Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Spreading My Wings

  • One of Britain's Top Women Pilots Tells Her Remarkable Story from Pre-War Flying to Breaking the Sound Barrier
  • By: Diana Barnato Walker
  • Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
  • Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Spreading My Wings

By: Diana Barnato Walker
Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

The remarkable autobiography of a pioneering female aviator who left a privileged life to serve in World War II.

Her father was a millionaire race car driver who became chairman of Bentley Motors, and her grandfather cofounded the De Beers mining company. But by the late 1930s, debutante Diana Barnato had enough of her affluent, chaperoned existence and sought excitement in flying - soloing at Brooklands after only six hours' training.

Joining the Air Transport Auxiliary in 1941 to help ferry aircraft to squadrons and bases throughout the country, she flew scores of different aircraft - fighters, bombers, and trainers - in all kinds of conditions and without a radio. By 1945, Barnato had lost many friends, a fiance, and a husband - but she continued to fly.

In 1962, she was awarded the Jean Lennox Bird Trophy for notable achievement in aviation, but her greatest moment was yet to come, when in 1963 she flew a Lightning through the sound barrier, becoming "the fastest woman in the world". Spreading My Wings is her remarkable memoir, brimming with history and adventure.

©2003 Diana Barnato Walker (P)2018 Tantor
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Stalin's Had It Now! cover art
The Hurricane Girls cover art
Pathfinder Pioneer cover art
Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II cover art
Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men cover art
Mission cover art
Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee cover art
Tail-End Charley cover art
The Wild Air cover art
Cathedrals in the Sky cover art
Rattler One-Seven: A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot's War Story cover art
Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II cover art
Heroes of the Skies cover art
Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and the Battle for Britain cover art
The Goldfish Club cover art
A Thousand Shall Fall cover art

What listeners say about Spreading My Wings

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

What a Lady,welthy privelaged upbringing who then took immense risks delivering warplanes throughout WW2.From Walrus via Spitfire,Mustang,,Wellington, Mosquito and many more to flying a Lightning jet at 1200mph in 1963.Loosing a fiancee and husband in air crashes plus many friends and later conquering cancer.An inspiration to us all what a read, not to be missed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!