female pilot sponsorship

[flychickpilot69]

Hi,. .Hopefuly somebody out their can help me , i hope this is the right place to send it if not sorry! first time user .. .Are there any pilot recruitment schemes or grants etc for women who want to be pilots . I never really thought about it before but there was an airshow here last year with lots of noisy fast planes and it got me thinking how cool it was.. .Then a week ago i read an advertisment in an old copy of cosmopolitan that BA were recruiting.I know that what with all the stuff in america that recruitment is low but as a women i thought i should at least have a bit of an advantage as most men are pilots and they must need some to balance a little bit. .Anyway grateful of any advise. .Heather

[g-okay]

Hey, only know of one scheme for women and thats with the British aerobatic association, you need 250hours on a ppl, if you fit the bill, well that more hours in the blue book and will improve your piloting skills.Go have a look at the web site. Apart from that, all the others, but then you would be in competition with the boys. :) <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> .Join the RAF, fast & low school the best sort of flying around (only my opinion)

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

GAPAN have sponsorships for girls only. I assisted a lovely young lady called Dawn onto one in 1998 and it was a very attractive deal (better than the boys ones).. .Unsure of what they offer at this very moment but one phone call to them would put you in the picture.

Good luck,

WWW

[Whirlybird]

I think the BWPA (British Women Pilots Association) have a couple of scholarships or sponsorships. Try their website.

[Foyl]

The "Ninety Nines" may also be able to assist - see

<a href="http://www.ninety-nines.org/aescha.html" target="_blank">Ninety Nines</a>

Good luck!

[DontSink]

flychick69,

I don`t see why you think you should have an advantage to get a job, just because pilots are mostly men! Most airlines are an equal oportunity employer... You`re judged just like a man would be!

Best Luck

[clear prop!!!]

Sponsorship for female pilots????

Is that not called discrimination in this day and age!!??

I’m sure if sponsorship schemes were restricted to males only there would be hell to pay!!!!

No offence BTW!. . <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[outofdutyhours]

Good luck.... .But.......

Why should you gain a cadetship? Where's your sudden interest in aviation come from? I hope it's long lasting.

You are in a male orientated industry, good luck who ever you are in these times...

There is no reason why women should not attain the goal of a commercial pilot but please let it be for the right reasons, i.e. you want to fly.

You are no better than the rest (or worse!!)

best of luck but dont do this job if its just an idea...i.e. 'just thaught that it would be better than being an accountant'

I wish you all the luck if this is really your chosen career path, please let it be a passion rather than a passing phase, sex should be no factor.

OD

[Whirlybird]

clear prop,

Is it discrimination? Yes. But then, so is the fact that most scholarships/sponsorship schemes have an upper age limit. So is the fact that many scholarships are for fixed wing pilots only, which counts out us rotary addicts. So is the fact that the Whirly-Girls (International Women Helicopter Pilots) have a scholarship for a non-US Whirly-Girl (hey, I'm in with a chance on that one <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> ). And I'm sure they're not the only organisation doing that sort of thing.

Organisations which give away money can make the rules; it's their money. Most pick and choose, and yes, it's discrimination. Is it right? Probably not, but it's their money. And I don't begrudge ANYONE who manages to get some of that and use it to follow their dream.

I say "probably not" rather than "no" because in the case of women, I've found from my own experience that there's still a huge amount of prejudice around in aviation. It really came as a shock to me to discover that was the case; I wasn't expecting it. So possibly, just possibly, all the odd scholarship does is redress the balance. But is it fair, speaking objectively? No, of course not. But then, not much is, either in aviation or in life. <img src="frown.gif" border="0"> Better get used to the idea.

