Book Review: The 100 Greatest Women in Aviation
Biographies of Famous Female Pilots from the Dawn of Aviation Onward
Oct 17, 2008
By Liz Moscrop and Sanjay Rampal
Published by Aerocomm Ltd
ISBN 978-0-9554195-3-9
As Liz Moscrop states herself in the prologue to her fascinating book, “Choosing the greatest 100 anything is always going to be a subject of hot debate”. So many people will delve into this large A4 format book to see if those women whom they think are the greatest are all there. They are likely to find that most of them are.
Early Women Fliers
Starting almost at the dawn of aviation, there is Raymonde de Laroche, the first women in the world to gain a pilot’s licence, way back in 1910.
There is Hilda Hewlitt, the first woman in Britain to do so, merely a year later. As one goes through the years there are many more familiar names – Lady Mary Heath, Mrs Victor Bruce, Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
There are all the aviation household names of the 1930s – Amy Johnson, Amelia Earhart, and Beryl Markham. And the wartime ATA pilots are well represented by Pauline Gower, Lettice Curtiss and Ann Welch.
Modern Day Female Pilots
Moving on to more modern times one can read about Sheila Scott and Diana Barnato Walker, record-breaking aviatrixes of the 1960s. Then there are the female astronauts – Valentina Tereshkova, Sally Ride, and a number of others.
Liz and Sanjay have chosen a number of representatives of the ground-breaking female airline pilots from different countries. And finally there are the famous record breakers of today – Polly Vacher, Jennifer Murray, and Judy Leden, to name but a few.
Less Well Known Pilots
However, this book does more than document all the information concerning well known aviation household names. With 100 to choose, Liz and Sanjay have found and told the stories of some other fascinating characters who are less well known.
There is Sabiha Gokcen, first Turkish female pilot and the world’s first woman combat pilot. And Lilya Litvak, Russian female fighter pilot of World War II, who shot down a number of enemy aircraft before she herself went missing in action. And Hanadi Zakaria Al-Hindi, the first Saudi woman to get a pilot’s licence, in a country where women are still not even allowed to drive.
Why is This Book So Enjoyable?
With short two-page mini-biographies of each pilot, it is the type of book a reader can pick up for just a few minutes, finding something new and interesting on each occasion. But it would also be an excellent reference book for anyone wanting quick information about women pilots. With a large number of pictures, and written in a light and easy-to-read style, this is the sort of book one wants to have around the house, not left on a bookshelf and forgotten about.
One criticism - a paperback of this size is rather unwieldy and quickly becomes very tatty. But the hardback version is due very soon, which is an excellent idea.
This book is ideal for anyone with even a passing interest in aviation, and also those who like to see how far women have come in what was a man’s occupation for so many years. An excellent read!
