High, Wide and Frightened

High, Wide and Frightened is Louise Thaden's firsthand account of her experiences as a pioneering female aviator in the 1920s and 1930s. The memoir details her path from working at a coal company in Wichita to becoming one of America's most accomplished pilots. Thaden recounts her participation in major air races and her pursuit of multiple aviation records during the early days of flight. Her narrative covers the technical challenges of flying primitive aircraft as well as the social barriers she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field. The book provides an intimate look at the dawn of American aviation through personal stories, flight logs, and observations about the development of aircraft technology. Thaden describes her interactions with other notable pilots of the era and her role in advancing women's place in aviation. The memoir stands as both a historical record of early flight and a testament to human determination in the face of physical and social obstacles. Through straightforward prose, it captures the mixture of fear, exhilaration, and persistence required of aviation pioneers.

The book receives strong reviews from aviation enthusiasts and history buffs for its first-hand account of early aviation. On Goodreads, readers appreciate Thaden's matter-of-fact writing style and descriptions of pioneering female pilots in the 1920s-30s. Readers highlight: - Technical details about early aircraft - Stories of air races and record attempts - Personal anecdotes about other aviation figures - Documentation of women's role in aviation history Main criticism centers on the book being hard to find, with few copies in circulation. Some note the writing can be dry in technical sections. Review stats: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (28 ratings) Amazon: No reviews available - book out of print LibraryThing: 4.5/5 (6 ratings) "A fascinating glimpse into the golden age of aviation through the eyes of one who lived it" - Goodreads reviewer "Important historical record but sometimes gets bogged down in technical details" - LibraryThing review

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🛩️ Louise Thaden set multiple aviation records in the 1920s-30s, including the women's endurance record of 22 hours and 3 minutes in 1929. ✈️ The book's title comes from Thaden's first experience with severe turbulence, when she found herself "high, wide, and frightened" while flying through a storm. 👩‍✈️ Thaden was the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy Race in 1936, beating both male and female pilots in a transcontinental air race from New York to Los Angeles. 📖 Published in 1938, the book provides a rare first-hand account of early aviation from a female perspective during the Golden Age of Flight. 🏆 The author was one of the founding members of The Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots that included Amelia Earhart as its first president.