[flychickpilot69]

thanks for all your replies , I didnt really realise how much it cost to trane to be a pilot , i thoght there might be courses or HND's at local colleges where you could do it like hairdressing for free .How do all thoses people who are pilots pay for thre training?. .Somebody in a reply asked if this was what i wanted to do for a long time , to be honest no , it was only after i went abroad for the first time on me holiday to magaluf and the pilot came down the plane in his uniform with stripes that it got me thinking about the airshow and that.. .Anyway thanks and hopefully i'll look out for some female sponsorships because then i would have a better chance of getting in than a mixed recruitment.. .Thanks again Heather

[tugtishu]

flychickpilot69,. .you dozy moo , being a pilot is a little different from being a hairdresser , you cant talk about kevin all day and stop for a fag break every 5 minutes . stick with doing grannies blue rinses . with women like you trying to be pilots its hardly surprising that current female pilots have a bad reutation and aren't taken seriously.

[clear prop!!!]

Ronnie??

[scroggs]

Heather,. .you don't say how old you are, nor what educational qualifications you have. To be considered for a sponsorship or job in civil aviation, you will need at least 2 A levels. A degree would be an advantage.. .It's unlikely that any of the normal sponsorship schemes will operate over the next year or two, thanks to the downturn in the industry. If there are indeed women-only sponsorships, I would expect the competition for places to be extremely hot, with only a very few of the very best candidates succeeding in getting a place.. .The vast majority of wannabe pilots have to fund their own training at a cost of around £50,000. This money is normally raised through Career Development Loans or similar and, if you do a search here, you can find most of the info you'd need about those on Pprune.. .You should also get yourself aptitude tested by an organisation called GAPAN. These tests (cost about £150) give a good (but not infallible) pointer to whether you have the natural talent required to be successful in pilot training.. .Lastly, you will need a CAA Class 1 medical (about £400). You should get this well before you spend any serious money on your training.. .I think, because of your obvious lack of knowledge about flying and the training involved, that it would be well worth your while to visit one of the commercial flying schools to see just how much work is involved, and to talk to some of the students currently undergoing training. Find out why they started, how much it's cost them, and where they think they'll end up (and when).. .Flying training isn't a process to be entered into lightly, and aviation isn't a career like any other. If you finally decide it's what you really want to do, the very best of luck to you!

[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: Scroggs ]</p>

[moleslayer]

Essex Girl ??

I smell a wind up....

http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/sloppy.gif

[Whirlybird]

So how is someone who has no idea about flying but thinks they might want to do it supposed to get info, if they're going to get attacked if they come in here and ask? So you're supposed to know it all before you dare enter the hallowed portals of wannabes are you? <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

Flychickpilot, if despite all you've heard you still think you might want to have a go, the first thing to do is go along to a local flying school and have a trial lesson. Make sure you actually like flying! Tell them you're considering going commercial, that way you'll get taken seriously. Otherwise, depending on your age, you're liable to be treated as a sweet young thing who might fly occasionally, or an old bag who probably can't learn. Not necessarily, but quite likely. I'm sure you've gathered from some of the posts on here that what I say about prejudice in aviation has a certain amount of truth. <img src="frown.gif" border="0">

[Aviatrix69]

Flychick, even if you get an all-women training, afterwords in the real working world you have to put up with the concurrence. So I think you better get used to id right away.

I have experienced lots of prejudice in my training and I had to give more than 150% to be treated halfway equally, being the only girl in the class, and then to be the only cadet not being taken by the company...

By the time, the company got bust and I'm the only one left with a job in aviation in another company.

Go girl, struggle your way up there, if you are really convinced you'll find the seat with your name on it!! It's not easy, but satisfying <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

Cheers. .Aviatrix

[scroggs]

Whirly. .I hope that little rant wasn't aimed at me <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> I agree, this can be a fairly intimidating forum and, while I don't want to encourage casual enquiries, I'm happy to help answer anyone whose interest is serious even if they've no knowledge. Incidentally, your point about getting a trial flight is a good one.. .Aviatrix. .Can you let us know what you meant by 'concurrence'? I think you meant to say something else, but I can't decide what it might have been!

[Aviatrix69]

Sorry, Konkurrenz = competition.

I do not really think, that it is harder for women to compete with men. It just seems to me, that sometimes the standards are not being set on the same level.

