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  • Flying Free

  • My Victory over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team
  • Written by: Cecilia Aragon
  • Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez
  • Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (4 ratings)

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Flying Free

Written by: Cecilia Aragon
Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez
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Publisher's Summary

The daughter of a Chilean father and a Filipina mother, Cecilia Rodriguez Aragon grew up as a shy, timid child in a small Midwestern town during the 1960s. Targeted by school bullies and dismissed by many of her teachers, she worried that people would find out the truth: that she was INTF. Incompetent. Nerd. Terrified. Failure. This feeling stayed with her well into her 20s when she was told that “girls can’t do science” or “women just don’t know how to handle machines”.

Yet in the span of just six years, Cecilia became the first Latina pilot to secure a place on the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Team and earn the right to represent her country at the Olympics of aviation, the World Aerobatic Championships. How did she do it?

Using mathematical techniques to overcome her fear, Cecilia performed at air shows in front of millions of people. She jumped out of airplanes and taught others how to fly. She learned how to fundraise and earn money to compete at the world level. She worked as a test pilot and contributed to the design of experimental airplanes, crafting curves of metal and fabric that shaped air to lift inanimate objects high above the earth. And best of all, she surprised everyone by overcoming the prejudices people held about her because of her race and her gender.

Flying Free is the story of how Cecilia Aragon broke free from expectations and rose above her own limits by her passion for flying with math and logic in unexpected ways. You don’t have to be a math whiz or a science geek to learn from her story. You just have to want to soar.

©2020 Cecilia Aragon (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

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I really enjoyed story!

I liked how the author was able to describe her childhood tramas, and how she was able to take control of her life and progress forward with the aid of flying and the world of aerobatic flying! Such an amazing woman and the book is well worth the listen!

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Excellent read

A really fascinating insight into the world of competition aerobatics.

As a fellow aerobatic pilot I thought Cecilia’s description of her experiences throughout her flying career was brilliantly accurate and really helped to bring the subject to life.

There’s something in here for both the experienced pilot and the casual reader who wants to understand more of the commitment it takes to make it to the highest level.

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