Flying Free

My Victory over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team

By: Cecilia Aragon

Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez

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

Very inspiring story

As a software engineer who used to scared of flying but also ended up flying aerobatic competition myself, I absolutely love this book! Cecilia’s amazing resume in both computer science and aerobatics is not new to me at all, but I had no idea how many challenges she had to overcome to achieve all those things until listening to this book. Reading her story makes me want to work harder and fly more aerobatic practice.

This story is amazing!

You will feel the fear, pair, and exhilarating joy that Cecilia finds when she faces her fears! I highly recommend this book!!

A story of resilience, awesome insight to a female aviator to overcome the odds

Great insight to Cecilia’s story of persistence and resilience to not only become a great pilot, but an incredible aviator and person through her love of aviation.

Accurate and inspiring!

Cecilia shares an excellent story of her journey through the world of competition aerobatics and personal growth.

Spellbinding story of achievement overcoming setbacks

In Flying Free, Cecilia Aragon writes beautifully about her life experience, learning to fly, and going all the way to the World Championships in acrobatic aviation. She creatively solved so many problems along the way. She built up an extensive support community that cheered her along the way. She openly shares her methods for overcoming fear and discrimination. This book is a must read for anyone who feels like an outsider in their field. It’s also a must read for anyone who wants to better understand how discrimination can undermine a person’s motivation even when they are extremely talented.