Women Above The Clouds

Alaska - the largest and at the same time most sparsely populated state in the USA. Only about 740,000 people live here. Often far away in small villages. Almost every village has its own airstrip. Aircrafts are one of the main means of transport in Alaska. Jamie Klaes is one of the many female pilots in the country. She has been flying all over Alaska for over 20 years. Jamie sees her vocation in helping indigenous youths start a better life. In cooperation with an NGO, she gives them free flying lessons. Jamie takes us on a journey to places that are important to her.

Aerobatics is the supreme discipline in air sports. Only a few pilots dare to navigate a machine during loops, drops and steep flights because nausea and blackouts due to the strong G-forces can be life-threatening. But flight instructor Jenny Holmenes is not deterred - she wants to prove her skills. Although she is still a beginner, she competes in the "Sportsman" class at the Norwegian Aerobatic Championships. Will Jenny be able to hold her ground against her male competitors?

Living conditions are harsh in the Australian outback, especially in William Creek. Only 17 people live here, and in summer even less - only two. There is a motel, a campsite, a pub and the only petrol station in a radius of hundreds of miles. The young bush pilot Hannah Jane Cash lives and works here. She flies tourists over Lake Eyre, the Painted Hills or the opal town of Coober Pedy - unique attractions of the outback. At the end of the season, more than 150 guests fly to the Outback Fly Inn in William Creek. For Hannah, it's also a farewell: the next pilot job is calling.

Alia Twal is an enthusiastic pilot, globetrotter and adventurer. She is a first officer with the Jordanian airline Royal Jordanian and flies large passenger planes. She climbs the highest mountains in the world, dives with sharks or goes skydiving. Alia particularly enjoys travelling in her Jordanian homeland. She takes us to the magical places of her country: We visit Petra, the legendary rock city, and markets in lively Amman, fly over Wadi Rum in a hot air balloon and dive with Alia in the Red Sea to a sunken plane wreck.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Young women are often disadvantaged here and quite a few are married off before the age of 18. Helicopter pilot Priya Adhikari lives and works here. The 38-year-old is an exception and the only woman in Nepal who ventures into the extremely dangerous heights of the Himalayas in her helicopter. The former Miss Nepal contestant has nerves of steel. When asked if she is afraid of flying in bad weather or spending the night next to a corpse in a helicopter, she answers: "No. I am not afraid".