Question: Career as a Female Pilot?

Palmpilot said:
Different strokes for different folks: For me, explaining is half the fun!
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My attempts at wit and humor usually go unappreciated and unrecognized for that matter. I thought my omnidirectional sexist claim was rather humorous, but when it was taken seriously I was once again reminded that I'm not very funny to anyone but myself. :(

Identity politics is a tougher nut to crack and breaking it down in order to understand it requires more attention that the average forum reader is willing to give. So people will chime in, and give their .02 without actually having thoughtfully considered how relevant their story or their contribution is. What Rotor Dude suggested above is exactly what he supposedly against, in principle. But, he overlooks the contradiction because his real goal is to give advantage to a selected demographic because of a faulty idea that he hasn't thoroughly considered. It is a self-defeating claim. You can't say you want a color/sex blind society on one hand, and have quotas and target racial equity through hiring on another. The other problem is that discussing these topics are always stirs up the emotions and criticisms are often seen as personal attacks. Rotor Dude actually handled my response to him quite well, but if I continued to press on the inconsistent nature of his statements, he and many others would most likely start to get angry. To tackle these problems requires a mutually agreed on set of assumptions and a commitment to logical consistency, otherwise it just turns into a melee where nothing is gained. Identity politics is a dangerous game and has a horrific history, but we don't readily connect our ideas with those of the past so we are potentially setting ourselves up to repeat some of the same mistakes. I guess a flying form isn't the best place to sort all this out, but the truth is that it's effects eventually touch all areas of our lives.
 
Cooter said:
My attempts at wit and humor usually go unappreciated and unrecognized for that matter. I thought my omnidirectional sexist claim was rather humorous, but when it was taken seriously I was once again reminded that I'm not very funny to anyone but myself. :(

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Trust me Cooter, I know your pain. But as long as I entertain myself all is good, sure you feel the same way.
 
That video is sexist. Read the note...Proverbs 31!
 
To the OP:

As you may have figured out by now, pilots tend to be grumpy old men who can argue to no end over the color of the sky or definitions of words they don't understand. Don't mind them, they are mostly harmless. Some will start to drool and babble incoherent stuff the first time they see you, but that's the same reaction they got the first time they encountered a female trauma surgeon or engineer. Oh, and some of those old men are barely 35.
 
weilke said:
To the OP:

As you may have figured out by now, pilots tend to be grumpy old men who can argue to no end over the color of the sky or definitions of words they don't understand. Don't mind them, they are mostly harmless. Some will start to drool and babble incoherent stuff the first time they see you, but that's the same reaction they got the first time they encountered a female trauma surgeon or engineer. Oh, and some of those old men are barely 35.
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^^^ This. 100% this.
 
weilke said:
To the OP:

As you may have figured out by now, pilots tend to be grumpy old men who can argue to no end over the color of the sky or definitions of words they don't understand. Don't mind them, they are mostly harmless. Some will start to drool and babble incoherent stuff the first time they see you, but that's the same reaction they got the first time they encountered a female trauma surgeon or engineer. Oh, and some of those old men are barely 35.
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I'm starting to get the impression that they mostly lack critical thinking skills.
 
Obtw. The great thing about doing the Aviation college --> restricted ATP --> regional airline --> mainline carrier career is that you are less dependent on the goodwill of male higher ups than in other industries. Hiring is done by committee with human resources and lawyers involved. Promotions and bid opportunities are based on your seniority, not whether you are nice to the chief pilot. At most airlines, career advancement happens within the confines of a union contract, as long as you pass your checkrides and show up to work, you have the same opportunity as a male pilot. This can be maddening if you think you are more qualified than someone higher up in the seniority list, but the upside is that once your number is up, it is up.

If you were to listen to the experts here and opt for the 'general college + certificates' way, you are more dependent on other peoples hiring decisions in a part of the industry that is dominated by small businesses. That can be a benefit if you are willing to use your gender to your advantage, but then you would be right back to the setup your dad has been trying to steer you away from.
 
weilke said:
To the OP:

As you may have figured out by now, pilots tend to be grumpy old men who can argue to no end over the color of the sky or definitions of words they don't understand. Don't mind them, they are mostly harmless. Some will start to drool and babble incoherent stuff the first time they see you, but that's the same reaction they got the first time they encountered a female trauma surgeon or engineer. Oh, and some of those old men are barely 35.
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you woulda made a wonderful female pilot.....:D
 
Avoid all the aggravation of a flying career.
Marry extremely well, then get him to foot the bill for your PPL and have him buy you a plane.

