From Housewife to Helicopter Pilot: The Concetta Hassan Story

"I guess what they say is true. If you let the bird out of the cage, it may not be happy stuck inside four walls."

I loved this movie. It's so inspiring! It brings home that saying, "It's never too late" and you're never too old. And us women can certainly carry the load and take care of business. 

Long story short: It's the late seventies and Concetta (this movie is based on a true story) is happily married with three children (one a baby. In real life the baby had a heart condition. In the movie, she doesn't.) When her husband has a heart attack and can't work anymore, they lose everything, and it's up to Concetta--despite her husband's protests and the damage to his pride--to get some money coming in...STAT.

After a failed gas station job, she joins the Army...at 32 years of age!

For a while there, I didn't think she was going to survive Basic, not under that bad-ass "John Wayne". (FYI, I loved this "John Wayne" lady. Watch the movie and check her out for yourself.)

She not only makes it, surprising everyone but her husband who knew she could do it all along, she strives for even more and four years later, decides to be a helicopter pilot, enrolling in flight school in which she's the only woman in a barracks full of men. And sometimes she's patronized...etc.

But we also see how her home life is, how the daughters have strife with their father, as he's the one home all day, and yet he's the one they turn to when they have a bad dream or whatever. And this hurts the working mother. It was also interesting to watch what it's like for a stay-at-home husband as he goes from shame to hurt pride to acceptance and telling people off for judging him. From anger at his wife to being proud of her.

Truly a great movie with so much to it. I wish they'd explained the man's heart condition better though. I mean, why couldn't he get a desk job at least? Seems to me being home with screaming girls all day is more stressful than sitting at a desk or selling insurance. And if he could have relations, why couldn't he climb a ladder? But I'm not a doctor...and don't understand. I also think the movie could have showed us just what kind of discrimination she faced besides a patronizing teacher. I know there had to be some. She mentions it in the newspaper articles.

Fabulous movie, terrific heroine. Remember, ladies, no matter how old you are, no matter how long you've been at home if that's the case, it's never too late to prove anything to yourself. It's always your TIME TO TRIUMPH.

The real Concetta flew helicopters in the Army way into her sixties. She was a flying grandma. 

I watched this via Amazon Prime.