My God! It's A Woman

The autobiography of Nancy Bird, one of Australia's early women pilots.

In 1933, when women were still expected to man the nation's kitchens, nineteen-year-old Nancy Bird obtained her commercial pilot's licence. It was an exciting period in aviation. Long distance flights in single-engined aircraft captured the imagination of people all over the world, aero clubs flourished, and the exploits of legendary figures such as Charles Kingsford Smith, P G Taylor and Charles Ulm filled the newspapers.

Australian aviation was a fledgling industry, fraught with many difficulties. Mechanical problems, frail aeroplanes made of fabric and wood, dust storms, turbulence, poor aviation maps and sketchy weather reports made long journeys arduous and a test of endurance.

Nancy Bird shares her memories of these days and her flying contemporaries, spanning her flying experiences in the outback, and her travels in Europe and America. It's a fascinating glimpse of a determined and courageous aviatrix, who has remained an active supporter of aviation throughout the world.