Women Pilots!

[emmathestar]

Hi! I am currently cabin crew, just wondering if anyone knows if men are more likely and favoured to be pilots???!

[naughtybutnice6792]

I hope not!! - cos I'm a lady doing my commercial training!

I don't think they do - i just don't think there's many of us out there!

[jamino]

nothing wrong with women pilots...just means you dont hav to worry the cabin crew if u fancy a cuppa....;)

[Whirlygig]

Emma and Naughty,

There are a lot more female pilots out there than you would think; it's just that most don't shout about their gender but just get on with the job!

I don't believe it is an issue anymore.

Cheers

Whirlygig

[redsnail]

There's not many female pilots out there. I *think* the stats go ~1% of the worlds ATPL holders are female. Some airlines have more than others, some have none.
I think the stats go ~10% PPL holders are female.

Don't let the gender thing worry you, it really is a non event 99% of the time. :D I haven't found it to be a problem with my colleagues.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Any country that has Affirmative Action policies legislated will favour female candidates for any position.

[scroggs]

'Affirmative Action' is an American device, and is not used in Europe in most circumstances.

There are few female commercial pilots in UK, and the numbers aren't increasing as fast as might have been hoped. In fact, there have been women pilots in commercial aviation since before WW2. The reasons there aren't more are complex and difficult to define clearly, but sexual discrimination is not one of them these days. Most airlines would love to recruit more women, subject to them making the appropriate ability and experience criteria, but they just aren't out there applying for the jobs.

I was quite closely involved in training some of the first women pilots and navigators in the RAF, and found the spread of ability and application to be similar to that of the men. The able ones were welcomed in with open arms, though the RAF did make a few, erm, 'political' appointments right at the very start! Most of those ladies would be just about the right stage in their RAF careers to be leaving now and looking for commercial jobs. Sadly, there are few of them left in flying as so many have either left to start families or effectively abandoned flying to become career officers.

So, Emma, please keep working for your licences - we'd love to have you join us.

Scroggs

[Simon853]

Most airlines would love to recruit more women, subject to them making the appropriate ability and experience criteria, but they just aren't out there applying for the jobs.


So for those ATPL graduate blokes out there that are struggling to find your first job, why not try cross-dressing?:O

Si

[birdlady]

Afirmative action - screw that. Im a lady and if I get offered a job I want it to be for my ability and not my gender. Unfortunately here in SA, this does not seem to be the case. If your a women, regardless of experience you will generaly be accepted over a man even if he has more experience. I've never really had a problem but comments have been made (shes just a pair of t!ts and a**) and its just water off a ducks back. I dont let it get to me and therefore it hasnt been a problem since. If you dont make an issue out of it the men will generally leave you alone. ;) ;)

[scroggs]

I thought I'd just add that I'm now sitting in Virgin Flight Deck check-in at LGW. 50% of the pilots planning their trips this morning are female!

[Maude Charlee]

On a purely anecdotal level, of the 8 female pilots I knew during ATPL training, all of them found employment with airlines very quickly after training. The blokes have taken a lot longer, and some are still looking almost 3 years later.

And there was me thinking Scroggs was a bloke. :} Boom! Boom!

[judewatt]

so can any of you ladies give me any advice of the best way to get into a company, I qualified in October and since then I have had a number of thanks, we'll keep your applicaition on file..... letters but nothing else!!

Any little secrets I'm missing?
Cheers

[Mosspigs]

Reading these posts above is very interesting.

The subtle undertone appears that there is indeed positive discrimination towards female aircrew.

If summarising the stats above (and remembering that 78% of stats are made up on the spot):

If 1% of word-wide ATPL holders are female.

Yet 50% of the Virgin flight deck on that particular occasion (granted not a true representation).

Coupled with the comment of come and work for us etc (which of course could be nothing more than encouragement).

I therefore wonder how much corporate image influences recruitment? Baring in mind of course that the only time one should see the aircrew is in the departure / arrival lounge.

By no means a dig – I am all up for equality. I have met some female pilots that have put the majority of men to shame and I think that Scrogg’s comment about the spectrum of capability is as valid to day as it has ever been. But I can’t help but think that sometime the playing field isn’t level.

Scroggs – Can I come and work with you as well please?
:D

[Phil Brockwell]

I would have thought ex-cabin crew with low houred CPL would be prime bizjet FO candidate.

Have just looked back over the last 300 or so CV's I received, and only 1 from a female / lady / bird, whichever is deemed to be PC

Phil:E

[scroggs]

Mosspigs, that day in fklightdeck check in at Gatwick, there were three crews each with one female pilot - my crew hadn't yet checked in, but we had no women in our flightdeck. It just happened to be a bit of a happy coincidence as I was reading this thread at the time, but our actual female representation is less than 5%, I believe.

The proportion of applications to Virgin from females is also very small, and not significantly increasing, and I can see no sign of positive discrimination here. I don't believe we are unusual in this. The problem is not that women have a harder time (or an easier time) than men, it is simply that not enough women want to do this job.

Scroggs

[IRRenewal]

Seems that our friends in the Ukraine have a strong view on women pilots, judging by their list of requirements.

http://www.aerosvit.ua/eng/job/

[CAT3C AUTOLAND]

So Scroggs, the view in the briefing room was better than from the flight deck on that day!:D

[Craggenmore]

115 female pilots in BA of which 25 are captains

Craggs

[sawotanao]

Another empty kitchen:E