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Island Girl To Airline Pilot

A story of love, sacrifice and taking flight

By: Silva McLeod

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Paperback | 5 April 2023

At a Glance

Paperback
336 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.5 x 15 x 2.5

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$32.75

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This is the incredible story of Silva Mcleod, the first Tongan woman to become an airline pilot, told with frankness and wit by Silva herself.

Silva was a Tongan girl from a small island with little hope of anything beyond getting married and having babies. Her dreams of becoming an airline pilot seemed just that — dreams — until

Ken McLeod came into Silva’s life. He was an Australian hired to build a hospital on her island of Vava‘u. She started dating him despite frowns from her family. After a whirlwind romance, they got married in a traditional Tongan ceremony before moving to Australia.

There were many barriers to succeeding in such a male-dominated field, but Silva refused to give in. She became the first Tongan female airline pilot and worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service amongst other small airlines then Virgin International, flying B777s around the world.

About the Author

Silva Mcleod was born on the small Tongan island of Vava‘u. She married Ken, an Australian, in a traditional Tongan ceremony before moving to Australia.

Silva had always dreamed of flying and with Ken’s encouragement she braved the barriers to enter the male-dominated field of aviation. She became the first Tongan female airline pilot and worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service amongst other small airlines before joining Virgin International, flying B777s around the world.

Industry Reviews

"Wonderful to see Virgin Australia pilot Silva McLeod has published a book about her remarkable life - from a young girl on a small island in Tonga, to a pilot flying for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Virgin Family. Congratulations Silva." -Richard Branson

"The inspiring story of the first Tongan woman to become an airline pilot is one of courage, determination and heartbreak" - Vacations and Travel Magazine

"An epic story of love, and heartbreak and family and sacrifice. One of the most moving reads you will have in a long time" -ABC Weekends with Andrea Gibbs

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Society & Culture Social Issues & Processes Social Discrimination & Inequality Engineering & Technology Transport Technology & Trades Aerospace & Aviation Technology Aviation Skills & Piloting Biographies & True Stories Biographies Autobiographies Kids & Children's Books

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Island Girl To Airline Pilot

A story of love, sacrifice and taking flight

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Autobiographies

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