Amazing.
There were a number of occasions on this thread, that the sheer testostrone fuelled chauvinism tempted me to edit or lock, but it has been too much fun and too interesting to watch.
The Princesses Woomera (27, BSc Hons, Senior Ministerial adviser on the environment, (her partner BSc Hons, BEng Hons, PhD running a NASA project), 24, BCom, Admin of large Electrical Trades Training Org were pressed into service to provide some balance for me.
It was the most I could do to prevent them from getting amongst it, but I am squeamish and hate the site of bleeding bodies and broken bones and they shoot the wounded too
These and many many other 'kids' are doing things at ages, that we would never have dreamed of, perhaps.
But when I think that my father, barely eighteen, was driving Wellingtons and Lancasters over Europe (delivered from the factory BTW by 'girls') and had me on his return in his 21st year, we always do underestimate youth.
Elektra makes a thoughtful and germane post and
Gnadenbergs concerns regarding "experience" deserve reflection.
My only comment is to reflect on the introduction of the 'jet' into commercial service.
Might I suggest that there were then, very very few, except maybe the ex B47 or B52 drivers that had any
"relevant" experience in "jet" operations.
Gazillion hours thrashing the old piston airliners around in the mid levels was scant preparation for the fundamentally different approach and skill sets required for jets.
May I suggest that the "experience" clock was effectively set to near zero for most, with some not making the transition at all.
Quality training did the job then and will do now.
'D P Davies' had much to say about this and it resulted in his seminal work on the subject.
Gender IMHO has never had anything to do with it, only the social mores of the time. Girls fly combat fighters at younger ages than that argued in this thread, I even found out that there was an all women crew on a Pacific Flight many days after. I couldn't tell.
Girlpower is here to stay dammit.
:edited by the Princesses and Mrs Woomera for politically correct dogma and doctrine.