author of Danger Close: My Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan, about her call to service, her experiences as a woman in an Army Cavalry unit in Iraq and Afghanistan, and her reflections on that service.
Since leaving the Army, Amber has established herself as a national se...2024-08-2439 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationAviatrix Writers' Room interview with bestselling author Maggie Shipstead on her classical writing education and publishing journey.Send us a textIn this Literary Aviatrix Writers’ Room interview with best-selling author Maggie Shipstead we get into the details of her author journey. Maggie is an inspiration for anyone who aspires to be a professional writer. In our conversation, she talks about how a writing course with Zadie Smith during her undergrad at Harvard cemented her path as a writer. She went on to earn an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, followed by a two-year creative writing Stegner Fellowship at Stanford. Her books include the novels Seating Arrangements (2012), Astonish Me (2014), and Great Circle (2021), and a co...2024-06-0240 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationAviatrix Book Club October 2023 UK RAF Chinook aircrew Liz McConaghy talks about her service in Iraq and Afghanistan and her subsequent mental health challenges in her memoir Chinook Crew ChickSend us a textIn this interview with Liz McConaghy, we talk about her experiences serving as aircrew on RAF Chinooks in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the mental challenges she faced after being medically grounded and leaving the service, which she writes about in her memoir Chinook Crew 'Chick': Highs and Lows of Forces Life from the Longest Serving Female Chinook Force CrewmemberDid you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll...2023-10-2350 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationAN2: Is memoir fiction, non-fiction, or somewhere in between? Acclaimed author and professor of writing, Lauren Kessler, shares her thoughts.Send us a textIn this author’s note from Season 1 Episode 11, Lauren Kessler talks about how memoir is almost a genre unto itself, asserting that, as humans, relying on our own memories and experiences, it would be impossible for us to tell a completely true story. Memoir, therefore, falls somewhere between fiction and non-fiction.Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book pa...2023-01-1506 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationWP4: Tricia Aurand, Coauthor of Taking Flight: The Nadine Ramsey Story, the biography of a WWII Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP), does a reading from the book that vividly describes WASP life at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX.Send us a textIn this clip from my interview with author Raquel Ramsey and co-author Tricia Aurand, we hear what it was like for the women living together during training in the barracks at Avenger Field in Sweetwater Texas from the book they wrote about Nadine’s sister-in-law, WWII Women Air Force Service Pilot Nadine Ramsey. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the...2023-01-1206 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationWP3: Author Amy Shira Teitel talks about whether pilot Jerrie Cobb’s expectations to go to space in the 1960’s were appropriate based on her success in Dr. Lovelace’s astronaut tests, and the conflict created by Jerrie & Jackie Cochran jockeying for powerSend us a textIn this interview with Amy Shira Teitel about her book Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight, Amy talks about whether Jerrie Cobb had a reasonable expectation that she and her cohorts who were tested for the space program by Dr. Lovelace in the 1960’s had a shot at being astronauts. She also highlights how the letters between the 13 participants revealed that not everyone was on the same page in terms of hopes and expectations. If you’re into mid-century space history, Amy is the host of The Vint...2023-01-1010 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationAN1: Welcome to Author’s Notes. We kick it off with determining your WHY as a writer with Robin D. Kardon, author of the Flygirl series.Send us a textIn this Author’s Note from my Writers' Room interview with Robin D. Kardon, she shares her writing journey, talks about determining your why as a writer, and offers advice about how to develop your craft through structured programs like San Diego Writers, Ink. In my intro I mention that Robin hosted a workshop with the Aviatrix Writers entitled What Are You Writing and Why? She also talks about the first two books in her series, Flygirl and Angel Flight. Book three, Flying Home, will be out in February an...2023-01-0807 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationWP2: Author Lauren Kessler talks about how she was introduced to the larger-than-life pioneering Aviatrix, Pancho Barnes, and what Pancho was really serving up at her ranch, The Happy Bottom Riding Club, outside Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave DesertSend us a textIn this excerpt of my interview with Lauren Kessler about her book, The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes, she explains how she learned about Pancho and her entertainment ranch near Edwards Air Force Base, and what was really going on behind the scenes.Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By...2023-01-0507 min
Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in AviationWP1: Author Kathy Mexted introduces pioneering Australian female pilot Nancy Bird Walton, a Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame selectee for 2023Send us a textIn this excerpt of my interview with Kathy Mexted about her book Australian Women Pilots: Amazing True Stories of Women in the Air, she introduces us to Nancy Bird Walton, who will be inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in February 2023. Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the L...2023-01-0307 min