Military Aviatrix

In 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 NAILS, and the transition from military to civilian life.

Shatter the Sky: What going to the stratosphere taught me about self-worth, sacrifice, and discipline

Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer for young adults. She hosts the Aviatrix Book Club and the Aviatrix Book Review Website and Podcast. This episode is a rebroadcast of the Aviatrix Book Review in collaboration with

Coming Home Well. You can find Liz @LiteraryAviatrix on social media.

Tune into our CHW Streaming Radio and the full lineup at cominghomewell.com

Download on Apple Play and Google Play

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In 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 preparation than a crib-sheet. Melody also highlights the significant contributions these women made for gender equality, earning equal pay to their male counterparts. Despite their incredible achievements, and the positive attitude Mary conveys in this memoir, they still endured age-old challenges. In the movie SPITFIRE: THE PLANE THAT SAVED THE WORLD, a gentleman veteran says, "We knew we could depend upon each other. We knew we were sure of getting support wherever we were." The women, however, among other humiliations and difficulties, often were forced to manage their deliveries according to the bases where their male counterparts would allow them to land. As Mary put it: "Men take ownership of war and talk endlessly of their duty. I can't imagine why they don't think women feel such things, too."

Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer for young adults. She hosts the Aviatrix Book Club and the Aviatrix Book Review Website and Podcast. This episode is a rebroadcast of the Aviatrix Book Review in collaboration with Coming Home Well. You can find Liz @LiteraryAviatrix on social media.

Tune into our CHW Streaming Radio and the full lineup at cominghomewell.com

Download on Apple Play and Google Play

Online-Therapy.com ~ Life Changing Therapy Click here for a 20% discount on your first month.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to SHARE, LIKE and leave us a REVIEW!

Powerful 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 experience of being a woman in aviation.

Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer for young adults. She hosts the Aviatrix Book Club and the Aviatrix Book Review Website and Podcast. This episode is a rebroadcast of the Aviatrix Book Review in collaboration with

Coming Home Well. You can find Liz @LiteraryAviatrix on social media.

Tune into our CHW Streaming Radio and the full lineup at cominghomewell.com

Download on Apple Play and Google Play

Online-Therapy.com ~ Life Changing Therapy Click here for a 20% discount on your first month.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to SHARE, LIKE and leave us a REVIEW!

In this interview, I talk with NYT #1 Best-Seller, Elizabeth Wein, about her flying adventures, her books, and the history of the women who flew for their countries during WWII on the European Front, including the British Air Transport Auxiliary, the Russian Night Witches, and the Luftwaffe test pilots. You can find her many books on her website, www.elizabethwein.com.

In addition to the many books written about the Russian Night Witches, for a lively and engaging audio presentation of this history, I highly recommend The Night Witches podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-night-witches/id1543620973

Tune into our CHW Streaming Radio and the full lineup at cominghomewell.com

Download on Apple Play and Google Play

Online-Therapy.com ~ Life Changing Therapy Click here for a 20% discount on your first month.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to SHARE, LIKE and leave us a REVIEW!

Women 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 security, foreign policy, and military analyst, and frequently appears on television and radio. Her articles have been published in Forbes, the Washington Examiner, and Aviation Week, among others. You can find her at her website, www.OfficialAmberSmith.com or on social media @AmberSmithUSA.

Amber never imagined she would write a memoir, but after gaining her confidence in writing during her post-service master’s degree program, she decided her experiences might inform and inspire others.

Liz Booker is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer for young adults. She hosts the Aviatrix Book Club and the Aviatrix Book Review Website and Podcast. This episode is a rebroadcast of the Aviatrix Book Review podcast Season 1 Episode 28 in collaboration with

Coming Home Well. You can find Liz @LiteraryAviatrix on social media.

Tune into our CHW Streaming Radio and the full lineup at cominghomewell.com

Download on Apple Play and Google Play

Online-Therapy.com ~ Life Changing Therapy Click here for a 20% discount on your first month.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to SHARE, LIKE and leave us a REVIEW!