Beth Ruggiero York is a former airline pilot for Trans World Airlines. She entered the world of civil aviation in 1984 shortly after graduating from college and, for the next five years, climbed the ladder to her ultimate goal of flying for a major airline. Now she has dual careers–Chinese translator and professional photographer. She teaches photography workshops for Arizona Highways PhotoScapes and her own company, Ruggiero Images LLC. Her popular instructional book on night photography, “Fun in the Dark: A Guide to Successful Night Photography” has worldwide sales and she also co-wrote “Everglades National Park: A Photographic Destination.” She originally wrote “Flying Alone: A Memoir” in the early 1990s, shortly after her career as a pilot ended and the memories were fresh. It relives the struggles and the challenges of civil aviation that she faced thirty years ago.

“Flying Alone” begins with a prologue titled ‘The Promise’ where Beth recalls the moment she knew she would someday learn to fly. She is fourteen and traveling alone for the first time to visit relatives in Colorado when she first experiences the thrill and excitement of flying in an airplane. From there the story picks up with a grown up Beth fueling airplanes for New England Flyers, a tiny flight school in Beverly, Massachusetts. She is working from the ground up to fulfill her dream of flying for the airlines, but the road ahead is a long one. Before any major airline will even look at her, she has to go through ground school, many hours of flight time, instrument rating, she has to get her pilot license and she must have up to three thousand hours of flying experience. It takes her five years and along the way, her dream of making it “in a man’s world” is complicated with a “probable” Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, a romantic relationship with her flight instructor, having to fly run-down airplanes and working for shady businesses whose only concern is making money. She finally makes it to the majors and begins working as Flight Engineer, or Second Officer, in the cockpit of a Boeing 727 for Trans World Airlines. In the Epilogue, she recounts how, after only a year, she is officially diagnosed with MS and can no longer qualify for the certification needed to keep her job. She goes back to school and graduates from Harvard and after completing the master’s program for Chinese Studies, she begins working as a Chinese to English translator.

Beth Ruggiero York’s “Flying Alone” is not only a memoir of her experiences while trying to become a commercial pilot, it is also an intriguing glimpse at the aviation world, including all the necessary regulations, the widespread problem of drunk pilots and what it takes to keep a business afloat. Aside from Chapter 5, ‘Instruments,’ where she describes the inner workings of an airplane, the language is easy to understand and the action flows easily. It is refreshing to read about how hard she worked and her determination to achieve her goals despite what must have felt like one disappointment after another. Even when she could not continue after her MS diagnosis, it is inspiring to read about how she turned that around and still managed to find a fulfilling job “I have continued to live the life I wanted, albeit a struggle.” The most exciting parts are when she is flying , her experiences with faulty equipment and, as in Chapter 26, ‘New Year’s Eve’ in icy and foggy conditions: “Halfway through the turn, Paul panicked. ‘What’re you doing?’ he yelled and grabbed the controls, putting the plane in an even steeper bank. Before I could grab it back from him, we were at a near stall, nose up.” “Flying Alone” is an inspiring story of one woman’s courage and determination to achieve her dreams despite overwhelming odds. It is recommended for readers who appreciate exciting first person accounts of personal struggles and victories.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.