Why aren't more women airline pilots?

On a flight between BOI-SMF-SJC, I had the opportunity to talk with the co-pilot of my flight in SMF, a female who probably could as easily been a model. While on our stop in SMF, I dared to inquire of her background. She shared with me, she had flown F-18's with the US Navy .. I dare say, that would certainly give her the needed flight experience to fly for a commercial airlines. May her wings of gold get her to the left seat of ANY aircraft she desires to fly.

on the flight i was on from lax to honolulu last june a the pilot walked bayand i asked her is she was first officer or the pilot.she said she was the pilot and i asked her how she made it so fast. she come to find out was an airforce pilot for 6 years. that is impressive seeing female fighter pilots getting 2 be the one in charge of a big passenger aircraft

You would think that considering there are quite a lot of women pilots out there flying for the airlines... you wonder where they get their start? If you look at some of the online flying communities, which is male dominated, you would think that more would be on. In VATUSA's community I only know of 2 female controllers / pilots. One at ZDV and the other at ZFW.

Where are they all??? Do they just read a magazine one day and say " That sounds fun! "

lloyd like i said the female pilot from L A X to honolulu got her start in the air force as she was one of the few female pilots and i talked to her last june

Female pilots in the US come from the same places as men: flight academies, smaller flight schools & FBOs, and the military. There aren't as many for the same reason there aren't as many female mechanics, female truck drivers, etc: it's just not something that society "says" a women should do. I've flown with quite a few, and they're just as good or bad as any guy out there.

I'm a female and I love flying. I guess I must one of the few who do. I can't wait until I have enough money for training. I don't think flying appeals to many females because they don't like spending much time away from family and friends.

@ BOGDAWG - i saw your pics of the Dorniers. Have you ever been to KHYI ? I used to be a lineman down there and they run a fleet of 328's, never the jets tho. cool lookin planes!

not being sexist here but flew on a flight that were piloted by both female pilots and needless to say it was the worst flight i was ever on, the takeoff was horrible, along with level flight and approach to land. Perfect weather too.

The lack of women in aviation has nothing to do with anything except they're not wanting to be there. This has created the "sexist" situation where any woman can walk into any flying job without having to work at it like I had to. Every single woman I know who ever flew any aircraft was there ONLY because some idiot flight examiner gave her a license not only because she "smiled" at him but also because he was under pressure to either pass her or be sued for being "sexist". Women don't have to work as hard as men do to get those same jobs and it's a dangerous situation that I refuse to accept.

Jason80 writes:
[begin quote]
The lack of women in aviation has nothing to do with anything except they're not wanting to be there. This has created the "sexist" situation where any woman can walk into any flying job without having to work at it like I had to. Every single woman I know who ever flew any aircraft was there ONLY because some idiot flight examiner gave her a license not only because she "smiled" at him but also because he was under pressure to either pass her or be sued for being "sexist". Women don't have to work as hard as men do to get those same jobs and it's a dangerous situation that I refuse to accept.
[end quote]

Wow. I am stunned! I am a woman and a student pilot about to take my practical test. I can tell you that none of the instructors I have studied with have been easier on me due to gender differences. I would expect the same from the DPE. In fact, *I* hold myself to high standards and expect those teaching me to do the same. Anything else would be a disservice to the student and to the aviation community.

Furthermore, while there are some women who expect to get by with the bat of their "pretty little eyelashes" and some men who perpetuate this, there are also instances where women have to go above and beyond to prove that they are "worthy" of participating in a male dominated domain. In addition, I know of some male students who seek out instructors and examiners who will not be so strict and will allow them to pass with mediocre performance. In other words, it goes both ways.

I submit to you that attitudes like Jason's are part of the reason that we are deprived the talent and skill of many women as commercial pilots.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this person, "Pat Webb" has taken offense to my comment, which is to be expected. This proves exactly what I said. I'm not allowed to speak about what I've experienced in my professional carrer as an airline pilot without being "attacked" by the "women" of the industry (or rather, woman with aspirations in the industry). If I was a woman, my comment would have gone unnoticed, but as a man what I say is "offensive". I've been an airline pilot for 11 years and my experience is exactly what I previously written. Mrs. Webb here has no knowledge of how the system works and no experience as of yet, but she states that what I say isn't true. 11 years vs. a few months............that kinda speaks for itself.

Ladies and Gentlemen and dearest Jason,

Apparently you have misread my comment. I said that I have not experienced the things you state. I also stated that if the DPE is in fact giving passes to individuals based on gender (or race or other reasons) then it is a grave disservice to women in this case and to the aviation community as a whole.

In the current economic environment many aviation organizations have been striving to attract and, more importantly, retain new student pilots. The drop-out rate among student pilots is staggering. We should all be trying to encourage new pilots, whether they aspire to achieve a commercial rating or are happy as a private pilot in the GA world.

Yes, Jason, I found your comment offensive. Not because it was made by a man and directed at women, but because it reflects poorly on the aviation community. I would have been just as insulted if you have made the comment about Blacks, Asians or Hispanics. No, I have not had your 11 years experience but I have lived a long time and seen a lot of things. If you truly see a situation where an unsafe pilot (male or female) has been approved and is creating a “dangerous situation that [you] refuse to accept,” then it would be far more productive to direct your comments to that pilot or to report the unsafe activity to the proper authorities instead of complaining about it on a forum.

I hope that if the system really does work the way you say it does that we can all work together to change it. Flying is serious business and we don’t need anyone up there who does not respect that fact.

Women have no barrier to becoming aviators if they choose to be - women are just as capable in the cockpit as men, and in some cases I believe women have been shown to have better judgment and are less likely to suffer from bravado-induced 'bush pilot syndrome' than men.

The problem is women in general are by nature less interested in machines, technology and adventure than men, and it is specifically the people who are interested in those very things who are driven to become pilots. There are of course exceptions that buck the trend, but stories of sexual prejudice in the cockpit are rare - the disparity is not due to an invisible prejudicial barrier against female aviators, it's because so many women simply aren't interested.

On a more light-hearted note - I love flying with female instructors, you generally have a bit more shoulder room and better climb performance flying with a lady than a chap! I've flown with 4 different female instructors of varying age and personally know of several young women who have all achieved their PPL, all brilliant in their own right.
No complaints about lady-pilots from this guy!

I have flown with many female pilots, and as I've experienced in the world of computer programming, lady pilots seem to pay attention to details more so than male pilots. Of course, this is a blatant generalization however female pilots have to be much better than male pilots just to be considered equal. Just my two cents' worth... I have a tremendous amount of respect for good pilots, male or female. In fact, one of my retired Navy F-4 drivers paid a true compliment to me a few years ago. He called me an "aviator", and he has no idea of the positive impact he made on me at that moment.... I'll fly with female aviators any time. Science has proven that they are better at multi-tasking than men, and that's what we need in the cockpit!