A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air

"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.

Now...just 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.


Author: Erika Armstrong
Publisher: Behler Publications
Published: 11/10/2015
Pages: 350
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781933016146


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 11/01/2015 pg. 6

About the Author
With twenty-five years in the aviation industry, Erika Armstrong has worked in every aspect of aviation, and is the first modern woman airline captain of a commercial Boeing 727 to write a book about her experiences.
She is an award winning staff writer for Colorado Serenity magazine and is also a contributing writer for Mountain Connection, General Aviation magazine and former editor/writer for Air Line Pilot Association. Most uniquely, Erika was an international corporate, airline, Red Cross and 24-hour air ambulance pilot/captain. Even though she isn't currently flying the heavy iron, she is entrenched in aviation. Erika owns Leading Edge Aviation Consulting and is currently a flight coordinator for International Jet Aviation Services.