From Fear of Elevators to Champion Acrobatic Pilot

Guest: Cecilia Aragon, Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington, and author of "Flying Free: My Victory Over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team"

Cecilia Aragon was so afraid of heights that she couldn't ride in an elevator. She began to feel like her fear was defining her life, and when a co-worker invited her to go flying with him, she said yes. In just six years, she would be flying in acrobatic air shows. She broke barriers to become the first Latina pilot on the US Areobatic Team and the first full professor in her department at the UW. 

Fly Girls

Guest: Keith O’Brien, journalist and author of “Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History”

Amelia Earhart wasn't the only pioneering female pilot in the skies in the '20s and '30s. She was the president of The Ninety-Nines, a group of women who were all licensed pilots. They came from different backgrounds, but they all supported each other in their pursuit of flying. But that doesn't mean that they didn't compete against each other as well in the race for prizes and accolades in air races and record-breaking feats of daring.