Female Helicopter pilots.....
Guest
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Female CHPL here... will eventually get my ATPL(H) though..
can understand why the industry does not attract more women given some of the attitudes I've encountered. Having said that I've also been very plesantly surprised by others. times are a changing... and for the better I might add.
can understand why the industry does not attract more women given some of the attitudes I've encountered. Having said that I've also been very plesantly surprised by others. times are a changing... and for the better I might add.
Guest
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I have a friend in one of my pilot organizations who was an original Whirlygirl, an early group of women heli pilots. She owned a H269, plus a handful of seized-wings over the years. She was even one of thirteen women selected to be trained as astronauts! (The program was cancelled before any of them were allowed to go into space.) She's a great lady and so humble that it's hard to get her to talk about her accomplishments.
Guest
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I seem to speak to a lot of female heli pilots as a controller working the North Sea heli traffic. I have to say evryone I have spoken to is very professional and I've never had a problem with any.
Not that we get a lot of problems with any of you but there is the occasional "disagreement".
Keep up the good work Gals/Guys.
D8
Not that we get a lot of problems with any of you but there is the occasional "disagreement".
Keep up the good work Gals/Guys.
D8
Guest
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I have certainly noticed that the female pilots who fly the North Sea sectors are less prone to "talking on the other box" syndrome than their male counterparts. 
I agree with D8, you helo guys certainly give us an easier ride (no pun intended girls!) and tend to be more flexible than some of your fixed wing counterparts.
Thanks and keep it up (damn..there I go again..
)
I agree with D8, you helo guys certainly give us an easier ride (no pun intended girls!) and tend to be more flexible than some of your fixed wing counterparts.
Thanks and keep it up (damn..there I go again..
)
Guest
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I have met quite a few female helo pilots around in my travels and the majority have been very capable. In fact one of the best ones here in NZ was unfortunately killed in a wire strike last year. Marybeth Rodriguez has a great job in Southern California flying Don Callendars Bell 407.
Guest
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Well, as a PPL(H) presently struggling with CPL exams I can't stand up and be counted, not yet anyway. But there do seem to be quite a few women steadily climbing the ladder, probably more than there used to be. Women are a small minority in aviation generally - are there proportionally less of them flying helos, or just less helo pilots altogether? I'm not sure. But I suspect the reasons are the usual ones - girls less likely to hear about it when young or even think it possible, women still tend to earn less so have trouble affording the training, many flying jobs have anti-social hours and most societies still expect women to be the family carers, and prejudice is still around. As to women's abilities, I was under the strange illusion one needed to co-ordinate hands and feet to fly helos, not certain appendages... oops, this is Rotorheads, not Jet Blast, better stop there. Anyway, I think it's just that changing people's attitudes takes time. Give it 20 years, then we'll be considered normal and not a novelty (and no-one will know instantly that it's me cocking up radio calls ).
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Whirly
To fly is human, to hover, divine.
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Whirly
To fly is human, to hover, divine.
Guest
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I have to say I agree with Whirlybird... the helicopter industry is not something many women are exposed or invited to consider. It's still very much a male domianted environment and that can be very intimidating. I'm not sure about the stats anywhere else in the world but here in canada there are approximatly only 83 female helicopter pilots out of roughly 4000. a slim minority..
Guest
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Hey Whirlybird.It's not too late. Instead of finishing your CPLH , go fixed-wing instead.
If you think about it , rotary wing is a dead end career. After the initial thrill is over and your at the top of the profession, you will realize that as an off-shore captain (North America) you'll make less than a co-pilot flying jets, with no travel privileges and no further advancement. I made the mistake of staying too long in helicopters.
Best of luck IHL.
If you think about it , rotary wing is a dead end career. After the initial thrill is over and your at the top of the profession, you will realize that as an off-shore captain (North America) you'll make less than a co-pilot flying jets, with no travel privileges and no further advancement. I made the mistake of staying too long in helicopters.
Best of luck IHL.
Guest
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When Hughes helicopters first designed and certified the 269 they wanted to show how easy it was to fly. They took one of the secretaries who also happened to be very attractive and trained her how to fly a helicopter. They took her all the way to commercial and got her an instructor’s ticket and sent her all over the world demonstrating the model 269. She was obviously very successful as they sold a lot of them as a result of her trip and demonstration. Her name was Roses Weidinger (possible misspelling of last name).
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The Cat
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The Cat
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One of New Zealand's first helo instructors was a women called Cathy Penney. She became one of the most respected helo instructors in the country and turned out many a good student. Back when I was younger I knew of a few flying ag aircraft and this was some fifteen years ago so they have been flying in NZ for some time.
However over in Australia have not run into that many at all.
PR
However over in Australia have not run into that many at all.
PR
Guest
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I knew two young, very beautiful and educated ladies who were both Helicopter Pilots. I flew with one of them one time and discovered she was so smart that she could do anything. I never flew with her again. Sadly they were both killed in the same helicopter. As I understand it was doing things experienced men could not do.
Guest
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Whirlygirl,
83 out of 4000 sounds like roughly what I would have expected. In the UK, according to the CAA, approximately 2% of commercial pilots are women - same for fixed wing and rotary I think. It sounds as though Canada is about the same.
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Whirly
To fly is human, to hover, divine.
83 out of 4000 sounds like roughly what I would have expected. In the UK, according to the CAA, approximately 2% of commercial pilots are women - same for fixed wing and rotary I think. It sounds as though Canada is about the same.
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Whirly
To fly is human, to hover, divine.