Daughters for Pilots
 

Ok.. heard that (RUMOR????) pilots have a 80% chance of having a daughter rather than a son??????!!!!! Really ?????

I don't think anything has been scientfically proven but I've heard this is true for deep sea divers and airline pilots. The Y chromosome is more fragile than the X chromosome - one theory is that the huge temperature and pressure changes experienced by divers and pilots can harm the genetic composition of the Y DNA, killing them off and meaning that the X's are more dominant. Hence a daughter is more likely!

I guess the girls can handle the pressure.........!

This is very interesting!

It would be great if someone can verify it all with a link to some official research! :ok:

It certainly is a widely held belief, but there is no statistical evidence to back it up.

Cheers,

BM

Hope it is true, my wife gave birth to our daughter 8 months ago and I start at CCAT early next year. Fingers crossed!!;) . Maybe I might even get a job at the end of it all:confused:

Does that really describe the modern airline pilot? Such an argument would only apply to a limited number of military pilots. Anyway, after a lifetime of (both very high and very low altitude) military flying, I've got one of each. Where that gets us I couldn't say.

I believe Captain Airclues has 3 sons. :D

It must be true, my wife has just given birth to our first child (a boy), and I've never been at the controls of an aircraft in my life! (Unless 900 hours a year on FS2002 counts, it seems to be good enough for plenty of other people who post on this site) :E

PHX

I first heard this rumour early in the '70s. (I have 2 daughters) If there is any truth to it, it must be a relatively small effect rather than an 80% chance. An 80% chance would be so obvious that someone would have been drawn to do a statistical study.

I will say that at the jet bases I was posted to, there did seem to be more daughters than sons born to pilots. On the other hand, at a maritime patrol base there was no apparent bias.

Possible mechanisms for such an effect could include:

1. g loading
2. high altitude radiation
3. termperature stress in cockpits with inadequate environmentals.

Are there any flight surgeons out there who can comment on an anecdotal experience basis?

Bad Med: Maybe we could start a 10 sec survey for pilots regarding their progeny... boys/girls.

BTW... Two of my airline pilot friends have just had daughters.



:D

I have got one of each, although my 2 year old lad does like wearing my daughters ballet dress!!!

No reference to cite
 

I don't have any official reference but I have heard that *fighter* pilots have more daughters than sons due to G force.

:confused:

Maybe there's an Air Force study.

I was a Royal Navy pilot in my youth and I've three daughters and no sons....

I thought having daughters was something to do with female xx sperm swimming methodically but more slowly and hence last longer than male sperm.

Maybe us pilots land "short" of the requirements, to deliver the swimmers in the right place?:{

My wife gave birth to a daughter 6 weeks ago ;) now is this the fact that Im a pilot (PPL atm but about to go for CPL) or the fact that my wife is the middle of 3 girls, and her ma is the middle of 3 girls, and her grandmother is the middle of 3 girls, shall I keep breeding to confirm the pattern? or is it because Im a pilot?
After enduring the last 6 weeks I dont think I want to find out :\ :E

5 sons and 2 daughters. I can't believe that flying has anything to do with it. The milkman has never flown anywhere apparantly !

2 sons here, with a mix of fixed and rotary-wing.

BM..which one is "fixed" and which one "rotary"?

Very good Hawk ;)

The young one is crazy about both - little adrenaline junky. The teenager has departed controlled flight :}

Cheers,

BM

I can do one better, BM - I have 3 sons, all teenagers. The middle one just got into his 4th grand final for the year today...very exciting...upcoming are State Schoolboys football final on Wed, and Club U15 championship in 2 weeks...nothing to do with flying, any of that, of course.

M.