Cindy Weigand
Cindy Weigand
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Show notes
What happens when a family scrapbook opens a door into a forgotten chapter of aviation history?
Author Cindy Weigand never intended to become a historian of women in aviation. While sorting through her late mother’s belongings, she discovered scrapbooks and newspaper clippings connected to her great-uncle Jack, a barnstormer of the 1920s. What began as a family history project soon became a deep dive into the remarkable women pilots who shared the skies during aviation’s Golden Age.
In this conversation, Cindy and I discuss her novel Mavis Perkins: Flying Journalist, a work of historical fiction inspired by the real women aviators of the 1920s. Together we explore the world of barnstormers, air races, flying clubs, Billy Mitchell’s controversial warnings about air power, and the women who flew alongside Amelia Earhart whose stories are rarely told today.
The conversation also touches on Cindy’s earlier work documenting Texas women who served during World War II, the challenges of historical research, self-publishing, and her efforts to adapt these stories for film.
If this history piques your interest, you might enjoy my Aviatrix Classics discussions with Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty. You can find our latest conversation about Ruth Nichols, one of Mavis’ Snooty Skylarks in Cindy’s book, on the Literary Aviatrix website, YouTube Channel, and podcast. https://literaryaviatrix.com/ruth-nichols/
