Shirley is a true trailblazer! How Not to Fly an Airplane follows her personal journey and achievements as she explores and defines what it means to her to be a mother, a woman, and a pilot. She manages to find many bridges between her personal struggles and the lessons she's learned throughout her career. While the book includes a heavy amount of technical flight jargon that can feel overwhelming for the average reader, and the narrative occasionally jumps around, making the flow a bit uneven, Shirley’s story remains inspiring. She rises above her struggles to succeed in a male-dominated world of aviation—overcoming bullies, battling illness, and teaching others how to soar, just as she does.

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙵𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚒𝚛𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎: 𝙰 𝙵𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝙿𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚝'𝚜 𝙹𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚢.
4/5! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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As a flight attendant and private pilot, I always love to read about or see females excelling in this industry. I loved reading about Shirleys road to becoming an inspiration in the aviation world. 𖹭

If you have a love for aviation or the road to becoming a pilot, definitely give this a read.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 & 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎-𝚊𝚛𝚌 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠.

Loved this book! Especially with the current administration and rise of anti “DEI” policies it was a very inspiring read. Aviation is 95% male, and 90% white males - women make up a tiny percentage of comercial airline pilots so I love reading about and seeing women in aviation!

I read a netgalley ARC of this and it was pretty cool to read her stories. I had no idea so many pilots learn and are flying on their own so young. Of course the stories of misogyny are frustrating but important to know existed and still do. I also never considered the other ways pilots can earn a living besides actually flying, she delves into it a lot here, as well as stories from her own life.

Also on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Fly-Airplane-Journey/dp/162720590X

This book has been described as the aviation version of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, (I haven’t read this as of yet but have heard good things and will definitely try and bump it up my TBR list.) so was expecting all the insider gossip, drama and HR violations galore.

This book is written in the 80s/90s when less than 2% of pilots were female. Shirley was young, petite and female. When you think about what direction this book will take, you’d be fair in assuming sexual harassment was rife, but that’s wasn’t the main theme for this book. She was belittled, second guessed, told she had to prove herself and that she represented all future female hires. She dealt with cowboys (literally) not one but two engine failures, the guilt of a previous student dying and how she eventually found the courage, agency and power to stand up for self in her career, her and her daughter’s medical treatment and how she hopes better for the aviation industry.

It was an interesting read and reminded me a lot of Karina Molloys “A Woman in Defence”. I did hope for a little snippet of the aviation industry in modern day and if they’ve overcome some of these issues, but that’s the HR girl in me (and the one that still remembers her worst interview ever with Ryanair)

How Not to Fly a Plane is out on May 20th. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Apprentice House for this early release copy.

Book Review: How Not to Fly an Airplane: A Female Pilot’s Journey by Shirley M. Phillips

Shirley M. Phillips’ How Not to Fly an Airplane is a compelling and refreshingly candid memoir that chronicles her unconventional path to becoming a professional pilot in a male-dominated industry. Blending self-deprecating humor with hard-won wisdom, Phillips dismantles the myth of effortless expertise by detailing her early mistakes, near-disasters, and gradual mastery of aviation. The book serves as both an inspiring personal narrative and an insightful commentary on gender dynamics in STEM fields, offering valuable lessons about resilience, humility, and the power of learning from failure.

Phillips’ writing shines in its ability to transform technical aviation scenarios into gripping, accessible stories. Her descriptions of botched landings, misjudged weather patterns, and comical miscommunications with air traffic control are rendered with vivid detail and wry humor. What elevates these anecdotes beyond mere entertainment is Phillips’ thoughtful reflection on how each failure contributed to her growth—not just as a pilot, but as a leader and mentor. The memoir particularly excels in its portrayal of workplace sexism, from subtle microaggressions to overt discrimination, though some readers may wish for deeper structural analysis of the aviation industry’s gender gap.

The book’s structure follows a loose chronological progression from Phillips’ first flight lessons to her eventual command of commercial aircraft, interspersed with thematic chapters on specific challenges like instrument flying or emergency procedures. While this approach effectively showcases her development, certain sections feel disproportionately detailed compared to others. The most powerful moments come when Phillips connects her aviation experiences to broader life lessons, particularly in chapters discussing how embracing vulnerability ultimately strengthened her authority in the cockpit.

Rating: 4.2/5

Section Scoring Breakdown:
-Narrative Authenticity: 5/5 – Unusually transparent about professional failures
-Technical Communication: 4/5 – Makes complex aviation concepts accessible
-Gender Analysis: 4/5 – Personal insights could benefit from more systemic critique
-Structural Pacing: 3.5/5 – Some unevenness in chapter depth
-Inspirational Value: 4.5/5 – Powerful model of competence through perseverance

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Shirley M. Phillips, for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.