Naomi the Aviatrix

Naomi was parachuting in a 1935 Air Circus. She flew gliders in Germany and England until the War, when she transported military aircraft for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). This book quotes directly from her diary and includes many of her pictures, putting the reader into the time period as she writes in the first person. The author’s text provides some historical background and time lines. A woman’s worst nightmare! Her son has found her diary and has published it. There is something to learn from her experiences. However, if you just like to read hair-raising stories about close calls and first person accounts of historical adventures, there are plenty of them to be found in here. Naomi has passed, leaving the author free to pick out the juicy parts of her diary and organize into: Joining the Circus, Close Calls, Breaking the Rules, Young and in Love, Hesselberg Trouble, Scruffy Americans, etc. Naomi performed parachuting for Sir Alan Cobham's Air Display. The air display was a popular form of entertainment and inspiration for future aviators. Her diary offers some rare coverage of the air display. Naomi’s great love was for soaring. She flew in England as well as the Hesselberg, Hornberg, and Darmstadt earning the first Silver C for a British woman. She attended the famous first international gliding competition at the Wasserkuppe. The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was an organization to transport aircraft, freeing the fighter pilots to be more available for defense. During the war Naomi flew over 50 different types of military aircraft in all sorts of weather. The achievements of these forgotten men and women pilots are amazing and the women’s participation set historic precedent. Among the events of her biography is a story of life's challenges as well as personal insights into historical events that can only be seen by quoting her diary. Hence this book has some feel of an autobiography.