Women of Aviation Week

[Admin]

This was sent to me from Monica Petrillo who created the DVD "Flyabout" that the Recreational Flying shop sells. Perhaps we need to start creating our own events in our own countries:

 

As an official sponsor of Women of Aviation Week, I hope that many of you will use this opportunity to introduce a girl or woman to flying in the next couple of days.

 

 

 

I have donated five signed Flyabout DVDs to the raffle which will be given to women/girls who going on their first flight.

 

To learn more about this week's event:

 

http://womenofaviationweek.org

 

 

[Spin]

Maybe I just need another cup of coffee (and a day off!) and am reading too much into this, but why is it that every facet of life has to be socially engineered to reflect overall demographics? I love introducing people to flying, including some delightful ladies along the way, but having to target a particular group, because there is a perceived need for more of them in the sport, whatever, would take all the joy out of it for me.

 

I'll repeat what I said in another thread; the surest way to increase female participation in flying would be to ban woman from holding a licence!

 

 

[kaz3g]

Hi Spin... I have my own shed, too!

 

Women are slightly more than half of the potential market on a straight population basis. They are significantly more if you consider the relative health of the sexes with age.

 

At present, women are seriously under-represented in general/recreational aviation and it seems pretty obvious we need more people doing it if we are to arrest the loss of airports, the closing of fuel facilities and the ever-escalating costs.

 

Think of it as achieving economy of scale rather than usurping your privilege.

 

kaz

 

 

[Spin]

Nah, I have no concerns about having my privileges usurped and I enjoy the company of woman, my other half included.:big_grin: I just find it rather patronising to suggest that it is up to men to encourage women to participate in these kinds of activities - truth be known most of them are too sensible to blow their time and money on something like flying for fun. My wife has no aviation background, but thoroughly enjoys an outing in good weather. She has said straight out though, that she has no further interest in flying and wouldn't give it a second thought if it weren't a passion of mine.

 

'Sides we should probably ask the ladies here to say their piece, were they discouraged from starting to fly and was that discouragement any greater than many men experience when fronting up to a flying school. I know plenty of people here (self included) have walked out of a school without having received any positive response from staff.

 

 

[Relfy]

Whoa Spin, you're game! I think it's great that we can do things to promote aviation for females and I think they bring a great perspective to the sport. An example I can recall was reading BecM's flight training blog and realising how similar her experiences were to mine. I also enjoy reading Kaz's posts and think it would be great to have a greater representation of women flying. Social engineering...hmmm? Target advertising...more like it to me.

 

Anything that can be done to increase female participation in what has over the years been a predominently male pursuit, is a good thing! :thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up:

 

 

[kaz3g]

Nah, I have no concerns about having my privileges usurped and I enjoy the company of woman, my other half included.:big_grin:...<snip> ... - truth be known most of them are too sensible to blow their time and money on something like flying for fun. My wife has no aviation background, but thoroughly enjoys an outing in good weather. She has said straight out though, that she has no further interest in flying and wouldn't give it a second thought if it weren't a passion of mine.

Hi Spin

 

I feel quite sure your wife would not attempt to answer for all women even though her husband seems to :peepwall:

 

When I was young, few women got to go to university because money was generally scarce. Men were the breadwinners and where such opportunities were available they were limited to them. Women were expected to stay at home, anyway, or become nurses or secretaries. Once they became pregnant they actually had to give up their jobs! That was both a public service rule and the general expectation. Only very few got the chance and the backing to fly and hardly any got to do it commercially.

 

And Spin, it took a landmark discrimination case that was appealed all the way to the High Court before an Australian airline would employ a female pilot. Deborah Wardley (nee Lawrie) took Uncle Reg to court because her candidacy was rejected in each intake despite her having significantly superior qualifications than the younger and less experienced men who were successful.

 

As well as having a commercial licence with instructor and charter experience, and 2600 hours flying experience, Debbie had degrees in mathematics, science and teaching. But even in 1976 the boy thing was keeping her from her dream of flying the big ones. Reg Ansett and his senior managers contrived to keep her out and used every trick of law and the threat of huge legal expenses if she lost in the process.

 

Things have changed since then but it has been a slow and difficult process for women to move into the world of flight. Debbie is just one of many who found their every attempt frustrated and one of few who succeeded in those years not so very long ago.