When they read this, and they will read this, my four daughters, and 2 daughters-in-law are going to punish me in ways you folks can't even imagine.
 
Shepherd said:
Avoid all the aggravation of a flying career.
Marry extremely well, then get him to foot the bill for your PPL and have him buy you a plane.

When they read this, and they will read this, my four daughters, and 2 daughters-in-law are going to punish me in ways you folks can't even imagine.
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Lol, brave man. I tell my daughters if you want expensive stuff work hard and buy it yourself. Don't marry for money, find a good guy. Of course they understand that means a guy who can easily support himself and her if necessary.
 
Shepherd said:
Avoid all the aggravation of a flying career.
Marry extremely well, then get him to foot the bill for your PPL and have him buy you a plane.

When they read this, and they will read this, my four daughters, and 2 daughters-in-law are going to punish me in ways you folks can't even imagine.
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My wife told me a couple of years ago that she didn't know that marrying rich would have been an option. If she had known, she may have gone that way rather than the college + gradschool grind.
 
weilke said:
My wife told me a couple of years ago that she didn't know that marrying rich would have been an option. If she had known, she may have gone that way rather than the college + gradschool grind.
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My wife married poor, not poorly, just poor.
 
PaulS said:
Lol, brave man. I tell my daughters if you want expensive stuff work hard and buy it yourself. Don't marry for money, find a good guy. Of course they understand that means a guy who can easily support himself and her if necessary.
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I have 4 daughters and they have exceeded even my wildest dreams for them. They are all beautiful, smart, educated, they all have great careers and are all making more money than I did. They all got full rides through college and grad school, have no college debt. I even like the people they married. :)
My sons did great, also, but my daughters claim it's because of the girls they married or are dating.
My only regret is that too many pilots hung around the house for too many years, telling too many stories of daddy's flying adventures. My kids all hate airplanes.
sigh....
 
I've known a few female pilots over the years. A couple were CFIs, I've flown with one. The DPE for my PP was female. And I've met a couple from this board. All are fine people.

I'm a (more or less) retired engineer. 40+ years of experience. I've worked with female engineers, as well. The only criteria I cared about was whether or not they knew what they were doing. I suspect professional aviation is much the same. There are people in either world who have a problem, but that's their problem, don't make it yours.

The advice given above about getting a degree in something you are interested in and can make a living with is valuable. As a professional pilot you are one failed medical exam away from being unemployed. As a private pilot I've been grounded for medical reasons more than once, but that didn't impact the family income. You are young, but this is something to think about. It hasn't been suggested yet, but you might see about visiting an AME before spending money on this game to make sure that you will meet the medical qualifications. Check with Dr. Bruce Chien (he hangs out in Medical Matters), pay his fee and follow his advice. It is gold.

Best of luck to you. Someone mentioned the number of people we've watched grow up and move into successful flying careers on this board. We'd love to see you added to that list.
 
Shepherd said:
Avoid all the aggravation of a flying career.
Marry extremely well, then get him to foot the bill for your PPL and have him buy you a plane.
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I've heard it said that there are 3 ways to get money: earn, marry/inherit, steal.
 
Wow. Ignore this thread for a few days because I'm busy and it turns into quite the crap show. LOL.

Anyway... just a comment on this one from
Waaaaaay back...


weilke said:
Some of the college flight programs are silly expensive. In Fargo we see flight students who attend UND aeronautics but obtain their FAA certs part 61 using their own aircraft and freelance instructors.
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We see people all the way down here in Denver who need the rating for their degree at UND, finishing up ratings here to avoid UNDs prices. Any break in classes, Winter break, Spring break, Summer break -- there's always a few UND students avoiding the school's own flight department because they've done the math and can do it cheaper here. Amazing really.

Not sure how it all factors in to the lowered hour ATP thing, but if they're supposed to fly under the Part 141 stuff to get that, there's some who are even letting that benefit go to get ratings done down here then, is I guess what seeing them here really means.

No dog in that fight - don't care. Just saying we see folks down here all the time.

Haven't talked to enough of them to know all the details of this behavior.
 
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