19 Year Old Woman Begins Attempt Of Solo Around The World Flight

Juliet Hotel said:
I wish the FAA wasn't so reluctant to allow designs like that here under LSA.
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Hold that thought….times may be a changing. There are talks of more LSA like aircraft in the future. Maybe just maybe the weight and or performance will grow….
 
When my dad was 19, he was in the Coast Guard (no idea what rating).
When I was 19, I was a munitions tech in the Air Force.
When my kid was 19, she was on her second attempt at passing senior year of high school. #KidsTheseDays
 
Coinneach said:
When my dad was 19, he was in the Coast Guard (no idea what rating).
When I was 19, I was a munitions tech in the Air Force.
When my kid was 19, she was on her second attempt at passing senior year of high school. #KidsTheseDays
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Sometimes it goes the other way around. Lots of kids are doing tougher stuff and taking on more responsibility at 19 now than I was back in the early 1980s.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I don't know what 'self depracating' means but it doesn't sound complimentary.
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It's the English spelling, so it involves being British...you make the call.
 
80 hour vfr pilot doing a round the world in an light sport? My only comment is to ask why? What could possibly be accomplished that could not still be accomplished with another year or 5 of training to prepare properly? The current record for a female is 30 years old.
 
Salty said:
80 hour vfr pilot doing a round the world in an light sport? My only comment is to ask why? What could possibly be accomplished that could not still be accomplished with another year or 5 of training to prepare properly? The current record for a female is 30 years old.
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1. Because she can.
2. Makes the record more difficult to break and keep your name on something for a long time. Kittinger is a decent example of that.
 
EdFred said:
1. Because she can.
2. Makes the record more difficult to break and keep your name on something for a long time. Kittinger is a decent example of that.
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1. Hopefully
2. So? if you break the record, you can still always say you broke the record.

I have no problem with people stretching to break records, but I have no respect for someone accomplishing something simply because they were lucky, without having properly prepared for it. I realize that’s a judgement call, and I don’t know where the line is, but I’m certain it’s somewhere further than 80 hours of vfr.

There’s something else wrong here too. If she started training 5 years ago, how does she only have 80 hours of experience? And do you think someone that’s racked up 80 hours in 5 years is so passionate about aviation that she’s the driving force in her making this trip? I agree with Paul, this has the same bad smell as the dubroff flight.

if this girl had spent the last 5 years actually training for this, I wouldn’t have any concerns.
 
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I personally wouldn't take a risk like this, nor would I take the risks that airshow performers take (both with their own lives and with the crowds') — no matter how much experience I had — but that's another conversation.

What I have noticed is that when 18 or 19 year old men take risks like this, we strangely don't have long threads on aviation forums belittling them or grumpy old men like Mr. Bertorelli writing patronising articles about them. Spin it any way you want, but you're not even fooling yourselves: seeing a young women getting attention for flying brings out the insecurity in a lot of us men. Do we really feel that inadequate?
 
David Megginson said:
I personally wouldn't take a risk like this, nor would I take the risks that airshow performers take (both with their own lives and with the crowds') — no matter how much experience I had — but that's another conversation.

What I have noticed is that when 18 or 19 year old men take risks like this, we strangely don't have long threads on aviation forums belittling them or grumpy old men like Mr. Bertorelli writing patronising articles about them. Spin it any way you want, but you're not even fooling yourselves: seeing a young women getting attention for flying brings out the insecurity in a lot of us men. Do we really feel that inadequate?
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Speak for yourself.
 
Salty said:
Speak for yourself.
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The people belittling her are speaking for themselves, much more loudly than they realise. They think they're cleverly concealing their insecurity by putting the spotlight on a young female aviator, but they're actually putting their own insecurity up on a billboard for everyone to see.

A genuinely-confident person doesn't have to boost themselves at the cost of others.
 
David Megginson said:
The people belittling her are speaking for themselves, much more loudly than they realise. They think they're cleverly concealing their insecurity by putting the spotlight on a young female aviator, but they're actually putting their own insecurity up on a billboard for everyone to see.

A genuinely-confident person doesn't have to boost themselves at the cost of others.
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Why are you trying so hard to be her white knight? All you are doing is stoking your opposition, IMO.
 
I suspect a 19-year-old boy with 80 total hours accumulated over 5 years, flying a LSA, would be just as roundly criticized.
 
Salty said:
1. Hopefully
2. So? if you break the record, you can still always say you broke the record.

I have no problem with people stretching to break records, but I have no respect for someone accomplishing something simply because they were lucky, without having properly prepared for it. I realize that’s a judgement call, and I don’t know where the line is, but I’m certain it’s somewhere further than 80 hours of vfr.

