Jet Boss: A Female Pilot on Taking Risks and Flying High

by Laura Savino

Captain Laura Savino takes you directly into the cockpit for an exclusive look into the boy's club of airline pilots—told through the eyes of the first female pilot many of them ever flew with.

"No math," Laura's counselor told her in high school. "That would ruin your GPA.” Laura had other plans. One teenage act of rebellion changed everything for her at a time when STEM opportunities for women were rare. If passengers on a commercial jet had trouble imagining a woman flight engineer — which Laura became — imagine their disbelief to see her as the pilot flying their widebody jet around the world.

She exposes both the harsh truths and the exciting adventure of her years in the airline industry as a commercial pilot, reveals the emotional impact of 9/11 on pilots, and writes honestly about what it means to be a working mother while keeping her dreams alive.

Laura's powerful story is a blueprint for how to defy expectations and follow your inner compass to do things you never thought possible.

Genres: Nonfiction

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2021

Reviews

[Marisa Fiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible and inspiring memoir of a female pilot overcoming hurdle after hurdle to achieve her goals. I want to be like Laura when I grow up! Fearless!

[Bradley Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jet Boss is a terrific book authored by retired United Airlines pilot Captain Laura Savino. The author shares her stories and life experiences of growing up in New Jersey, secretly taking flying lessons while in high school and getting her pilot’s license prior to graduation. By this time, her school counselors were discouraging her dreams of becoming a commercial pilot and her parents remained unenthusiastic about her flying passion, believing it to be an expensive hobby that she would eventually outgrow. Against this backdrop, Ms. Savino attends Purdue University, and improbably thru hard work and perseverance gains admittance to Purdue’s highly competitive aviation program.

From Purdue, the author attains her degree and qualifications to become a professional pilot. In a very male dominated profession, Ms. Savino pilots her way through a series of entry piloting jobs, then a commuter airline copilot, losing her commuter airline job due to affiliated Eastern Airlines’ bankruptcy and mismanagement. That job loss turns into the good fortune of good timing of becoming a first officer at Pan Am. And when Pan Am’s future becomes shaky, Captain Savino lands her dream job at United Airlines, the top US airline, and eventually climbing the ranks to Captain at United.

The author shares her inspirational stories, first of the arduous and long application and interview processes, and then of moving up the career ladder as a commercial airline pilot. Ms. Savino must balance fitting into a male dominated pilots’ club and enduring “boys will be boys” hijinks which are easily recognized as sexual harassment today. And she bravely writes of her experiences of even worse behavior of a few senior pilots.

Many of her stories in Jet Boss are humorous - one involving the Goodyear Blimp over the Statue of Liberty and another telling a joke only a pilot would understand during a job interview that went straight over the head of the serious HR interviewer. Some of her stories are tragic of losing close friends in accidents and she writes of where she was and how she experienced our nation’s tragedy of 9/11. And finally, Captain Savino writes of the challenges of her profession of consistently being away for multiple days at a time while being a mother.

What I liked most about this book is the upbeat and positive encouragement Captain Savino offers to young people, especially to young women to dream big, takes risks, and have passion for their life choices. Although I am far closer to retirement than entering the workforce, I found myself highlighting many motivating passages that are applicable to my own life and situations. I encourage anyone to read Jet Boss, especially readers who enjoy memoirs, who are aviation enthusiasts, and students facing self-doubts who need a little encouragement that they really can achieve their dreams.

[Audra Supplee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met this affable author at a writer’s conference, and when she told me she was a pilot, I immediately strode to the sales table to buy a copy of her memoir. I’m so glad I did. The entire book was an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride!

Told with compassion and enthusiasm, Savino recounts her steps and missteps toward reaching a dream of momentous proportions, in this case, the goal of becoming a female pilot for a major airline. Her journey includes joys and sorrows, setbacks and triumphs, and clearly demonstrates that if you genuinely cherish your dream, nothing can stop you from attaining it. She also shows how to keep a down-to-earth attitude while soaring to great heights.

You don’t have to love flying to love this book, and that isn’t just a testament to Savino’s storytelling abilities. Her book’s inspirational message should be required reading for anyone who wants to shoot for the stars.

[JR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had the pleasure of attending a talk by the author at Oshkosh, then meeting her briefly that evening. She is an excellent storyteller and I loved that, despite being a woman in a man's world when she started out, she never had a chip on her shoulder like so many women do. Inspirational. The author narrates the audiobook, which is also great.

