Well, girls and boys, I have just realised that here is an irresistable thread for me to set you all to rights, and share with you a few entertaining and relative moments!
First of all, whirlybird, whirlygig, and fernytickles, there are still major difficulties that account for a shortage of female aspriants in aviation. To whit, as pointed out by 10540, women don't have the MONEY and they don't have the TIME! If a woman fancies a career of any sort, it all too often implies that starting a family must be deferred. Or altogether, forgotten, like by my Aunt Laura who was a single lady, a physician, and vice president of the American Medical Association in 1900!
I had 4 children while still young and beautiful, and looked after them and my spouse, who decided to swap me for a younger model when he was 48. I decided to do something reckless, had my ears pierced, and went for a ride in a glider.
Now after l,200 hours of power, PPL, IR and seaplane rating , being Tugmaster, Instructor at a gliding club, a triple diamond holder with 1,800 hours in gliders and representing Great Britain in the Women's European Championships in the Soviet Union -( that dates me, doesn't it?) I cannot deny that gender as well as family have kept me from a lucrative career in aviation. You don't get rich being a flying instructor, even in the USA.
Men do not have to choose between having children or becoming pilots, they can do both because they have the money and the time. But there is a downside. The working partner is expected to fund the raising of children. And women live longer.
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I shall leave you with a little story. Flying a Supercub 150 towplane, pulling up a Kl3 glider, I realised the truly terrible performance was due to the fact that the K13 airbrakes were open. As speed decayed, we staggered to 300' and rather than signal by wagging the rudder (as prescribed) I chickened out and dumped the glider.
The gliding instructor and student safely landed the K13 in a handy field.
When writing the report, I managed to avoid mentioning gender throughout. Would never have heard the end of it, because Tuggie, Instructor, and Student Pilot were all women.
Now, alas, due to age and decay, I am reduced to flying only with a safety pilot.....
and yakking on PPruNe, like all the other old forts....
We may not all be included in the term Fraternity, or Band of Brothers, but we are certainly all Kindred Spirits. And the best of us do look after each other.