num_pages: 262
description: Ladies and gentlemen welcome aboard your flight. As you step onto my aircraft take a quick glance into the cockpit. Yep thats me sitting in the captains seat and thats my first officer laughing about how he accidentally locked himself out of his hotel room. Naked. Again.Were both a little ripe from flying for the last five days but were still smiling because we have spent years and thousands of hours training and living an uncommon lifestyle to be up here for you.For the next few hours you have to turn your life over to us. Its hard to trust others and there are moments when you dont have a choice about being in control. During those moments youll just have to tighten your seatbelt and trust that others will get you through the storm.Our route today will take you through a segment of my life up in the air and you will see things you could never imagine. Since I have been locked in the cockpit with men for several thousands of hours over the years I have been given a perspective few get to experience. To help you see a different perspective too I am giving you a checklist to use as we move along our route. It will take you from gate to gate and when were done we will have both learned a little more about what it takes to fly.Nowjust sit back and relax. Its going to be a bumpy ride.Erika Armstrong has worked every aspect of aviation in her twenty-five years in the industry including an international corporate airline captain. She is an award-winning staff writer for Colorado Serenity Magazine and is a professional pilot columnist for Disciples of Flight NYC Aviation Contrails Flying LinkedIn and Business Insider and is the owner of Leading Edge Aviation Consulting.
language: English
title: A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air
publisher: Behler Publications