There's a whole big world out there. Here's how every woman can get out and conquer it-solo. This is an inspiring guide for women who want to "fly solo"-yet stay safe, sane, and solvent during their travels. With candid advice and insider's secrets about some of the most exciting places on earth, readers will find: - A quiz to help determine what sorts of trips best suit one's personality, interests, and goals - The essential female-friendly spots every woman should visit - Why each destination is perfect for solo travelers, important foreign phrases, what to pack, what shoes to wear, special events, historical facts, where to meet the global glitterati, and a list of the top ten things women must do while visiting - Where to eat, meet, party, people watch, sunbathe, soul-search, shop, spa, frolic, photograph, and more Whether surfing in Hawaii, strolling the cobblestone streets of St. Petersburg, drinking in Dublin, or swimming with dolphins in the Caribbean, women can take on the world and create lasting memories with the best travel companion ever-themselves!

During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force secretly trained pilots from Laos, skirting Lao neutrality in order to bolster the Royal Lao Air Force and their own war efforts. Beginning in 1964, this covert project, "Water Pump," operated out of Udorn Airbase in Thailand with the support of the CIA. This Secret War required recruits from Vietnam-border region willing to take great risks--a demand that was met by the marginalized Hmong ethnic minority. Soon, dozens of Hmong men were training at Water Pump and providing air support to the US-sponsored clandestine army in Laos. Short and problematic training that resulted in varied skill levels, ground fire, dangerous topography, bad weather conditions, and poor aircraft quality, however, led to a nearly 50 percent casualty rate, and those pilots who survived mostly sought refuge in the United States after the war. Drawing from numerous oral history interviews, Fly Until You Die brings their stories to light for the first time--in the words of those who lived it.

Since the dawn of aviation, the industry has been led by men, who have monopolized the aviation market in its various branches at least that’s what many believe. The truth is that since the beginning of the aviation era, women have played a significant role at every stage of aviation history. However, due to cultural differences, the male gender has always been more prominently associated with aviation and its environment. A century after the birth of aviation as we know it today, women have earned a place that is now one of the pillars of the industry, alongside men. Today, women hold similar roles to men in various aviation operations not just as pilots, but also as ground personnel, flight dispatchers, combat pilots, astronauts, and dozens of other positions. In this work, you will discover the lives and achievements of the leading female figures who have shaped aviation history but have remained unnoticed for decades. A narrative of great stories behind great women who helped shape the aviation world as we know it today.

A rip-roaring gallop through the lives of the Royal Flying Corps air crew in the Great War. They lived their lives amidst a strange dichotomy as they moved from safety to dire danger, and back again in a matter of hours. This created a dreadful strain that could soon shred anyone’s mental health. On the ground they were cloistered in simple but adequate accommodation several miles behind the lines. Farmhouses, barns and huts were used, but they were all far better than the squalor faced by the infantry scurrying in their muddy trenches. Flying personnel were blessed with beds and blankets. They could set up a decent mess and socialise to their heart’s content. A smorgasbord of entertainments, with perhaps an old out of tune piano, access to drink and occasional vigorous games of mess rugby. There were visits to local towns which offered tantalizing glimpses – and sometimes more - of the female of the species. A glimpse was probably never enough for most of these very young men. What more could a chap want? But when they were flying over the front it was no laughing matter. Death lurked in the skies, zooming in its ‘winged chariots’ out of the sun, or bursting from the clouds. A moment’s loss of concentration, or tactical blunder, could consign them to being shot down and falling thousands of feet until the crunching impact of terra firma brought a terrible relief. But better that than a punctured petrol tank, the first flickers of flame, then the roaring inferno and the agonies of incineration. There was little or nothing for them to laugh about in the air. But when back on the ground they tried to put aside their fears.

Walter Hinton was a pilot on the first plane to cross the Atlantic (eight years before Lindbergh)--a four-engine, Navy-Curtiss flying boat with a crew of six, in May 1919. Based on more than 40 hours of personal interviews with Hinton, this volume chronicles that first flight and Hinton's other remarkable adventures in aviation--which include being lost in a downed balloon in the Canadian Arctic and believed dead, making the first flight to Rio de Janeiro from New York, pursuing the first aerial exploration of the Amazon, and undertaking a nationwide promotion of aviation and airports for the Exchange Clubs in the United States. With the dramatic and adventurous story of Hinton, a lost chapter in the history of flight in America is uncovered.

The memoirs of a hang glider pilot and pioneer and his first-hand account of designing the revolutionary Shadow microlight aircraft. This fascinating story begins in 1973 when David Cook built a glider in an attempt to win the Selsey Birdman Rally—an annual event where all types of creations are launched from the end of Bognor Pier. Between 1975 and 1977 he won every National and International hang gliding competition entered, and then in 1977 he designed and built a power unit for his glider. In 1978 it became the first and lowest-powered microlight to cross the English Channel. Cook’s successes in this venture led to sponsorship from Duckhams Oils and there followed a period of demonstration flights at major air shows. In 1982 he designed a microlight called Shadow and in 1983 it took the FAI world speed and distance records for the class. In 1992 he took the aircraft to 23,600 ft to claim the world altitude record for the class, beaten later by himself in a newly designed Streak to 27,150 ft. David started a company to build the Shadow in 1984 and has demonstrated its remarkable flying abilities around the world, during which time he had many amusing and some exciting experiences. In 1987 the Shadow won the British Design Award.

What Learning to Fly Is Like: For Those Who Thought or Are Thinking About It but Never Have Jumped on Board offers first-hand advice on a path to becoming a certified pilot. For both the aviation enthusiast considering learning to fly for the first time as well as the flight novice, pilot Ronny Dee provides a step-by-step guide on pilot training. A comprehensive overview of the flight process, What Learning to Fly Is Like covers the pre-flight check, takeoffs and landing, basic and advanced maneuvers, flight testing, and much more.

The Powered Parachute Flying Handbook is designed as a technical manual for applicants who are preparing for a powered parachute category rating and for currently certificated powered parachute pilots who wish to improve their knowledge. Certificated flight instructors will find this handbook a valuable training aid, since detailed coverage of emergency procedures, components and systems, aerodynamics, powerplants, ground operations, flight maneuvers, airport operations, and aeronautical decision making is included. Topics, such as navigation and communication, use of flight information publications..

This book is a poignant story of a small-town boy, who stumbled into a lifelong flying career spanning 38 years as a pilot. Now at 99, Captain Ho Weng Toh, one of the last few remaining Flying Tigers, recalls the many events that shaped his life. It takes the readers through his journey of good and bad years, the trials and tribulations encountered, his journey from being a refugee student to becoming a Chinese Air Force B-25 bomber pilot, his will to live, the burning desire to contribute towards the WWII effort and his endurance of all the trials and hardships all alone and often in silent solitude.Captain Ho shares memories of his childhood days and his growing-up years in Ipoh, his family and important values imparted by his father, his wonderful friendship with his buddy of eight decades, Meng Seng and his romantic encounters.In 1941, while being a student in Hong Kong, Captain Ho witnessed bombs dropped by Japanese bombers which signalled the start of WWII — a war which not only altered the course of history but was a major turning point in his life. Its impact consequently shaped the course of his life.He encountered many trials and uncertainties during the war years. But beyond the dark clouds and thunder storms, there was new hope and adventure. He encountered new adventures in Singapore, where he used his flying experience to carve out an illustrious career. In 1951, he started flying for Malayan Airways, the predecessor of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Through his 30 years of flying career with SIA, he saw the Airline grow from a fledgling Airline of three DC-3s to a modern international Airline.His strong passion for people, sports and travel were hallmarks of his life which enabled him to live a long and fulfilling life. Having a deep appreciation of the importance of friendship, he values his friends dearly and often travels the globe to reconnect. Being keenly interested in people and world affairs, he is extremely aware of human needs and is ever concerned for people that comes his way, fighting for the underdogs, offering guidance and a little helping hand to those in need. Such qualities together with his flying experience has helped him successfully train and groom several generations of young local pilots who eventually had successful careers at SIA.Related Link(s)