Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air

I thought I knew more than the average Bear about Lindbergh, but I had no idea that his wife, Anne, was so instrumental in his flying new air routes around the world! A very informative book on Charles and Anne Lindbergh, I learned a lot of things I never even guessed about, and I'm a long time pilot and aviation enthusiast. I really should have known that Anne was the first Woman Glider Pilot, but had no idea she even did it in my own back yard, Mt. Soledad and Torrey Pines Cliffs, California. Kathleen Winters chose a great topic and did justice to Anne Morrow Lindbergh. After reading this book I feel I knew Anne and Charles as well as my fellow pilots, and came away with a much better idea of what it meant to do the long distance flights they did in the 30's. Very revealing of Charles's involvement with Commercial and Military aviation's Golden Era. Everyone interested in aviation and flying should read this book, it's that good!

This biography is an enlightened and fun read about an unassuming woman who flew when civil aviation was in its infancy, with air routes nonexistent until charted by pioneers like Anne and her husband Charles Lindbergh. Flying their single-engine plane, the Lindberghs traveled across oceans to five continents during the 1930s. They understood that aviation was more than dangerous attempts at setting records, but instead could provide reliable, speedy, and safe travel--except for hazardous weather conditions. Foul weather was a demon they struggled with throughout their flights, writes Kathleen Winters. She describes a leg on their Atlantic survey: "The flight would become another battle in rain, fog, and low ceilings--lasting nearly four hours. . . . Anne, meanwhile, desperately radioed for weather conditions." Winters, a pilot herself, uses her own aviation background to bring to life the book's many flying scenes. Also depicted are the conflicts Anne endured because of long absences from her family while flying as a committed partner with Charles. Ambitious and adventurous, Anne became a bestselling author after she ended her flying career. I found this biography entertaining and a page turner, moving quickly from one chapter to the next.

This book works on several levels. It is a character study of the young Anne Morrow as she grows into a woman, marries a man the world worships, shares his adventures, and discovers her own voice through writing. Simultaneously it is a graphic description of her flying career. Using the Lindberghs' logs, which previous authors ignored, Winters creates a picture of how aviation forged a deep bond between them. The author, a professional pilot, draws on her knowledge to vividly portray this neglected side of Anne Morrow's life. Anne Morrow Lindbergh may be better known as an author, and the wife of Charles, than as an adventurous pilot. Other books cover her later work in much more depth. But it is flying that gave her the subject matter to begin her professional writing, and underpinned the rest of her life. The author tells this part of her story, and tells it well.

Kathleen Winters has written fascinating book of Anne Morrow Lindbergh from both a historical and a feminine point of view. Taking her cue from Anne's own diaries and journals, she reveals that Anne was a person in her own right. She is not merely a follower of Charles, she is his right-hand woman,fearless in a world that has yet to be conquered. Aviation was in its infancy when she and Charles undertook the mission to discover possible routes to the far corners of the earth. Traveling over the Arctic Circle with them you can almost feel the bone-chilling cold experienced in their frail craft and you can feel the excitement as they are welcomed in exotic places. The maps themselves tell the incredible story of their journeys. I felt almost as though I were experiencing the cold of the Arctic and the fear that anything could happen as they were so out of touch with those on the ground. Anne's mastery of the Morse code was an invaluable asset as they crisscrossed the Atlantic, traveling to places we consider a normal journey now. The book opened my eyes to what a daring person she was. Factual and Fascinating!

The compelling jacket photo of Anne Morrow Lindbergh sets the stage for a book that you will find difficult to put down. An absorbing narrative describes the major contributions of this celebrity, a little known aviation pioneer who began her flying career when she married Charles Lindbergh. I enjoyed discovering the interesting family backgrounds of both Charles and Anne. Anne had decided to be involved in aviation before meeting Charles Lindbergh. She became a competent power pilot but most people are unaware that she was the first woman and tenth American to hold a first-class glider license. Even more intriguing, she became a competent radio operator and Morse code operator. The safety and success of the many long Lindbergh flights were due in large part to her navigation skills and radio skills in addition to her co-pilot duties. Kathleen Winters' description of their harrowing adventures as they flew untested routes above the Arctic Circle, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean causes one to wonder why they survived when so many other aviation pioneers died as a result of their efforts.