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Australian private pilot and author Fran West joins me to talk about her remarkable three-month journey flying around the coastline of Australia in a Cessna 172—an adventure she later captured in her photo-rich journal, Plane Reflections.

What began as inspiration from the 1978 aerial circumnavigation known as “Pelican’s Progress” became Aus Flight ’99—a meticulously planned, shoestring-budget flight completed with grit, humility, and hard-earned wisdom.

Fran shares what it really takes to execute a marathon aviation journey:

· 52 charts

· 67 flight plans

· 75 mainland airstrips + 15 in Tasmania

· 101 landings

· Multiple weather turn-backs

· And the emotional weight of flying in a community that didn’t always support her

We talk about:

· Growing up inspired by aviation books (and inheriting a library of them)

· Becoming a private pilot while building a career as a librarian

· Navigating male-dominated flying spaces

· The curious scrutiny around “solo” flights

· Why turning back is not failure

· Writing and self-publishing Plane Reflections

· And an unforgettable chocolate cake “mud map” story

This conversation is about aviation, resilience, self-trust, and doing the dream.

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Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker