Flying South: A Pilot's Inner Journey

Rating:
Summary: There are no old bold pilots
Review: I am not sure if this is a travel book, a flying book, or a book towards self discovery. It seems to be a little of each, but not enough of each. As a travel book, I get only a sense of the towns she visits, and the cultures she adores. She gives snippets, and I wanted more. As a flying book, she reveals the most about herself. She is (was) a poor pilot. She set aside her responsibilities as pilot in command and did whatever Doug told her to do, no matter the danger. Her go-no go decisions were terrible, and every novice pilot should learn from her example. As a journey into self discovery, the book was its strongest. How does the spouse of a famous and outgoing person carve out an identity of her own? This was very interesting, and here the author found her voice.

Rating:
Summary: revealing and entertaining
Review: i havn't finished reading the book yet, but this book is awesome! i have like 10 of Galen's books and read most of his other ones as well. its too bad barbara didn't write more books. this book is more revealing than even Galen's books. she is really honest and humorous. an exciting story too.

Rating:
Summary: revealing and entertaining
Review: i havn't finished reading the book yet, but this book is awesome! i have like 10 of Galen's books and read most of his other ones as well. its too bad barbara didn't write more books. this book is more revealing than even Galen's books. she is really honest and humorous. an exciting story too.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting true life tale you can't put down!
Review: I read this book initially as a fan of the author's husband, Galen Rowell, a world renowned nature/adventure photographer. I came away with a new respect for Barbara, his wife. She writes in an easy to read style that kept me turning the pages, not wanting to stop. From her wild flight over Brazil to her rafting accident, where she had to fly herself to the doctor hundreds of miles away, each leg of her trip leaves you wanting to read more. She also gives insight into what it's like being a woman in world dominated by males. Tragically, Barbara and Galen died in a plane crash just before this book was published. Barbara wasn't at the controls, but I can't somehow believe that if she had been the pair would still be alive today. Get this book, you'll read it from cover to cover in a matter of days!

Rating:
Summary: Riveting true life tale you can't put down!
Review: I read this book initially as a fan of the author's husband, Galen Rowell, a world renowned nature/adventure photographer. I came away with a new respect for Barbara, his wife. She writes in an easy to read style that kept me turning the pages, not wanting to stop. From her wild flight over Brazil to her rafting accident, where she had to fly herself to the doctor hundreds of miles away, each leg of her trip leaves you wanting to read more. She also gives insight into what it's like being a woman in world dominated by males. Tragically, Barbara and Galen died in a plane crash just before this book was published. Barbara wasn't at the controls, but I can't somehow believe that if she had been the pair would still be alive today. Get this book, you'll read it from cover to cover in a matter of days!

Rating:
Summary: good for airplane nerds
Review: If you own an airplane and have been wondering why your insurance company won't let you take it south of Mexico, this book will clear up the confusion. The risks of flying over unfamiliar territory, without intermediate weather reports, in the pre-GPS days are astonishing. The book starts off weak, with a lot of psychobabblish pondering that is unlikely to appeal to the pilots for whom the latter portion of the book will be interesting. Beautifully printed and bound. Unless you plan to be immortal, however, I wouldn't recommend the book to a non-pilot; there are better books with which to occupy your limited time on the planet.

Rating:
Summary: good for airplane nerds
Review: If you own an airplane and have been wondering why your insurance company won't let you take it south of Mexico, this book will clear up the confusion. The risks of flying over unfamiliar territory, without intermediate weather reports, in the pre-GPS days are astonishing. The book starts off weak, with a lot of psychobabblish pondering that is unlikely to appeal to the pilots for whom the latter portion of the book will be interesting. Beautifully printed and bound. Unless you plan to be immortal, however, I wouldn't recommend the book to a non-pilot; there are better books with which to occupy your limited time on the planet.

Rating:
Summary: Moving story, beautiful images
Review: There are a lot of things wrong with this book, as noted by other reviewers, including:
- An inexperienced private pilot repeatedly in over her head
- No great insights into the places or people she visits
- A level of jealousy for her famous husband
And yet, I found myself truly drawn in to the story, due to the combination of adventure, beautiful images, and the author's relentless desire to prove herself. Knowing how she met her fate added a level of poignancy for me. I coudn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: This book is a fascinating look into the world of the risk-taker and the cult of risk-taking. There is no doubt that Barbara Cushman Rowell took an inner journey. She lays all her fears before us and conquers them. Along with this journey are her husband Galen and fellow pilot Doug Tompkins, two wild adventurers who lead Barbara into risky decisions she usually regrets. In the process of wrestling with herself, her husband and Tompkins she puts us inside the cockpit during harrowing landings, inclement weather and her own demons.

Rating:
Summary: A look into the world of the risk-taker
Review: This book is a fascinating look into the world of the risk-taker and the cult of risk-taking. There is no doubt that Barbara Cushman Rowell took an inner journey. She lays all her fears before us and conquers them. Along with this journey are her husband Galen and fellow pilot Doug Tompkins, two wild adventurers who lead Barbara into risky decisions she usually regrets. In the process of wrestling with herself, her husband and Tompkins she puts us inside the cockpit during harrowing landings, inclement weather and her own demons.