Flying Tigress
NORAH O'NEILL was the first woman airline pilot to land in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. In Flying Tigress, she exposes what really happened when women first dared to cross the airline cockpit threshold.
 More than a witty memoir by the first woman pilot at a macho cargo airline and her adventures flying around the world, this is an excruciatingly honest yet compelling account of one woman’s ascent to 747 pilot, the price exacted for the privilege, her devastating fall from grace, and gutsy journey back into the skies. 
- Jenny T. Beatty,
Careers Chairman for The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, columnist for Aviation for Women magazine, and pilot for American Airlines.
Book Review By Captain Jean E. Harper
In her own lyrically beautiful and amusingly blunt words, [Norah] brings to life a stranger-than-fiction story of the adventurous path she took to the traditionally male domain of jet airliner cockpits. Wanting only a fair shot at the ultimate career in aviation, the tall, attractive redhead encountered both harsh resistance and touching support as she broke the gender barrier in an environment--and an era--when political correctness was still years away.
As a female aviator with a passionate love for flying, Norah found herself in the undesirable role of a 'lightning rod' for heated opinions. Because of the groundbreaking nature of her employment, she bore an inordinate amount of scrutiny and notoriety...not all of it pleasant.
Her happiest times were in the easy camaraderie that exists between crewmembers whose home is the sky, for whom there is no greater adventure or profession than international travel with one's own hands wrapped eagerly around the controls of a wide body jet. O'Neill's persistence and ability to do the job eventually won over her skeptics, clearing the way for like-minded women who followed.
She pulls no punches on either her tormentors or herself, relating with humor and candor the uplifting, bizarre and even devastating experiences that were all a part of her colorful and unconventional life. Norah O'Neill is as skilled a writer as she is a pilot, bringing the reader along on a breathtaking ride through hellish lows, exhilarating highs and astonishing adventures.
Flying Tigress" is grandly entertaining; it captures the interest of male and female aviation enthusiasts alike. It also opens a window of understanding that shows men and women as both vulnerable and strong, deeply loving and humanly imperfect--with the inevitable conclusion that we're not really so different after all.
Book Review from The Ninety-Nines Bulletin Board
By Aileen Watkins; FO, B747-400, Atlas Air; Houston Chapter
I read Flying Tigress by Norah O'Neill and it is truly the most candid, well-written, interesting memoir I have ever enjoyed. It is a fascinating peek into the life of the first woman pilot hired by the Flying Tiger Line, complete with stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you ever wondered what it was like back in the beginning to break into the male-dominated airline cockpit, here's your book.
When Norah was hired by Flying Tigers in 1976, the airline pilot cockpit environment was completely different from what you see today. If you experience old-fashioned attitudes now, you will be amazed at what women had to deal with back then, being the first in their field to break down the gender barrier. Norah brings you back to those times and reveals the hostility and intense scrutiny that she faced, as well as the effect these attitudes had on her life and that of her family and friends. She also takes you into her existence at a raw, personal level as she shares the painful issues that arose in her family life and career. She balances these events with some of her favorite feel-good stories of the men and women she encountered along the way who were her support group: the champions of her dreams to become a successful airline pilot and mother. You will travel the world in a 747, experiencing the sky through her eyes and though her heart.
When I read the book, I couldn't put it down. There were so many vignettes that took me back through my career and parallels that many of us have experienced throughout our lives as pilots. You will gain a greater appreciation of how fortunate we are to have had women like Norah who opened the cockpit door so that we could follow our dreams of flight. Thank you, Norah, for your gift to us.
Ladies, if you read any book this year, get Flying Tigress. It will inspire you, fortify you, and give you a greater sense of clarity in the quest for balance of life with career and family. You look from the outside into the story of a woman of courage, persistence, determination and true grit. Many pilots gave up in the beginning, as the turbulence was just too much to bear. Norah had what it took to make it onto the flight deck, and to inspire others to do the same.
Flying Tigress is an excellent addition to your pilot library. Read and enjoy and share it with others!
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