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FLYABOUT
a documentary film by Monika Petrillo
Monika Petrillo has never been a person to postpone her dreams. So at 24 she decided to get a pilot's license. A year later, her father surprised her by learning to fly as well. Together, they took off to circumnavigate the continent of Australia.
The only woman pilot in a group of eleven people, Monika experienced the true freedom of flight above one of the most untouched places on earth. As she became exposed to Australian culture, she learned about the Walkabout, a spiritual journey the Aborigines have valued for tens of thousands of years. That inspired her to use this trip to take stock of her own spiritual household. The first step toward that end was to relax. But that proved much more difficult than she thought: a tight schedule, careful and constant maintenance of the aircraft, pot-holed dirt runways, mechanical failures, sudden loss of visibility and unpredictable crosswinds kept her both too busy and too uptight. But what impacted her most was the conflict that arose between her father and herself.
Flyabout is an intimate, personal story about a pilot's journey around Australia. It is the story of a young woman growing into an adult and coming to grips with how generational roles change over time.
“A courageously honest self portrait. Cool Adventure. Awesome footage.”
-- Robert Rodriguez, Director (“Spy Kids”, “Sin City”, “El Mariachi”)
“A masterpiece that rivals the best aviation movies. And aviation is richer for her accomplishment. One of the best things I saw at Air Venture this year!”
-- Max Trescott, CFI of the Year 2008, Author, Aviation Blogger
“Quite an inspirational video…”
-- Martha and John King, King Schools
"..a little gem of a film"
-- Amy Laboda, Aviation for Women Magazine
“…The flying scenes were great and made me feel as if I were there. Indeed they were so powerful that I wanted to take the stick and land it crosswind sometimes…”
-- Rinker Buck, Author “Flight Of Passage”
"..awe-inspiringly beautiful.."
-- Intl. Women's Air and Space Museum Newsletter
"Monika has successfully combined a story of family drama with an extraordinary air journey, told against the backdrop of an amazing Australian scenery."
-- Ikuo Shimizu, Koku-Fan Japanese Aviation Magazine
"If you’re a pilot, this movie will revive some of the most positive feelings associated with flying. If you’re not a pilot, you certainly will want to become one and will better understand what flying is all about. Beyond words."
-- Vincent Lambercy, Aviation Blogger (plasticpilot.com)
"If this film does not make you want to head out to the airport NOW and crank up the Skyhawk, you should consider turning in your pilot's license."
-- Dan Pimentel, Aviation Blogger (AV8rdan's World of Flying)
"If you are an aviation enthusiast I am confident you will enjoy this film"
-- Todd McClamroch, Aviation Blogger (Myflightblog.com) |
