Touching the Sky cover art

Touching the Sky

Pre-order free with Premium Plus
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Touching the Sky

By: Deborah Lawrie
Pre-order free with Premium Plus

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $26.99

Pre-order for $26.99

About this listen

Deborah Lawrie didn't just break the glass ceiling—she flew right through it.

They told her women couldn't fly commercial airliners.

They told her women weren't welcome in the cockpit.

They told her women couldn't work and have a family.

She told them she'd see them in court.

In an era when flight attendants were dismissed as "trolley dollies" and smoking on aeroplanes was practically mandatory, Deborah Lawrie broke barriers to become Australia's first female pilot for a major commercial airline, fighting against absurd gender discrimination and prejudice to pave the way for equal opportunity in a male-dominated industry.

In this candid, cheeky, jaw-dropping memoir, she explains her journey from being a young girl in 1950s Australia who was determined to fly to taking Ansett Airlines to court in a landmark High Court battle—and winning. Now inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, Deborah Lawrie is the world's longest flying female airline pilot. This is her true story.

©2026 Deborah Lawrie (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers
Women
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.