Highway to the Sky: An Aviator's Journey

by Lola Reid Allin

With females making up just 5% of the world’s pilots, this memoir crosses genres to combine aviation history, the author’s journey from unwanted child to successful pilot, and the feminist experience, and will appeal to multiple aviation communities.

“Don’t be silly! Girls can’t fly,” seven-year-old Lola’s father admonishes her as they fly across Canada on a commercial flight in 1962. She is crushed—but decides he must be right. She’s only ever seen male pilots, after all.

Highway to the Sky begins during the empty zone of women in aviation, a three-decade drought following WWII when men reclaimed the jobs that had been performed by women during the war and forced women back to diapers and dishes, where they “belonged.”

Despite Lola’s childhood desire to avoid the straitjacket of traditional female roles and become a pilot, her desperate need for unconditional affection after a lonesome childhood sways her determination. At age twenty, she leaps into marriage and motherhood. Four years, one toxic relationship, and one private pilot license later, she leaves her husband, even though she knows she’ll be censured by friends, family, and 1970s society at large.

Lola’s head-on battle with tradition continues as the lone female pilot in her advanced flight training program and on the job as a flight instructor, bush pilot, charter pilot, and commuter airline pilot between 1979 and 1993. Flying is challenging at times, yes—but her true obstacles are the hostility, sabotage, and discrimination she faces in her industry. She perseveres, however. Ultimately, flying is what gives her the courage to regain control of her life—and helps her find personal happiness.

344 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Rebeccajean Condon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Report: “Highway to the Sky: An Aviator’s Journey” by Lola Reid Allin.
This is Lola’s memoir of her early life and flight to independence, self-sufficiency, and love. She travels from an unhappy home life as a child, to a scary and abusive marriage even if blessed with a beloved child. Then she takes a leap of faith from a steady paycheck in a dull, repetitive job to a very exciting life and career in aviation, as well as other life and family pursuits.
As a woman in the 1970’s, this was a gutsy move, often ending up as “the only one” in an aviation environment, a strongly male bastion. Any observation of animals in nature will demonstrate the treatment of a pack, herd, flock, or clowder to one that is different - weakness, sickness, smell, or even color can cause the animal group to ostracize the “other” one in a harsh or even deadly way.
Her harsh younger life outfitted her well with the tools to fight back and defend herself from the insults and attempts to overlook the position she’d won by her skills and efforts. Being the only woman was a hill she could climb. The rewards in the air were too great to quit over a little adversity, discrimination, and harassment, sometimes more than a little.
As an aviator myself, I identify strongly with the abuses she endured early in her career. It was interesting to me that she took her early unhappiness as “training” for life on the grownup side. I came from parents who many observed were perfect in every way. Everyone wished they had my parents, and they had arms big enough for many. My sister and I had a blissful childhood. College (supported and endorsed by our folks) was a blast and placed us well to cut our own cord to independence upon graduation. What shocked us both was the ugliness of people out in the world. We had to develop our defenses on the fly, shocked by the idea that not everyone loved us, jealousy was an impediment to good work relations, and that any tool was “fair” game in the battleground of the workplace. I was definitely in a workplace dominated by males as a Naval Aviator and a major airline pilot, but my sister was a nurse, a profession not at all dominated by men. People tend to use the weapons at their disposal. Being different or “other” to the group at large is an obvious place to grab, but I’m here to assert that women in a large group can be just as vicious as a group of men to the new person, not to mention inappropriate behavior by the doctors. Jealousy and fights for dominance infect every group, no matter the makeup. I assert it is nature, a survival of the fittest. Every one of every gender, race, or anything else that sets them apart (say excellence), can cause jealousy and poor treatment in the workplace. The answer is to figure out how to stay excellent, stay sweet, and become the leader. If you lead, people will follow you.
Lola’s memoir is a motivational primer for anyone growing up and looking ahead to what might be there for them. Her vivid and colorful descriptions of her early flight training and the Canadian landscape are very picturesque. She teaches that the sky is the limit, and to stay true to your own dreams and ideals – good advice for any endeavor.

[Peggy Forde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have put this down after a few chapters if I wasn’t reading it for book club. The early chapter in which she writes about her childhood is just too cutesy - “Mommy” this and “Daddy” that. A good editor should have guided her to write as an adult looking back using “my mother/mom” and “my father/dad”. I also have trouble believing that a woman in her 70s can remember in such detail what happened to her as a five year old. She uses way too many similes. I started to roll my eyes every time she described something in comparison to something else.