 

Ponder a moment, Spin and you might perhaps come to see that flying is still very much regarded a boy thing and those women who do it still have certain attitudes to overcome. Would you still be able to afford to fly if your wife took it up with the same passion as yourself?

 

kaz

 

 

[johnm]

touchy subject

 

I'm with you Spin - its probably the same if all the 'quiltweaver' clubs (or whatever it's called) invited males to join and do needlepoint - I can't imagine there would be a ............... rush

 

I'd guess males first flew because females could n't show their bloomers

 

I don't see any discrimination when it comes to female flyers (i'm talking flying clubs - not commercial) - in fact feamles are always made welcome - ther just ain't many of them - to suggest something else has got to be the start of a 'persecution complex'

 

How to encourage more female flyers ? - we males have to infiltrate the 'quiltweaver' clubs

 

Your instructions ............................... dates, places and Church associations will be posted to you shortly

 

JM

 

 

[Spin]

Hi SpinI feel quite sure your wife would not attempt to answer for all women even though her husband seems to :peepwall:

 

kaz

Kaz you might do well to duck down your chimney if you're going to persist in taking my contribution out of context - I think you'll find that I suggested earlier on that we ask the ladies present for their impressions. So far, unless I mistook your gender, the silence has been deafening. Far from wishing to speak for women, I am stating my opinion of what I frankly find a patronising approach.

 

As far as history goes, I am well aware of past discrimination, however am equally aware that by the time I graduated, there were more women than men in the graduating class - ah bless Ally McBeal and her wardrobe:clap:

 

Oh and a final point, my wife has quite enough expensive hobbies without any help from me:big_grin:

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Its a community service - providing aviation friendly spouses for our flying lads.

 

Viz - Early 1990's and my instructor was bemoaning the loss of students directly related to the women in their life - she was either scared her meal ticket would be killed in a crash, jealous that he was spending more time flying than with her, or spending money having fun when it could have been spent on other things she considered more enjoyable. His own girlfriend kept up a littany of "If you love me, you would give up flying ..." I used to listen to so much moaning about how wives / girlfriends hated flying from commercial pilots scrapping a living in the hope of cracking an airline job - and this is what makes them give up in sight of the prize. How many here have moved on from aviation resistant partners? Or given up the dream in the younger years for lack of support?

 

I was the spinster of the parish for 50 odd years with my own plane, concerned that if I married he would probably get me to sell the plane and get a decent 4x4 ... then I moved in across the road from a pilot who had just lost his wife to cancer. Married by the Flying Padre - Full on aviaton and not a word of complaint about how much it costs, how long it takes, etc from either of us. Heaven!

 

Encourage the girls. You can thank me later .... :polite::velvt:

 

Sue

 

 

[DarkSarcasm]

Early 1990's and my instructor was bemoaning the loss of students directly related to the women in their life - she was either scared her meal ticket would be killed in a crash, jealous that he was spending more time flying than with her, or spending money having fun when it could have been spent on other things she considered more enjoyable. His own girlfriend kept up a littany of "If you love me, you would give up flying ..." I used to listen to so much moaning about how wives / girlfriends hated flying from commercial pilots scrapping a living in the hope of cracking an airline job - and this is what makes them give up in sight of the prize. How many here have moved on from aviation resistant partners? Or given up the dream in the younger years for lack of support?

Then again, half of them probably wouldn't want a girlfriend who flies because (as several pilot blokes have told me) she'd know when he was BSing about things...

 

 

[Bandit12]

This reminds me of the "women in motorcycling" debate.....my better half rides too, and never on the back of a bike. Her bike is much flashier than mine, much, much faster and she rides like an absolute hoon in her pink and white leathers....!!! She cops many a patronising look and comment from male customers in our shop, who naturally presume that her CBR is a 250cc, not the 1000cc that it actually is. Those looks change rapidly when she is out on the road.

 

Sadly, she is very uninterested in aviation, but is prepared to put up with my expensive hobbies. Like Spin, I am all for encouraging men and women to get into aviation, the increased numbers is what will help make flying more affordable ultimately, and the financial side of business doesn't care which gender you are when you are paying the bill.....