A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air

I’ve always read a lot and have been reading even more during the pandemic. I’ve had a special interest in heroic women, having read Amy McGrath, MJ Hegar, and Tammie Jo Shults. I’m sure Erika doesn’t see herself in that company but as a retired family therapist who has always loved aviation that’s how I see her. And as a former English prof, I find her a gifted writer, funny, warm, and incisive.And again as a retired family therapist her story about several years of dealing with an abusive narcissist was painfully familiar. Yet her ability to rise above her ex-husband’s relentless efforts to humiliate and control her is as impressive an achievement as any I know. Her personal integrity and concern for others comes through in how others come through so well for her.I loved the checklist format, which was both fun and enlightening. And I felt moved enough several times to find myself wiping away tears as Erika's struggles unfolded. I gave my wife a copy and said if her book club didn’t pick it for next year they will have missed one of the best memoirs out there, and I've read hundreds. I also gave a copy to a friend who was married to her own version of Erika's ex, but without the added weight of children in the picture.Again as a family therapist I know the value of Erika's efforts to help women survive divorce. Few of us understand that it can be a gift rather than a penalty.All of which is simply to say Erika and her book are a wonderful example of the best of us under terrible conditions. To read her story is to learn hope is precious. Anyone who reads it will be enriched.

I read this for a book club. I likely would not have read it otherwise. The title is a poor choice and made me skeptical of the further contents. Unfortunately, my intuition was spot on. It reminds me of click bait articles. It also is counterproductive. The author wants female pilots to be treated just like their male counterparts but titled her book in a way that makes female pilots sound like an oddity and capitalizes on her gender.The part of the book that is about aviation/ her journey in aviation is ok but her training and career is not clearly communicated. At times I couldn’t tell if she was still with the charter company or at an airline or if her aviation stories were in order. I’m a student pilot nearing my checkride and would have liked more details about her actual path into the left seat at the airline and her training.The rest of the book was focused on her abusive marriage and trials with it. I think it’s an important topic to talk about and share so that people don’t feel alone, can pick up on red flags sooner, and seek help when they need it. However, from the title I was disappointed that there wasn’t much aviation content. Mostly, she used aviation checklists as metaphors for what she was going through and they didn’t always connect well. I was also distracted by a large number of typos. I know they happen occasionally even with thorough editing, but I found over a dozen and feel like it might reflect negatively on the professionalism of women pilots and authors; especially since she makes such a point of talking about her gender. She also seems to have a very loose grasp on the definition of the word “ironic” though she uses it liberally throughout the book.I’d say it’s worth a read if you want to hear her story and how an accomplished person can end up in an abusive relationship, how that effects their life, and how they break free. I especially love the support she got from the women around her and the message to ask for help when you need it and give help to others when you can. However, if you’re looking for an aviation book or inspiration for aviation training, I’d suggest you look elsewhere.

A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air is a biographical book by a female pilot named Erika Armstrong who loved and enjoyed her career with a passion. She writes it by using aviation jargon to describe her professional and personal experiences that are a combination of laughs, tears, and triumph by the end. In this book, she reveals her struggles of being a woman pilot, her joys of meeting the man of her dreams, the pain of spousal abuse, and of course the light at the end of the tunnel. Erika is a survivor and she was always the breadwinner in her and her husband’s household. What I liked about this book most of all was how Erika defied her unique position of being a female in an all-male occupation. She tells of the time when she had to face sexual harassment from a male colleague to the unfairness of a female employer who she thought would take care of her since she was of her gender. Erika mentions one incident while she was piloting a flight between Mexico and the USA where there was a false bomb threat and the commotion that came about because of it. Erika also recalls 9/11 and what she was doing on that dreadful day. Another aspect of the story is where Erika delineates how she met her husband and how she pursued him to eventually getting hitched This is a wonderful how-to-recover-from-a-fall instructional book for the oppressed because it features someone who fell from grace but instead of crying and dwelling on the problem this someone did something about it and was able to climb back to the top. It has a lesson for both men and women alike that if you don’t cry out for help, or if you don’t get out and do something about your problem situation, you will never get out of it alive. Erika Armstrong was overridden with oppression from someone she thought was the love of her life but it was acquaintances and luck that came to her rescue. You should read her story, it will help you get a positive perspective on life if you are stuck at the bottom and don’t know how to get out of it.

I love Erika's style of writing; by turns, funny, playful, and she has amazing powers of recall. This book begins with a woman's perspective into what it takes (and the sacrifices necessary) to be a successful professional in the aviation world. Then the story completely diverts, just like life has a habit of doing. Whether piloting a plane full of passengers through choppy weather, or piloting her life through some very rough experiences, this woman never loses her checklists, or her professionalism and sheer class.This is a great book. You'll really enjoy it. Check out Erika's fantastic aviation articles on Disciples Of Flight too.

When I picked up the Kindle version of this book, I was not expecting what I got for the reasonable price tag. I got so much more. I expected to be reading a novel about he challenges of aviation, and perhaps even a battle for respect a female pilot may have. But I found that 'A Chick in the Cockpit' was more a story of survival – survival of balancing a successful career as a pilot and a difficult home life.She is a brave woman, and has written the account of her life in an honest and frank way, whilst managing to bring humour and joy. She had some difficult times, but managed to overcome them with amazing courage. Whether it is turbulence in the air, or turbulence at home, Erika Armstrong manages to fly through it and come out the other side. I don't know how she does it, and keep such a positive attitude, but I know that I would feel in safe hands, if she was the 'Chick in the Cockpit' of my flight.A five star memoir.

Well written, but it's more of a personal account of her life and marriage issues than stories about aviation. The ones she gives are brilliant but the book is 80% about her marriage and 20% aviation or metaphors of life & aviation. Very well written but not what I was expecting when I purchased it. Much more life on the ground that up in the air. She's a brave soul when all is said and done.

Very readable, kudos to the author for her clarity and focus. Her successful attempt in the book to create a parallel between the cockpit proedure and life is indeed quite original and thought provoking. For me, as I pilot, the book held my attention.

Gripping story. Great writing. But takes a turn mid-course and becomes a different book than the one on the cover.