However, her story really took off (pun intended) after she started flying lessons and left her husband. She clearly followed her passion regardless of the rampant misogyny of the time. Being of the same generation, I was peripherally aware of this discrimination but basically in terms of there being “accepted” careers for women - teaching, nursing, secretarial, etc. if a woman veered from these paths into science or business, it was into the “soft” sciences such as nutrition.

Millenials and Gen Zs should read this to understand how hard their foremothers worked to overcome sexual discrimination. Sadly, we still have far to go.

[Aymie Rioux · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Highway to the Sky, Lola shares with us a real-life testimony and take us on a journey of stoic determination and fierce battling against gender discrimination. She communicates with moving honesty her quest to free herself of societal and family expectations to become an aviator. The courage and resilience it took her to take control of her destiny and create a life on her own terms is definitely inspiring. If, by the end of the book, you are still in need of more inspiration, I recommend checking out Lola’s website for a whole collection of inspiring accomplishments and round the world adventures.

[Hella Comat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author came of age when women were generally still expected to forgo careers, find husbands, and be stay-at-home wives. When Lola decides to pursue the almost totally male dominated industry of aviation, she becomes one of the 5% that are women (it hasn’t risen much today). She battles scorn, assumptions of incompetence, sexual advances, and discrimination.

Knowing that she had additional careers as an adventurer, photographer, trekker, and educator, I look forward to subsequent books by this author. She has a wealth of experiences to share.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This personal account by Lola Reid Allin is an honest look at her life as she followed her dreams, against all odds, as a woman living in a man's world. While at times heartbreaking, her persistence and strength helped her "soar" in life. The writing is easy to read because it flows so well. After reading it, share it with your daughters, and your sons and husbands. This is a story worth telling - and reading!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched her interview on The Agenda with Steve Paikin - loved it! The book is great - the author's story captivates you from the first page.

I'm remain in awe of the hard work and perseverance and heartbreak these women - women who charge ahead so others can hopefully have an easier path to follow their dreams and ambitions.

[John K Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!

I met Lola at the Girls Take Flight Event at Billy Bishop Airport and she was incredibly generous with her time with my granddaughter and I.
I am not sure what I was expecting from this book but it turned out to be a wonderful story of someone finding their way in life, chasing their dreams and not letting the thoughts or perspectives of others stop you from living your own best life.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and can highly recommend it. Enlightening and somewhat sad to realize that it was not that long ago when people believed your gender dictated your ability and that it took people like Lola simply living their life that way to change that norm.

[Michael Aitkens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I began, “Highway to the Sky: An Aviator’s Journey,” by Lola Reid Allin, I could not put it down! What a compelling, extremely well-written and easy to follow tale. When it ended - all too quickly - I flipped open the book and shook its dangling pages by the cover hoping for more!

Lola’s autobiographic saga, being an attractive, tough, competent woman, trail-blazing her way into man’s world of aviation, left me mouth-opened and in awe.

Lola’s battles with childhood trauma which lead her to permit destructive men into her personal life can help and inspire other women to be more discerning.

I highly recommend “Highway to the Sky: An Aviator’s Journey,” by Lola Reid Allin. Hopefully there is a second volume. If so, how do I get my advanced, signed copy?!

Thank you, Lola! You are an inspiration to all.

[Patricia Ellis]

Lola is someone I’ve known and admired for many years. Lola’s story is honest and delivers a powerful message – no matter what life throws at you, follow your dream and you will find true happiness. Highway to the Sky is not just about her love of flying. Its about her journey and struggles; breaking through the glass ceiling, pushing for equality in a culture where the “boys club” is firmly established. You cannot help but be inspired.

[Juli-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about so much more than flying! It's a story of a determined woman with a passion and a dream in a world where too many others aren't comfortable with her fitting in. You will be brought along in this journey as the author navigates challenges, hurdles, biases and abuse while staying true to her course both in aviation and in life. She shows grit, resilience and determination throughout. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, it's a great read.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir of a female pilot who came of age in the 70ties. Flying is her passion, but she uses her story to tell about the sexism and discrimination that she faced constantly. Thanks, Hella, for the recommendation.

