Writing High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts

Powerful Stories for Women of Power

By Ann McCallum Staats

They did what? They went where? I didn’t write about humdrum women. There is nothing boring about the subjects I chose to include in my latest book, High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts. Instead, I interviewed and researched exceptional leaders, doers and risk-takers, women who insisted on success and often flew outside the lines to get there. 

Whenever I launch a new writing project, I start with a kernel of an idea. Some intriguing fact has lodged itself into my cranium and won’t—for the life of me—get out. It’s usually a good thing. For this project, I found that kernel when I looked up. That is, I was at the airport, about to take a routine airplane flight, and I watched a plane depart. Then it was my turn. As I stepped onto the plane, I chatted for a moment with the captain, not a man, but a confident and friendly woman. I was suddenly intrigued by her career choice and wanted to know more. I did a search later and found that less than ten percent of commercial airplane pilots were women. Numbers in other areas of flight were just as dismal.  

My process for writing a book, and in particular this book for the Women of Power series, is to organize a general concept into a clear, workable structure. I was already hooked on the idea of women pilots. Now, how would I frame their stories and accomplishments? I settled on altitude to delineate the types of flight. I began with a list of low flying aircraft such as helicopters, single-engine planes, bush planes, and seaplanes. Early in the process I stumbled across Edgora McEwan, the first woman to earn a license as a hot-air balloon pilot in the United Arab Emirates. A hot-air balloon would be included, too, I decided. Next, I listed commercial and military planes that fly further up in the atmosphere. I included passenger planes, jet fighters, and transport planes like the bulky Stratotanker that refuels planes in mid-air. Finally, what about beyond the confines of Earth? Space shuttles and rockets fit into my overall concept, too. 

Now that I had a list of aircraft, how would I find the people, specifically women, who operate them? The statistics for women in these roles indicated that there weren’t that many out there. How would I locate them, and more importantly, would they be willing to talk to me and share their stories? 

I did more digging. I read more articles and sifted through more reams of material. I didn’t reach out to any specific women until I was positive that I had enough background information to feel comfortable about asking the right questions. These women were successful, busy leaders who didn’t have time to waste. I needed a strategy for getting them to open up, to go beyond what I could read online. I needed to inspire my readers by tapping into details behind the headlines and accomplishments of these women. I needed to know who they were before and during their climb to success. 

I reached out to several women. I interviewed Katie Higgins Cook, the first woman to join the Navy’s premier Blue Angels jet squadron and Ronaqua Russell, the first black woman in the U.S. Coast Guard to earn the prestigious Air Medal. I talked to Tammie Jo Shults who flew past multiple ‘no’s’ to become a commercial pilot and who ultimately and heroically helped land Southwest flight 1380 after catastrophic engine failure. Next, I was granted five minutes with Senator Tammy Duckworth, a go-getter whose fierce determination pulled her from childhood poverty to Black Hawk helicopter pilot. That same refusal to quit later pushed Tammy past a devastating life-altering injury to become an influential politician. I also spoke with astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center, Ellen Ochoa, another woman whose grit launched her upwards—literally and figuratively. The other women I interviewed were equally as impressive. 

Incredible as these women are, it was now my job to tell their stories in a way that would help my target audience relate and connect. I wanted to show how, in so many ways, these women began without particular advantages—and even serious obstacles laid in front of them. Each woman started from humble beginnings. Each experienced challenge and hardship. It was often grueling to advance to the next step. The extraordinary thing is that each woman did. 

I wrote about each woman’s childhood. What tiny tidbits were clues to what would happen later? I detailed a chronology of each person’s life, the step-by-step progress of becoming that star, that aviator or astronaut these women are today. While I was ultimately writing for others, I was also on a personal journey of discovery. As I wrote, I became inspired, moved, and humbled. What was my life? How was (and am) I living my best? Chapter by chapter, I pieced together stories of sacrifice, heroism, and steadfast determination. Sometimes finding the right words was hard. But, like the women in this book, I couldn’t give up.  

Whenever a new book is finished, after I type ‘the end’ for the last time, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s kind of unbelievable. Whatever one’s passion, there are smooth skies and thunderclouds, rough patches and open spaces so exhilarating they take your breath away. Writing and reading give me a chance to soar. 

—
Ann McCallum Staats is the award-winning author of several children’s books. Her newest, “High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts,” is based on in-depth research and exclusive interviews with a senator, jet and commercial pilots, and astronauts. This is her second book in the Women of Power series. She is also author or the “Eat Your Homework” books. When she’s not writing, Ann travels, cooks, and walks through leaves. Find out more at: www.annmccallumbooks.com

High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts

These 15 women fly outside the lines.

Soar beside Black Hawk helicopter pilot turned politician Tammy Duckworth, hot air balloonist Edgora McEwan, or medevac pilot Dede Murawsky. Higher up, meet commercial and military aviators such as the Coast Guard’s Ronaqua Russell, the first African American female to receive the prestigious Air Medal for her rescue efforts during Hurricane Harvey.

Next, ride along with Tammie Jo Shults, whose story includes a harrowing catastrophic engine failure while in command of 148 people aboard Southwest’s Flight 1380. Others share their experiences in military high-performance jets, the Stratotanker, or while flying for the Blue Angels.

Reaching past the bounds of Earth are astronauts who have launched in the cramped Russian rocket, the Soyuz, orbited Earth while conducting critical science experiments, or lived aboard the International Space Station.

In all cases, the women in this book faced obstacles. Throughout their rise to incredible accomplishment, these courageous go-getters persevered and endured, insisting on success. Ultimately, each succeeded on her path to flight.

These diverse high-flyers are dreamers and doers who believed, despite the odds, that soaring is possible. 

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing