70 Women Pilots in the RAF

[Warmtoast]

I regularly collect Waitrose's freebie "Weekend" promotional newsletter and was intrigued by the following article which among other things states there are 70 women pilots in the RAF! Something I didn't know.

Julie Ann Gibson - the pilot mentioned in the article is on WiKi here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Ann_Gibson

This weeks article.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1575/image2_a49f4f105fcb08b8d1b4b0775e6e6c39d4805ac1.jpg
Julie Ann Gibson - DOB 1956

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1389/image1_7ebb4295cbfe387dd05605f06f095f34174aa59f.jpg

[rolling20]

I regularly collect Waitrose's freebie "Weekend" promotional newsletter and was intrigued by the following article which among other things states there are 70 women pilots in the RAF! Something I didn't know.

Julie Ann Gibson - the pilot mentioned in the article is on WiKi here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Ann_Gibson

This weeks article.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1575/image2_a49f4f105fcb08b8d1b4b0775e6e6c39d4805ac1.jpg
Julie Ann Gibson - DOB 1956

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1389/image1_7ebb4295cbfe387dd05605f06f095f34174aa59f.jpg
The Wikipedia page says she graduated in 83 and was a member of her UAS.
A girl I was at uni with tried to join the UAS in 82 and was told it wasn't allowed and that she should write to her MP.
It was male only in my time, I didn't think it became available to the ladies until the 90s?
Happy to be corrected.

[MPN11]

Not just Pilots ... the OH wanted to go Provost when she joined in the early in the 70s, and that was closed to female officers too. Thank <deity> we have grown up at last, and stopped such irrelevancies.

[vascodegama]

You don't (did n't) have to be a pilot to be a UAS member -those gnd branches on cadetships were also members.

Mind you I suspect that they have the year she was born wrong.

[BEagle]

There was a public relations event at RAF Northolt on 21 July 1989 when UAS cadet pilots Helen Colaluca, Jenny Mills and Sue Bryce-Smith were presented to the meeja. On the previous day it had been announced that women could apply to become RAF pilots or navigators.

At my UAS during recruiting, the adjutant said that there was a '10% quota' for women who could apply for UAS membership - I told him that there most certainly was not and that we would process all applicants irrespective of gender!

Julie had been an engineering branch officer before being accepted for pilot training; even in my time at a UAS in 1973 we'd had a female ground branch APO.

[Krystal n chips]

Looking forward to reading the follow up article...when the numbers reach three figures...and continue upwards.

[212man]

It was male only in my time, I didn't think it became available to the ladies until the 90s?
Happy to be corrected.

We had two female Cadet Pilots on my squadron, who joined in 1985. My recollection is that was the year female cadets started flying.

[Ken Scott]

Mind you I suspect that they have the year she was born wrong.

Indeed, I was at school with Ms Gibson and she was only a couple of years or so older than me so 1962 would be more accurate (if it’s not ungallant to give her age away?)

[212man]

Indeed, I was at school with Ms Gibson and she was only a couple of years or so older than me so 1962 would be more accurate (if it’s not ungallant to give her age away?)
That was my logical conclusion - graduated in 1983 would, typically, make her 18 in 1980.

[uffington sb]

How it used to be. Cringeworthy now!

https://youtu.be/8owgLYZf104