[Paige Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Captain Savino’s story is inspiring and helped to instill a passion for aviation in me again when it can be so easy to burn out in the time-building stages. She highlights her pursuit of aviation at a time when gender roles were strongly enforced and women weren’t flying at the airlines. Her transition to Eastern and beyond displays the true volatility of the aviation industry and that the pilots who succeed in the industry are the pilots with passion and grit. Her stories of struggling to make ends meet and breaking into the boy’s club of the airline world are inspiring and illuminating. I cried and laughed the whole way through. She discusses being close to death in the industry, sexism and SA at the airlines, and balancing pregnancy and motherhood with the job. I particularly loved her discussion on how she was driven to become a good captain and stories of flying with the first woman airline pilot and Tenerife survivor Robert Bragg. There were so many lessons to take away from Savino’s story, both aviation and life lessons. Truly one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was also fun to see she got her start at KMMU and other airports early on in her career that I know all too well.

[Melissa]

I was taken on a familiar journey through flight training, professional flying, and everything in between. Most events described felt as if I was listening to an Aunt that I never had, there's a connection to our collective female aviator experiences- one that is based on inspiration for being the only female in the room while also evoking a sadness that we are still sometimes the only female in the room. While I was yearning for more passion towards that topic, I appreciated the raw accounts of becoming an airline pilot and what it takes to represent both roles of left seat captain and right seat first officer. Looking forward to the discussion at the end of the month!

[Sarah Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an inspiring story that I couldn’t put down. I have big respect for Laura!

[Rachel Yaceczko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook for a book club. I don't normally read non-fiction. Loved this story of a woman trailblazing her own path into the pilot industry. Would recommend for girls who are interested in STEM even though there are a few adult stories. Great, inspiring story!

[Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining read. Laura Savino is a superb writer, and has crafted a memoir that’s as engaging and hard to put down as a great novel. Her descriptions of a growing love for aviation brought me back to my own youthful fascination with planes.

Savino was a successful professional pilot in a day when many—in the cockpit and cabin alike—considered flying a plane a man’s job. It’s clear she chose her career out of passion for flying, but in the end, her success, professionalism, and ability to work past some really horribly sexist and creepy people was obviously a key gear in the machine of change. She put up with a lot that her male counterparts never had to, advanced to Captain at a impressively young age, and helped make the flight deck a better place for the women who followed.

The writing here never stops being engaging. Savino moves from a heartfelt retelling of fighting past roadblocks in front of a career in flying to a recounting of the challenges she faced in a changing industry (not just regarding gender, but also staying employed as the industry restructured) to a series of page-turning stories from various flights. The chapter on 9/11 captures what so many of us felt, but with a personal angle of knowing victims in the air and on the ground that many of were lucky not to have. And the flying stories that make up the last part of the book are both exciting and do a great job of conveying Savino’s passion for her career.

As someone who graduated high school at about the same time as Savino and wanted to be an airline pilot, but ended up taking another path, this was a fascinating look at a road not taken. It’s also a wonderful read for anyone who’s passionate about aviation, for passengers wondering what the people they trust their lives to every time they get on a plane are like, and for anyone who enjoys a story of a person told they can’t do something who goes and proves those naysayers very, very wrong.

I hope this is just Savino’s first book, because she’s an amazing storyteller and a fantastic writer. Highly recommended!

[Maria Esparraguera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jet Boss,” is an immediately engaging progression of the stories about a female airline pilot when there were very few female airline pilots. Lauren Savino’s unspoken strength to overcome social norms, discrimination, harassment and lack of support shines through. She framed the stories so well, always referring to the cost of reporting the actions and how hard she had to work to prove that she was capable of her position.

In her workplace, she was an outsider to all groups—airline pilots and aircrew. It was difficult to find friends, to be able to relate to others in a similar situation. There was little common ground to have someone be a sounding board. There were so few who supported her. When I read these stories, I felt like I was reading history from a first person perspective—to know how it really feels to be one of the earliest female airline pilots.

From a lack of female bathrooms to the explicit language and pictures in the cockpit, she tells the story of what it means to be one of the first—and what it costs. Not only do you have to work harder, technically be better, but you also have to think and carefully frame your responses to abuses of power. Laura Savino nails this in her story, and it is one worth reading—if not because it is to blatant and so recent, but its reflection of the treatment of women in aviation.

