Females only!

[vee-tail-1]

I flew with the first women pilots in BA. They overcame a lot of BS to get there and were all fully competent pilots and very strong characters. I remember how awful the male BA uniform looked on them, and how they soon had it redesigned to suit the female form.
Those first female pilots were just as passionate about aviation as most guys. I remember having breakfast in NY with a female F/O talking only about aviation. Knowing that she was genuinely interested in the subject, and not just pretending to be was a revelation to me.
However airline flying makes demands on pilots that some later women pilots seem unable or unwilling to meet.
Perhaps some will remember the ex glider pilot who was accepted as a BA cadet. She qualified as F/O and started line flying, then soon met and married a Capt, and became pregnant. She took pregnancy leave on full pay for nearly a year ... then decided to get back to flying again via a retraining course ... shortly after returning to line flying she became pregnant again ... and took yet another long pregnancy leave. BA wanted to get rid of her, but BALPA (my union at the time) defended her and won. I had conversations with some of the original female pilots over this issue. All were all of the opinion that this young woman had nearly destroyed all the gender equality that they had painfully achieved.

[whosyerdaddy]

Male. I know far fewer female pilots than male but of the female ones I can think of very few who aren't very very good.
But I know scores of male pilots whose arrogance, condescension and hubris constantly get them into scrapes.
It's numbers, of course so I can't make a meaningful comparison but perhaps a percentage comparison from accident stats based upon gender might prove revealing.
Personally, I would like to see more women in aviation. It will come but it's nowhere near close yet. I don't think it will be 50-50 unfortunately as the commercial realities of childbearing captains probably will not be ignored by those who employ them.

[Lightning Mate]

When I was a Jaguar QFI we used to give rides to air traffic controllers.

I flew one of them (female) twelve times. After a few sorties I discovered she could handle the jet very well and the R/T at the same time.

I have seen (heard) her handle over a dozen fast jets at the same time as a radar controller.

Mind you, in those days and probably now as well, only the best ones went to fast jet stations.

I married her.

[ExSp33db1rd]

.

.........her handle over a dozen fast jets........I married her.

Seems she could handle fast jet pilots, as well !!

[Charles E Taylor]

You might find this interesting!

RAeS gives evidence to Women in the Workplace inquiry | Aerospace | The Royal Aeronautical Society


Charlie

[gmr]

mrs

I have a CPL instructor examiner ratings. Have worked for a flighing school for 13 years. As head of training covering for our part time head of training for 6years. When the head of training decided to retire I was not told the job was available nor was I asked if I would like to apply. I found out after some one had been chosen! Needless to say they chose another part time person a male. I am more qualified in flying hours students safely trained, and he is not an examiner.
What more can I say.
I resigned, so now looking for another job.

[Echo Romeo]

Sorry, but what is a flighing school ?

[dieseldo]

For those who's idea of a job is not sitting in a cockpit, a number of aircraft operators including CHC and Bristow are looking for apprentice aircraft engineers.
Target salary today for a licensed engineer airline or offshore helicopters would be £50/60000k in the UK. £80000 tax free somewhere warmer but not quite so nice !!!!!

[India Four Two]

gmr,

Welcome to PPRuNe. Sorry to hear about your resignation. Good luck with looking for a new position.

I haven't lived in the UK for many years and I thought times had changed. Obviously not!

[CISTRS]

Lady glider pilots

I have met many excellent female soaring pilots.
I have never seen a female winch driver.

[dreamer_uk]

Hi Hannah. I am a female ppl student. I've always worked in a male dominated industry (I am one of the only women doing what I am doing) and hobbies in make dominated areas (I race cars). I started working after uni and travelling at 25 which was about 12 years ago, just to give you some context.

Flying is new to me but I certainly have not experienced any adverse (or any really) reaction because I am a woman.

I have lots of thoughts about why women are under represented in certain areas and happy to share via email if you are interested! Bizarrely I have just been interviewed as a female role model in my industry so I've given it some thought recently!

Ultimately I think it's a complex issue and some people have very strong views (in both directions!!)

[LowNSlow]

Dan-Air

Hannah222, worthy of some research are both Dan-Air and British Air Ferries. Dan-Air as they were one of the first UK airlines to employ female pilots with 5(out of 550) in 1978. They also had the first female jet airliner captain calleds Yvonne Sintes who flew BAC111 and Comets until her retirement in 1980.

British Air Ferries had the first all female crew which was captained by Caroline Frost in 1977.

My Dad was a flight engineer on Halifaxes in WW2 and one of his favourite stories was about a delivery of a brand new Halifax III which was crewed by a diminuative blonde lady ATA pilot and a one armed male flight engineer. As a previous poster commented, a lot of the people who saw her climbing out of the aircraft asked where the pilot was!

[Tay Cough]

If you're ever in the Isle of Wight near Sandown, see if you can find Mary Ellis. She's been known to sit in a little hut near the runway selling pleasure flights. She's done a bit of flying herself.....

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