[Sandra Schnakenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway in the Sky is an inspiring memoir that charts one woman's incredible journey from childhood dreams to the cockpit of an airplane in an era when female pilots were all but invisible. Lola’s story is a compelling blend of personal triumph, feminist struggle, and aviation history. This story is a page-turner! With such a small percentage of pilots being women, this book gives voice to a group of women often left out of aviation lore.

The memoir opens with seven-year-old Lola's heartbreak as her father dismisses her desire to fly, encapsulating the restrictive gender norms of the 1960s. From there, the book immerses readers in a historical context where post-WWII women were forced back into domestic life, despite the strides they made during the war. But this isn't just a tale of historical limitations—it’s about the fight to overcome them. Lola marries young, only to find herself in a toxic relationship. Yet even in this suffocating domestic sphere, her dreams of flying never fully die. By 24, she’s juggling motherhood, a failing marriage, and flight school, determined to break free.

The heart of the memoir is Lola’s battle to break into—and survive in—a male-dominated industry. Through grit and perseverance, she works her way from flight instructor to commuter airline pilot, all while facing entrenched discrimination and sabotage. The hostility she encounters isn’t just frustrating; it’s a reminder of how far women have had to go to prove their competence. Yet, the narrative never becomes bogged down in anger. Lola’s spirit of determination and love of flight shine through, reminding readers of the freedom and empowerment that can come from following one’s passion.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to blend technical aspects of flying with deeply personal and emotional moments. Even if you're not an aviation enthusiast, you’ll be pulled into the sheer exhilaration of Lola's flights—and the symbolic weight they carry. Flying, for Lola, is not just a career but a lifeline, the key to regaining control over her own destiny. Her triumph in the skies becomes a metaphor for the broader feminist struggle, and her story serves as an example of what can be achieved when determination collides with opportunity.

Highway in the Sky is a gripping memoir of resilience, filled with moments of both heartbreak and triumph. It’s not just about flying; it’s about breaking free of societal expectations and navigating life on your own terms. This book will resonate with anyone who has ever felt boxed in by tradition, but especially with those who dream of taking to the skies.

[Rachèl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway to the Sky is Lola Reid Allin’s honest, intimate account of becoming a pilot when the world expected otherwise — a story that began with her father’s blunt “girls can’t fly” and grew into late-night navigation over the Canadian north, teaching new pilots, and landing rugged bush planes on lakes at dawn.

Allin writes with the calm precision of someone who’s spent hours in the cockpit: flight training scenes, and the description of the nerve-testing landings feel immediate and tactile. The book’s heart lives in the quieter moments — rebuilding after loss, facing everyday sexism, and the stubborn kindness that kept her climbing. Her joy in flying becomes a beautiful metaphor for reclaiming agency.

If you love female-forward memoirs, true stories about unconventional careers, or simply want a book that mixes technical aspects with emotional honesty, this one will stay with you. A moving, brave read.

[Ellen Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this compelling memoir, Lola Reid Allin takes us into the sky, the clouds, and all the exhilarating joy and terror of flying small planes. But reaching h er dream of flying isn’t easy. Coming of age in the early 1970s, her path is a quagmire of misogyny in every form: jokes, discrimination, roadblocks, and outright sexual assault. Her personal life throws more missiles at her, from parental disapproval to domestic violence made worse by police indifference. And yet, she comes across as an ordinary person, not a superwoman who rose above it all. She takes it day by day, one step at a time. She perseveres.

What’s great about this story is that it’s a page turner, even though (since it’s a memoir), we know she’s going to make it in the end. She keeps us engaged all the way to the last page. A great read, although a sad reminder of how far women still have to go to achieve equality.

[Jude Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway to the Sky is a must-read at a time when women are still a mere five percent of pilots. Reid Allin recounts in chilling detail the misogyny and outright abuse she experienced, but also the grit and guts with which she persisted and ultimately triumphed. Yet, her story has value far beyond aviation. I couldn't put it down because, every step of the way, I felt I was seeing my own life in the mirror. Reid Allin challenges anyone who think inequities have been relegated a rearview mirror to consider how distant that view really is.

[Elaine Ricker Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Lessons in Chemistry will enjoy how Highway to the Sky shares the laughs and the lows of a woman confronting toxic masculinity in her male-dominated career. Lola's story of aviation is largely a feminist story of women struggling for equality at home and in the workplace.

