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An Officer, Not a Gentleman

The Inspirational Journey of a Pioneering Female Fighter Pilot

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An Officer, Not a Gentleman

By: Mandy Hickson
Narrated by: Mandy Hickson
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About this listen

'Mandy, break right...’ Jacko’s urgent scream shatters my bubble of bliss like a balloon exploding. My right hand slams the stick across and we tip over sideways, like a hard right turn on a roller coaster. I tense my stomach muscles to accept the punch in the guts from the g-suit, which clamps my legs tight to force the blood to my brain and stop me from blacking out.

‘Missile launch, five o’clock...’ says the strained voice of my nav into my headset. I am not daydreaming anymore.

Flying a multi-million pound fighter jet in hostile territory is not an everyday career, and it comes with a high degree of pressure and responsibility. It’s a dream job that takes years of ambition, training and commitment, but for Mandy Hickson, it was a dream that became reality. Find out about Mandy’s incredible journey to become one of the UK’s first female, fast-jet pilots and how she overcame many obstacles to develop the skills to succeed in such a demanding career.

©2020 Mandy Hickson (P)2021 W F Howes Engineering Military & War Aviation Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Military Air Force
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This is the first book I have ever listened to and unfortunately it has come to end. I have found my self taking that little extra time to drive that little bit further to squeeze another chapter in. The author has a pleasing voice and so easy to listen to.
As a 46 year old Male I was moved to listen to book.

Jamie

My first book moved me to tears.

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My first venture into audible... I picked a cracker to start with!
Beautifully written, wonderfully paced, this book kept me gripped from start to finish.
An insight into how a fast jet pilot is made, but also of a woman working against the male dominated world which prevailed at that time, making "Wellsy's" already incredible achievements all the more impressive.
A truly brilliant book.

Brilliant, simply brilliant

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I enjoyed listening to Flt Lt Hickson share these aspects of her life and career. She came across as a nice mix of intelligent, professional, confident, lively, self-aware and self-effacing, and I hope this is pretty typical of officers in Britain's armed forces.
I found her discussions of her experience of the training and her subsequence deployments very interesting, and would strongly encourage anyone aspiring to a career as an RAF of Navy pilot to read (or listen) to this book.

An interesting autobiography

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Binge listened to this one. Inspirational and loved it. So honest about her vulnerabilities as well as her extraordinary successes. Made me walk a little more erect and positively as I listened!

Loved it

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An inspiring account of one woman's determination to achieve her dreams. Humorous and eye opening, well worth a read.

Inspiring

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