Calling all Pilot Mothers or those who know them

[Hamo09]

Good day everyone.

I am looking for feedback or any words of wisdom from female pilots or those who know female pilots. I am right on the cusp of making a decision to embark on training (0-ATPL). My only concern is regarding my nine month old Son. Can a female pilot have the best of both worlds?

I figured that this is the best time to start my journey. My Son is now at an age where he can go to daycare whilst I attend flight school, but still small enough to not be tied to a location for school.

At 31 years old I feel that it is now or never, and the thought of me having to return to a Finance job makes me want to cry!

I have come across some stories online of Women who have had multiple children and still have a great career. I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I'd love to exchange email addresses with anyone who would be happy to share their experiences.

Many thanks

[hans brinker]

Good day everyone.

I am looking for feedback or any words of wisdom from female pilots or those who know female pilots. I am right on the cusp of making a decision to embark on training (0-ATPL). My only concern is regarding my nine month old Son. Can a female pilot have the best of both worlds?

I figured that this is the best time to start my journey. My Son is now at an age where he can go to daycare whilst I attend flight school, but still small enough to not be tied to a location for school.

At 31 years old I feel that it is now or never, and the thought of me having to return to a Finance job makes me want to cry!

I have come across some stories online of Women who have had multiple children and still have a great career. I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I'd love to exchange email addresses with anyone who would be happy to share their experiences.

Many thanks

Wife and I are both airline pilots for 20 years, two kids around 10. First make sure you know about the airline life, being gone half the year on multi-day trips, birthdays, Christmas isn't for everyone, you will need some solid family support. Next make sure you are able to get a medical and have the aptitude to become an airline pilot (I did a SIM grading before investing in my career). See about what grants are available to help you financially. Look into a membership with Women in Aviation Women In Animation | WIA (http://womeninanimation.org/) for help, info and support. Let me know if you have more questions...

[BizJetJockey]

Look to easyJet as they are forging the way forward for women in aviation. They also sell themselves as offering a lifestyle roster for families so worth having a chat with them. https://careers.easyjet.com/pilots/amy-johnson-initiative/

[ETOPS]

Look to easyJet

That's a pretty long drive to work each morning.............................from Grand Cayman :eek:

[LW20]

First of all: During training usually you need to learn when classes are over. So you will need someone to care about your child, when you are doing that in the evening.
Life in the airlineindustrie always depends on the airline you fly for:
My airline (European Flag Carrier) offers a lot of different part time contracts. That helps quite a lot. But you will also be away from home a couple of nights each month, depending on the part time model you work and the aircraft type you fly.
If you work for an airline which offers only day trips, you will not need care during the night, but usually half of the rotations start very early in the morning when airport opens, or ends late in the evening shortly before the airport closes.
To summarize: There are very few ( I know not even one) 9 to 5 jobs as a pilot.
Also to think about: Flying an aircraft has a lot do with experience/ training/ doing things very often in a similar way: So if you work part time and do, for example, only a few landings a month,(this can go on a long range fleet to only one landing a month in average) every landing will be an adventure

[Uplinker]

@Hamo, I have sent you a pm.

[Enzo999]

Sorry to be the Grinch so to speak but I can’t see why anyone would want to do this job man or woman after having a child. It costs a fortune to train, The pay is rubbish, shift patterns are a nightmare, weekend work, you miss Christmas and basically every special occasion, literally can’t plan anything, you are away all of time, forced to take holidays when you don’t want it, I could go on!

I was doing this job long before I had children and I can honestly say it has been terrible for my family life. I am constantly jealous of my friends who see there children every night, get to tuck them in to bed whilst I am sat in some hotel alone, planning nice weekend away as a family whilst I work!

There are several reason why divorce rates are so high amoughst pilots and the stress it places on your family life is very high up on that list I am lucky and have a wonderful wife but ask her what she thinks of my profession and you will
very quickly realise it’s no bed of roses.

Dont get me wrong from a selfish point of view this job has lots to offer and I still enjoy it, would I want to do anything else probably not but ask my wife or my kids and they would pretty much prefer I did anything else.

[netra]

I’m in my thirties and this post hit me so hard right now. Got my CPL at 33, struggled around two years to fing a first job. Got an offer I couldn’t refuse, but 2500km away from home with very unpredictable kind of roster. Wife filed divorce papers after my first year abroad and three months after 16th anniversary of our relationship. It’s also very hard to explain to your teenage girl that you’ll probably miss her birthday, won’t be able to come home for christmas and “love her but roster don’t give you enough time to spend with”.

[Daddy Fantastic]

The reality is you cannot have it all...FACT!!

[petrichor]

If you're just starting out then don't even think of the Airline dream...you have many years ahead working in GA or other route before you have the relevant experience. In that time, and like most of us, after then, plan on minimum chance of taking birthdays, xmases etc off. Once in the airlines, you'll be bottom of the pile so expect days off commensurate with your position. Do your due diligence before starting out is my advice.

[Check Airman]

Hamo09,

Some good points have been raised here. A few have been a bit more negative than is necessarily so. A big factor will be where you work. Your profile says GCM, is that accurate? The ease with which you can manipulate your schedule depends a lot on where you work. Some airlines are a lot more flexible than others.

I've flown with female pilots who have children. I've also flown with single fathers. In many cases, male or female, one may have to delay career progression (to a larger plane, or to captain, for example) in order to have the requisite time at home.