Highway to the Sky is a very personal memoir that shows how an unloving childhood home and abusive marriage led the author to search for love while being wary of men controlling, insulting, or using her. Like Eat, Pray, Love, it's a story of a woman's journey to heal and discover her true self.

[Harry Dieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

From serene landscapes to aerial manoeuvres, real human relationships to stormy clouds, Highway to the Sky is artfully detailed and descriptive. Though I generally know about historical and modern sexism and misogyny, Lola's book is a fresh, eye-opening perspective on those tough realities through the lens of the aviation industry. The book also serves as a motivational pep talk or roadmap. If you have an interest in life, aviation or not, give it a try and it might just give you the courage to break out of your rut and totally change your life for the better.

[Pat Valdata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway to the Sky explores a determined woman's journey to fulfill her aviation dreams. This memoir traces her growth in her personal as well as her professional life as she overcomes obstacles and an abusive relationship to become the airplane pilot she always dreamed of being. I'm a pilot myself, and I'm in awe of Lola Reid Allin's grit in the face of the unrelenting sexism she experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. I couldn't put it down!

[Ron Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting memoir. Once I started it all I wanted to do was read. Lola became someone I felt I had known for years. Her story was so honest with all the challenges she faced in becoming the pilot, mother and person that she is. It is an inspirational book and one that leaves you thinking of it long after the reading is done. Have we really overcome the sexism that existed decades ago? I hope so, but everyone has their own experiences.

[Margaret Yanicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I highly recommend it. I learned so much about Lola's career, her life, her passions, her struggles, her dreams. I was taken back to my childhood on Airforce bases and got to relive some of my own experiences. Lola gets into your soul as she talks about how she had to work harder because she is a woman. Her book is easy to read; it is anecdotal and leaves you thinking at the end, about so many things. Get it. You won't regret it.

[Shelley Grandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lola Reid Allin’s memoir provides an insightful view into the realities of being an ambitious female in the male-dominated world of the last decades of the 20th century. The book is a fast-paced, entertaining, and informative read. Most impressive is the author’s authenticity in sharing colorful personal anecdotes and experiences.—Shelley Grandy, author of Devious Web

[Hella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway to the Sky is not just about aviation, it’s about breaking barriers and refusing to let anyone clip your wings. Lola Reid Allin’s story is powerful, beautifully written, and packed with moments that make you stop and think about resilience, courage, and following your dreams. Truly an unforgettable read.

[Markku Heikkilä · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for every woman who wants to be a pilot. And every father who has daughters.

As a father of four daughters and soon working in aviation I was interested in this story. Best book I have red in long time.

The struggles and downplaying from men throughtout her career, and still coming out as a winner is a totally inspiring story.

Be prepared to cry your eyes out.

[Gabriele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Lola Reid Allin, in fact was a keynote speaker, at an event. Her book I was not able to put down. An incredible journey of vision, determination and perseverance. A must read! Congratulations Lola for sharing your journey with us, and inspiring women to embrace the field of Aviation!

[Jen Braaksma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lola’s story may be about aviation; it may be about domestic abuse; it may be about pushing back against the patriarchy, but it is, just as importantly, about heart and humour, love and passion and how to make your way in this world on your own terms. Engaging and illuminating!

[Joseph Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will capture your attention of the human endeavor of a woman pushing the envelope of the male dominated aviation industry. You will cheer for Lola's achievements as I did. A well written book of encouragement for young women entering a flying career yet still be a mother and partner.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway to the Sky by Lola Reid Allin is a memoir about overcoming personal and professional challenges to become a pilot in a male-dominated field. Honest and inspiring, it highlights resilience, gender barriers, and the pursuit of dreams.

[Julia Clitheroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lola does an excellent job sharing her exciting and challenging experiences in her life during a time when aviation was developing and changing drastically. Her stories show that she helped pave the way for women in the sky. Reading about her journey in this book makes it feel like you are right along her side, going through it all with her. An excellent read!

[Tony Vani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read from cover to cover. An inspiration not only for women but also for men. Lola has real life adventures in these modern times.

[Dave Carnahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highway to the Sky is an inspiring, sharply written memoir of determination and resilience. Lola Reid Allin's journey from discouraged dreamer to commercial pilot is uplifting and beautifully told.