Take Flight Incredible true stories of Australian women who reach for the sky

‘ We’ d taken three weeks to climb the mountain and three minutes to fly down. I felt small but enormous and so much more than this little human shell.’ Heather Swan, wingsuit BASE jumper From balancing on a wing tip to paragliding with an eagle, Take Flight tells the stories of Australian women who have leapt, tumbled and dived, and reached for the stars. These inspirational women share stories of their lives in the skies. Helicopter pilot Alida Soemawinata ascends over Kata Tju?a. Speed skydiver Jessica Johnston joins a formation of ‘ horny gorillas’ hurtling through an azure African sky. Paramotor pilot Sacha Dench follows the flight path of Bewick’ s swans for thousands of kilometres. Hot air balloonist Donna Tasker fills the envelope and glides over Western Australia. Gomeroi astrophysicist Krystal De Napoli points up to the Seven Sisters in the dark night sky. Author and pilot Kathy Mexted weaves a moving narrative of the determination, skill and expertise of these women who have beaten the odds to find success and joy in the skies.

Kathy Mexted is a writer, photographer and editor. Inspired by her father, she learnt to fly in 1991, before she became a writer. Now she writes more than she flies, though her eyes and mind are usually turned skywards. She grew up in Finley, New South Wales, and currently lives with her family on 40 hectares in central Victoria. She is the author of Australian Women Pilots.

Introduction: A flying start Glossary 1 The human swan: Sacha Dench, paramotor pilot 2 From tourism to aeromedical rescue: Alida Soemawinata, helicopter pilot 3 From the tallest mountain: Heather Swan, wingsuit BASE jumper 4 Soaring to great heights: Catherine Conway, glider pilot 5 Two crazy ideas: Stef Walter, wing walker and Moomba bird(wo)man 6 On eagles’ wings: Kirsten Seeto, paraglider 7 On a roll: Emma Mcdonald, air race and aerobatic display pilot 8 Head down, fast as you can: Jessica Johnston, speed skydiver 9 It started with the stars: Krystal De Napoli, Indigenous astronomer 10 The earliest aviators: Donna Tasker, balloon pilot Sources Acknowledgments