What shines through is her passion for flying, and following that passion to reach her goals. It’s an enjoyable, quick and wonderful read to inspire us all.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! In Jet Boss, the reader is taken on a journey and given a glimpse into the life of a female pilot to include the joys and tribulations Laura experienced on her journey. This is a book that will inspire you to chase your dreams, and take any set backs in stride.

This book isn't just for aviation enthusiasts. Laura does a wonderful job explaining things so that anyone can understand as she takes us on her journey. I appreciated the positivity that seemed to radiate from much of the writing. There were moments of sorrow to include when she tells her profound story of September 11. She included it all in her story, and it made for a unique memoir that is sure to leave the reader eager for more from their life.

[Steve Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read memoirs, because it's like getting to live a whole other life vicariously. Captain Laura Savino's life has certainly been nothing like mine, with her adventurous career as an airline pilot, dealing not just with the challenges of flying a widebody airplane and being responsible for the safety of hundreds of passengers, but also the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field. But though our lives have been so much different, I can still see the common themes that come with being from the same generation (we appear to be very close to the same age). We both grew up in times when the rules were looser for young people, and taking risks was more accepted and expected. We both did some reckless stuff as teenagers - she just did it flying a plane. And we both witnessed similar changes in the workplace as it grew more diverse and as gender-based role expectations shifted, even though our respective workplaces have been so different.

Savino's memoir focuses on her career, with only a little side story about her family life. As you follow her from her childhood fascination with airplanes, to her early flight lessons, the start of her career flying freight and for the "regionals," and then finally to a full time position at United Airlines and eventual promotion to Captain, you will find yourself rooting for her to overcome every obstacle and get out of every sticky situation. She writes with a direct style that clearly expresses her optimism, self confidence, and strong sense of personal responsibility. She ends with an exhortation to follow your own dreams, and hopes that, as I did, the reader might find themself in her story.

[Dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is feminism done right. I have a lot of issues with the current wave of feminism, but if there was a book to show me why some of the fight was necessary it would be this one. Captain Laura Savino was one of those kids who knew pretty darn early what she wanted to be, but being a pilot was for men. Undeterred, she fought for every step she took and ended up getting the seat of her dreams after years of grueling hardship, rejection, and roadblocks. The story is inspiring, though there are some things she says I can’t agree with (she seems to say that anybody can become a pilot but not in the Ratatouille sense. I got the impression from her that if I wanted to, I also could become a pilot with the right training, and I have to stop her right there because math was the absolute most miserable part of my schooling experience anywhere I went). Even so, this is an excellent book and her stories are very interesting. She is obviously as good at writing as she is at flying, so reading it doesn’t drag at all.

[Rachel Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Laura Savino’s “Jet Boss,” it is difficult not to use a flight metaphor. Indeed, one flies through this narrative. In the early chapters, the reader grasps what the trajectory of the book will be. This is a young woman who lived near the large international airport in Newark, NJ. Rather than tuning out the drone of landing planes, those big jets set her imagination on fire. She could envision being in the cockpit of such a silver giant. Expectations and norms related to "what a girl should do" did little to deter her, despite a school counselor who suggested that despite her aptitude for math and science, she should take "easy courses" to finish out her high school GPA.

No matter, with a new driver's license and a family used car, she made her way to a small municipal airport and soon garnered a job there, exchanging her pay for flying lessons. Step one had been accomplished. The staff, recognizing her clear-eyed interest, loaned her flight manuals, and other helpful resources. As she would say, "Every pocket of the airport held another chance to listen and learn from somebody." The staff recognized the determination of this bright young woman. Soon she had the thrill of taking a solo flight in a small single-engine Cessna. She found out, though, that planes could crash. She witnessed it at an air show when a friend, who had supported her dream of flying, crashed and burned before her eyes. It was a shock, but after that a seared memory helped her grasp a strong commitment to aviation safety.