There’s something else wrong here too. If she started training 5 years ago, how does she only have 80 hours of experience? And do you think someone that’s racked up 80 hours in 5 years is so passionate about aviation that she’s the driving force in her making this trip? I agree with Paul, this has the same bad smell as the dubroff flight.

if this girl had spent the last 5 years actually training for this, I wouldn’t have any concerns.
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Not all experience can be logged. She might have way more than 80 hours in actual practice.

For example, I had many hours in the left seat flying with my Dad who is a private pilot before I ever went and flew with a CFI. Obviously those hours couldn't be logged but they happened and I learned a lot. Enough so that my CFI told me I was ready for solo after 1 lesson.

I would also point out that while more experience wouldn't hurt, only having x number of hours doesn't mean she isn't a competent and safe pilot.
 
Kansas Flyer said:
Not all experience can be logged. She might have way more than 80 hours in actual practice....
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we can't go by what she 'may' have. we can only go on the information we've been given, which is 80 hours. I don't care about male, female, young, old, identify as this, that or something else, or whatever other feel-good title you want to cheer about, I personally would never recommend an around the world flight as their next step. I can't speak for anyone else, but if any newish, 80ish hour private pilot asked me what I thought about an around the world flight, I'd say it's a great goal to work up to....get a little more real world experience while planning for the trip, then eventually do it, go for it.
 
RyanShort1 said:
Why are you trying so hard to be her white knight? All you are doing is stoking your opposition, IMO.
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I doubt she wants or needs one.

It's more that I'm a bit embarrassed for a few of my fellow male pilots here on the forum, and how much they're unintentionally revealing about themselves.
 
David Megginson said:
The people belittling her are speaking for themselves, much more loudly than they realise. They think they're cleverly concealing their insecurity by putting the spotlight on a young female aviator, but they're actually putting their own insecurity up on a billboard for everyone to see.

A genuinely-confident person doesn't have to boost themselves at the cost of others.
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I don’t see that at all. I think your bias against men is showing. I could care less what sex organs the kid has installed. At 80 hours of experience it’s a very high risk trip in a not very capable aircraft. You think I’m wrong for having that opinion that’s fine but you can take your man hate somewhere else.
 
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OneCharlieTango said:
I suspect a 19-year-old boy with 80 total hours accumulated over 5 years, flying a LSA, would be just as roundly criticized.
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I very much doubt it. At least, I've never seen it here or in any other aviation forum (except after an accident, when everyone's suddenly an expert).
 
David Megginson said:
I doubt she wants or needs one.

It's more that I'm a bit embarrassed for a few of my fellow male pilots here on the forum, and how much they're unintentionally revealing about themselves.
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yeah, god forbid someone has a slightly different opinion than yours.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I don't know what 'self depracating' means but it doesn't sound complimentary.
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It means modest.

Not sure how that squares with wanting to do this so publicly. But I have never understood the wish for this kind of attention. Or maybe I should say I understand it, I just never desired it.

I have no problem with her doing this. As @steingar points out, 19-year-old men and women go to war, which is far more dangerous. A 16-year-old girl has sailed around the world singlehanded and there were the same sorts of arguments. I think a number of teens, both male and female have done this.
 
David Megginson said:
I very much doubt it. At least, I've never seen it here or in any other aviation forum (except after an accident, when everyone's suddenly an expert).
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Show me an 80 hour male pilot attempting an around the world's flight and I'll be happy to criticize him. Even if he's white :eek:

Not everything is race/sex/gender/what you do for funsies in the bedroom.
 
David Megginson said:
The people belittling her are speaking for themselves, much more loudly than they realise. They think they're cleverly concealing their insecurity by putting the spotlight on a young female aviator, but they're actually putting their own insecurity up on a billboard for everyone to see.

A genuinely-confident person doesn't have to boost themselves at the cost of others.
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I haven’t seen anyone belittle her.
 
David Megginson said:
I very much doubt it. At least, I've never seen it here or in any other aviation forum (except after an accident, when everyone's suddenly an expert).
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Considering my only criticism has been the lack of adequate preparation, anything involving sex or age or anything else is of YOUR design, not mine.
 
She's been around aviation for most of her life. Pretty sure she has as as much or more experience than quite a few in this thread. Maybe not loggable experience, but experience. Just because it doesn't go in the logbook doesn't mean it didn't happen. I don't give a crap whether she's a she, a he, a he-she, a she-he or a banshee. She's an adult, she can do what she wants. If she has the financial backing and logistics to get it done, then go for it. Now if she ends up in Peru and has run out of money and starts a gofundme or something to get her the rest of the way, then criticism is in full order. I hope she does better than that last kid who attempted it and started begging for help.

The only disdain I have is that she has someone else paying for all of it and, well, I have to self finance my flying. But we have those people here on PoA too. So it is what it is.

As far as the record goes...without looking it up...who held the 100m record before Usain Bolt? Set the bar high enough (or age low enough) and you'll be remembered for a long time.
 
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