Women in Aviation

[gentlearts]

I volunteer at a grade school for reading enrichment, and my student is a smart little girl. One of the other volunteers is a young female Air Force pilot. When my little girl first saw her, she said she was pretty. I said, "Yes, and do you know what her job is? She's a pilot." My student's eyes grew big and she thought a minute. "I want to be a pilot, too." It was precious.

Anyway, this AF Pilot always wanted to be a pilot, but the only way it could happen was in the military, because otherwise it was too expensive. She joined ROTC in college and now she flies those big cargo planes (C-130s?) that carry heavy equipment.

The two other females I know who are pilots, were able to learn and get flying hours because their family owned a plane. It's a mother and daughter, and the father is a commercial pilot. Now, the daughter is also. The wife just flies their small plane. The key is getting hours, and finding ways to afford getting hours.

[SluggoF16]

Success story: In 1992 I received a note from my old civilian instructor that the airport I learned to fly at was having an air fair. I worked the details and was able to fly an F-16 in to my hometown's airport (KSDL). Two girls, about 11 years old each, were fascinated by the aircraft, and one asked how she could become a pilot, and could she fly an F-16? I told her she was in luck, that, yes, women were just about to enter training as fighter pilots. I explained to her (and her parents) what was needed... she winced a bit at the "study hard" part but you could tell she wanted it badly.


In 2008 I received an e-mail from an name I didn't recognize. It was her, now a lieutenant at Kadena AB, Okinawa. Flying the F-15. This time I winced... The Eagle, bleah. But she DID get to be the fighter pilot she wanted to be.