Changing Altitudes – Stories of Australian Air Force Women

This is the latest addition to the RAAF's excellent Air Campaign Series and, at 360 pages, easily the longest to date. Of course, we're talking Air Force history that spans from the 1940s to today so there's a lot of ground to cover, not to mention three iterations of service arms female aviators have served their country in (WAAAF, WRAAF and RAAF). 

Collated and written by a team of five (at least two of who have forthcoming books – Karyn Markwell, Australian air power use in humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and Rosalind Turner, Australian air lift history), it looks at all aspects of Australian women in Air Force service – impressive, inclusive and uplifting, but also frustrating and sobering in part. Much is made, particularly in the more modern stories, of the work/life balance in today's Air Force. Challenges remain, of course, but today's equal opportunities are highlighted – from raw recruit and fast-jet pilot to the upper echelons of command – while also acknowledging the system isn't perfect, something the RAAF, with this book series and other publications, has been relatively open to discussing.

The standard of production is top notch, as expected from this series, with colour throughout on glossy paper stock, and good, thick card covers. Like the preceding books in the series (and there's more to come), the whole package provides exceptional value for money.

Note: I did the main edit for this (to date, I've worked on all but one of the series) so feel free to take any potential bias with a grain of salt. Stuff that, just buy it, you won't be disappointed!