Once we work on a flight deck it's not competition at all, but if you have learned to working as a team with members of the opposite gender while competing, it can only be of advantage for a good CRM.

[Whirlybird]

Scroggs,

Of course it wasn't aimed at you, far from it! Why on earth should it have been; you gave flychickpilot a serious answer, no problem it all with that. It was aimed at the person who wrote:

"you dozy moo , being a pilot is a little different from being a hairdresser , you cant talk about kevin all day and stop for a fag break every 5 minutes . stick with doing grannies blue rinses . with women like you trying to be pilots its hardly surprising that current female pilots have a bad reutation and aren't taken seriously".

What I object to is that if a man says something that someone considers stupid, he's considered stupid himself. If a woman does so, she's considered to represent half the human race!!! <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> Think about it, if a man had said what Flychickpilot said, he might have been flamed for knowing so little about aviation training, but that's all. No-one would have suggested that with men like him around it wasn't surprising that men in aviation weren't taken seriously. That's what I mean about prejudice (or part of it), and that was the reason for my "little rant". <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Hornblower]

C'mon guys, of course it's a wind-up, flychick 69!!! Nearly as bad as Skytruckers from last year. Could be wrong of course (normally am in the hold)

[Foyl]

Looking back at the knowledge I (didn't) have when I started flying, I'm not too keen to bag anyone for admitting to their need for information, however it's expressed.

So whether it's a wind up or not, and without commenting on whether or not it's fair and whether women are better pilots etc etc, the answer is yes there are some scholarships which are available for women and good luck to anyone who wants to get out there and give it a go.

'nuff said! :)

[scroggs]

Whirly. .Didn't mean it girl, don't take me so seriously! :) . .Hornblower and others,. .If this was a wind up, it's spectacularly unsuccessful! The questions raised are useful ones, of interest to all wannabes who've yet to take the first steps on the long road to a commercial flight deck. You may feel that one should have done lots of research before they dare post on Pprune. I disagree. You may not remember, but there was a time when even you were ignorant of the finer points you now take for granted.. .Now, if you have something useful to add, please continue to contribute. If you feel that this thread is beneath someone of your vast knowledge and experience, move on to something more worthy of your gaze.

[Matthewjharvey]

This is the biggest and most obvious wind up I have ever read on these pages, I suggest locking the thread now.

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

<a href="http://www.bwpa.demon.co.uk/page7.html" target="_blank">http://www.bwpa.demon.co.uk/page7.html</a>. .. .Good luck!

[flychickpilot69]

Thanks for all your replies , both good and bad at least i get to consider both sides of the coin . I am 21 so not in any great hurry but it does sound like a lot of money even before i start 400 pounds for a medical it seems a lot (do they test for drugs?).. .Anyway thanks to everybodys opinion , i might try and ask for a flying lesson for my birthday. .thanks. .Heather

[2XL]

If God had wanted women to fly he would have painted the sky pink!!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> . .. .Before y'all upset now I am not really 2XL...ha ha ha ha

[IMMELMAN]

I reckon MOLESLAYER is the smartest one of this bunch, so far! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> . .I wonder how many sweaty-b****d aluminium s***house drivers are laughing their c**** off at all the replies? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> . .Mind you, Essex girl with 69 as handle, nice hair-do, etc - I wonder if I paid for her training......? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" />

[Mr Tickle]

sinker...line...and...hook - re-arrange in the correct order!!! . .. .Good wind-up though, made for an entertaining read. 'Fast noisy jets' and seeing the 'stipes on the pilot while on the way to me holiday to magaluf!' <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />. . . . <small>[ 05 March 2002, 21:44: Message edited by: Mr Tickle ]</small>

[Foyl]

Sigh - you guys just don't get it do you?. .. .IF this is genuine, then the information is of use to this person.. .. .IF this is NOT genuine, then Flychick69 would not qualify for said assistance, but other wannabe readers attracted by the title have obtained useful information about funding assistance which may be available to them. Hence why the rest of us have bothered to reply. . .. .GIVE IT UP.