A little over 20 years ago I was flying from Los Angeles to the home base of the South East Asia Airline that I then worked for, and was asked if I could allow a flight deck visit ?
A man and women appeared, him a newly unemployed pilot following the demise of Eastern in the USA, going for an interview for an advertised job vacancy. I asked her if she was looking forward to her holiday with her companion ? No holiday she said, I'm going to be your airlines first woman pilot. She was currently a stewardess but had commercial pilot experience as well, including time on Hercules for Air America - as was.
I suggested that our first woman pilot would eventually be one of the country's Air Force pilots - of which there were currently none - and also directly related to the then President ( corruption in South East Asia ? wash your mouth out ) but wished her luck and invited them to join my wife and I for dinner before they returned to the USA.
I also asked if the airline realised that she was female, her having a masculine sounding name ( that I now forget ).
Following evening they appeared at our house. The man had been offered a job on the spot, but the women denied employment on the grounds of gender. She said that she could sue them back in the States, where the airline had advertised as an Equal Opportunity Employer, but, she said, I'd fail my first simulator check, wouldn't I ?
Sadly she had it correctly sussed out. Later the airline Personnel Mgr. admitted to me that they hadn't realised that she was female, due to her name, otherwise she wouldn't have even been granted an interview.
Maybe things have changed there now ? ( but I doubt it )
I've absolutely no difficulty with women being pilots, or equal opportunity with regard to work and pay, and since retiring I've had a few women as students, and I truly wouldn't be able to differentiate between the sexes with regard to ability, but men need time with only men, just as women need time as all girls together, and I found the flight deck just such an occasion, where we could engage in like chat about cars, or central heating, or even discuss the girls down the back ! ( the 3 S'ss - Sex, Salary and Sentral Heating as it was known in my days ) and I think that I would have find myself somewhat inhibited on those long, boring night flights over the Atlantic, and denied the easy bonhomie of being lads together without having to consider the sensibilities of a female in close proximity. ( and yes I know that there are some women who can be as down and dirty as the grossest Locker Room group - but that's not the point )
Don't know, never had the pleasure.
Last edited by ExSp33db1rd; 18th Dec 2012 at 08:10.