In the chapters that follow we take the journey, her choosing Purdue University because it had an aviation program, working doggedly to get into into it, again impressing those who could open those doors with her sincere wish to do this. Little by little her flight experiences moved her closer to a goal: yes, she could provide pilot training, but the need for summer work had her assembling banners for those who would fly those advertisements above the beach, or, as needed, she could refuel or fly the small planes that did so. Why not take a job that was offered: fly planes gutted of seating to haul heavy boxes of canceled checks in the dark of night. The cargo slid across metal floors, creating a noisy ride through low-altitude skies no matter the weather. Not too glamorous, but it paid the bills. Then there were those small regional jets that had the added bonus of flying humans, and were supplied with a co-pilot. Yep, it was progress.

Well, read on. I will leave Savino there as she steadfastly moved up the ranks for, first, global Pan Am, and then when they were no more, United. In the chapter titled: Warning: Woman in the Cockpit, she covers the issues that some pilots had with that very idea. Certain example beggar belief, including the one who yelled, "You are taking the job of my son!" At 5"3, and 110 lbs., it made it even easier for pilots to talk about the "girl" that was flying the plane. A couple of incidents brought laughter. In the days before 9-11, passengers might stop at the cockpit door for a bit of conversation. One day a woman came by, and seeing Savino sitting next to the man she considered the pilot, she said to him cheerily, "Oh, that's so nice, you brought your daughter to Out to Work Day." "No," he said, "This is Captain Savino," as he glanced toward the four bars on her uniform. Although Savino writes of the adjustment that some pilots made to the fact that as a woman she was the person of highest authority on the plane, she tells these incidents without bitterness. In fact she wrote: "Thankfully those pilots who treated me with animosity were few and far between and easy to figure out. . . . Fortunately, I always felt like I had more supporters than enemies."

Knowing of Savino's flying years, it's not surprising that she told of what happened to her on 9-11. She was in a leadership course with other pilots that morning, all of whom were in training transitioning from First Officer to Captain at United Airlines. As the group assembled to tell their own flight tales, sharing coffee and pastries as they prepared for the day, the reality of what had happened in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania became shockingly real. Together they worked through their grief, since there wasn't one of them who didn't know someone who perished on that horrible day. As she related these tragic events she conveyed grippingly the stark meaning of silent airspace that second day, and the sense of solidarity these masters of the skies felt.

Overall, this is a story of a very determined young woman who shaped her own future. She doesn't leave out the challenges, but in the end, it is a joyous read. You don't want to miss this flight!

[Sharon Wishnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Laura Savino's journey through her aviation career provides an insider's look into the cockpit of an accomplished pilot but through the lens of a woman who has broken through the glass ceiling in one of the hardest all boys networks - aviation. From her first taste of flying through her retirement, Captain Savino holds nothing back. Through her stories and observations, we see the evolution of flying and cultural shifts, the talent and training needed for this demanding job, and experience her joys and heartbreak as she has navigated her life to pursue her dreams. The book is entertaining, informative, and eye-opening. I'll never complain about a flight delay again.

[Erin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura is an excellent writer. She vividly recounts her aviation journey from childhood through a successful career flying all the large jets for a commercial airline and sharing stories - good and bad - along the way. This is an important book that exposes some of the harsh treatment women endured while increasing their numbers as professional pilots. But it’s not all doom and gloom, Laura’s love of aviation and flying overcame the various obstacles and encounters with tragedy along the way.

[Matiur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Savino's journey from defying expectations in high school to becoming a trailblazing commercial pilot is a testament to resilience and determination. Her experience navigating the male-dominated airline industry sheds light on both the challenges and triumphs of breaking barriers. As she shares the emotional impact of momentous events like 9/11 and the balancing act of motherhood while pursuing her dreams, readers are sure to find inspiration in her story of courage and perseverance.

[Judy Zell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Savino was one of the first women in the U.S. to become a commercial airline pilot. Interesting story of the challenges she faced to become a member of that "old boys club" in the 1980's. Having become a CPA in the 1970's myself, I could sympathize.

[Linda Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely, quick flight through an exquisitely written memoir!

Please see my full review on my website:
http://applemanshshapiro.com/Jet-boss...
-pilot-on…/

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura is a fantastic writer and story teller.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written and interesting

[Debbie Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A realistic look into the journey of becoming a legacy airline pilot. A must read for anyone interested in becoming a pilot or has interest in pilot issues and experiences.

[Speranta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinatingly engaging memoir which was incredibly inspiring.
"After all - why not pursue a far fetched goal that nobody could tell me how to reach?
To me the idea of not even trying was far scarier than complete failure."