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This is the incredible story of Silva Mcleod, the first Tongan woman to become an airline pilot, told with frankness and wit by Silva herself.
Silva was a Tongan girl from a small island with little hope of anything beyond getting married and having babies. Her dreams of becoming an airline pilot seemed just that — dreams — until
Ken McLeod came into Silva’s life. He was an Australian hired to build a hospital on her island of Vava‘u. She started dating him despite frowns from her family. After a whirlwind romance, they got married in a traditional Tongan ceremony before moving to Australia
Silva faced challenges in Australia as a woman of color. Then came the biggest challenge of all — Ken was diagnosed with cancer. He said to Silva, ‘Do you still want to fly? Life is too short, if you have a dream, go for it.’
There were many barriers to succeeding in such a male-dominated field, but Silva refused to give in. She became the first Tongan female airline pilot and worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service amongst other small airlines then Virgin International, flying B777s around the world.
With every new height Silva reached in her career, Ken’s struggle with cancer continued. Despite the hardships, Silva is sure she would dare to do it all over again. Dare to love a white man and dare to pursue her dream to go from island girl to airline pilot.
About the author
Silva Mcleod was born on the small Tongan island of Vava‘u. She married Ken, an Australian, in a traditional Tongan ceremony before moving to Australia. As a woman of colour in Australia in the 1980s, she encountered frustration and racism, along with the guilt of leaving her Tongan family.
Silva had always dreamed of flying and with the encouragement of her husband she braved the barriers to enter the male-dominated field of aviation. She became the first Tongan female airline pilot and worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service amongst other small airlines then Virgin International, flying B777s around the world.
Silva is a grandmother of seven and wrote Island Girl to Airline Pilot to inspire a new generation to dare to dream, no matter the odds.
Summary
This is the story of Silva Mcleod, the first Tongan woman to become an airline pilot. Silva tells of the cultural changes she experienced as an island girl who married an Australian, started a family and then pursued her dream of a flying career, all set against the backdrop of the love story of her life with her husband and his battle with cancer.
Foreword
A tale of achievement against the odds, of a woman of colour taking flight in a male-dominated industry, and of the love story that inspired her to chase what seemed an impossible dream.
