On Female Pilots

hoepoe · 12-22-2005, 03:39

Hi all

Just read that some new female pilots have just finished Pilots course in the IAF. What are your opinions, can women make good cobat pilots? I for one don't see why not.

Here's a snippet:
"IDF presents: 3 new female pilots

First Lieutenant N. to become IDF's second female combat pilot; commanders say she excelled throughout course
Yossi Yehushua

Three new female pilots, including one combat pilot, are expected to complete the Israel Air Force's pilot course next week, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The three females will join nine other female IAF soldiers who have already reached the finish line of the course."

and

"Once the current pilot course ends, 12 females will have completed the course. Apart from female combat pilots, the Air Force also has female navigators, transport pilots, combat helicopter pilots and Saar helicopter pilots.

Air Force sources said "the female pilots managed to integrate well into their squadrons, and one of them has already been discharged and is serving in reserve duty as a pilot."

Full article at:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...188543,00.html

Hoepoe

tyrsnbdr · 12-22-2005, 05:09

I was in a CH-47 unit for a year. I did not see a difference in flying ability between male and female pilots.

Huey14 · 12-22-2005, 05:56

Yes, they are fine.

We had a female fast jet pilot before the strike wing was cut and she did very well by all accounts.

She's now in the RAF or RAAF, I forget which. I think there's a couple of females still flying the other AC now too.

RAF had a woman pilot in 617 (Dambusters) Sqn flying Tornadoes. She also did very very well and I understand she's now a Squadron Leader or Group Captain.

**The Reaper** · 12-22-2005, 09:40

Yes, as long as the training program has the ability to wash out the ones who do not make the grade without being crucified for doing so.

When the US started training female Navy fighter pilots, they permitted students to graduate for political reasons when they were not fully qualified.

This makes it much harder for those who followed.

Imagine if instead of making Jackie Robinson the first black player in the Majors, they had selected 50 marginal players and mandated each team take three and play them.

Females on the average have slightly quicker reflexes and a better ability to withstand G forces. They will also tend to have more physical problems and drop out of the program to have families. You have to decide if you are willing to make that investment.

For PSYOP reasons, I love it. How does Abdullah explain to his buddies when he gets home (or to Heaven) that he was splashed by a girl?

TR

hoepoe · 12-22-2005, 10:03

Great comments all.

I agree, i think it's great.

TR, love it, abdullah..lol

Hoepoe

Bravo1-3 · 12-22-2005, 12:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

For PSYOP reasons, I love it. How does Abdullah explain to his buddies when he gets home (or to Heaven) that he was splashed by a girl?

TR

Maytime · 12-22-2005, 19:44

I read this from former fighter pilot CPT Barbara Wilson, USAF (ret.):

"Because women have a smaller body mass the shorter distance between their heart and brain makes it easier for them to counteract the G-forces."

Granted this may not be true in every case, it makes sense to me. Women need all the advantages they can get IMO.

QRQ 30 · 12-22-2005, 21:54

I don't see the problem in the woman's physical or emotional ability. I see it more in the attitudes of the Machissimo. Men tend to either distrust females or - and just as bad - be over protective.

I'm sure things are different now but when I was at an RAF base in Scotland in 1967, women filled almost every position on the base other than flying, which was left to the men. This was their solution to the shortage of men in the UK as compared to women.

Seth · 12-23-2005, 13:42

Capt. Nicole "Fifi" Malachowski, Strike Eagle driver with the 494th FS, has been selected to the USAF Thunderbirds as the number 3 right wing. The Capt. was a flight commander and F-15E Strike Eagle instructor pilot -- 1100 flight hours in the F-15E, 200 combat hours.

Malachowski graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1996, fourth in her class. The Air Force's requirements state that fighter pilots must be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall; Malachowski's ceiling is 5' 4" and one quarter.

During training, she lasted the longest of anyone in the class in the machine that tests how much G-force a person can withstand. She didn't lose consciousness until she passed 9.2 Gs. So there might be something to that small body-heart-brain withstanding G-force theory.

The Capt. will be touring with the USAF Thunderbirds in the 2006 season.

-Seth

QRQ 30 · 12-23-2005, 15:16

First of all, let me answer the original question:

Quote:

ust read that some new female pilots have just finished Pilots course in the IAF. What are your opinions, can women make good cobat pilots? I for one don't see why not.

In short: YES. Of course the operative word is "CAN".

There are certainly good female pilots. Would I care to go into combat with a mixed unit? HELL NO!! I have supervised and been supervised by women and I can tell you that men and women are as different as male and female.

I had a girl lay out of work every Friday because sh' was "having her period".

I have had girls who couldn't do this or that because they were a week pregnant. OTOH I have had girls finish a shift at work and then go to the hospital to deliver. BTW: I followed all directives and at the end the girls needed a weekly OK from their Dr. Many, not all when times get tough pull out the big, fat, juicy "Boo Hoo Burgers". This is not meant to be insulting to women in general, I am sure that the women on this board can attest to what I am saying and I also admit men have other, equally aggravating problems. Women have periods and men have hangovers.

If I may digress, let me tell a little story from my library of personal experiences. We had a friend who conducted a flight school at France Field in the Canal Zone. One morning I got a call that his plane had rolled off of the end of the runway and into Limon Bay. A female stident had made her first solo landing and panicked when she saw the end of the runway coming up. Even though the plane was coasting no faster than a walk, she forgot all about the brakes ans/or steering and unassed the plane and let it roill into the bay.

I went to recover it. The only protective clothing I wore was a sweat shirt. The fuel tanks leaked and I ended up diving in AVGAS. It started burning and as soon as I got out I got the shirt off and they hosed me off but I still developed blisters. When we pulled the plane out the lady didn't say Thanks or Kiss my ass. She went right to the plane to get her purse then opened it to check that I hadn't helped myself to anything.

The instructor was so pissed he swore he would never teach another female. The insurance replaced his plane but since that was his livelyhood, he took a real beating in the several weeks it took to get a replacement..

The Bonus · 12-23-2005, 15:54

Some thoughts from someone who has trained both male and female pilots. First a quick disclaimer: I trained college aged students in a civilian environment and I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the military. The basic flying skills still apply, though.

As a flight instructor, I found that women in general tended to have an easier time with the "art" of flying (landing, flying traffic patterns, and "s turns")However, when it came to the instrument side (controlling the plane only on the altimeter, attitude indicator, etc.) they had a very difficult time. My own belief is the trouble stemmed from the 3D visualization necessary.

That being said, since leaving instructing for the airline world the female captains I've flown with have without exception been outstanding. Their crew resource management seems to be better and they're easier to get along with than some of the old guys that've been around 20+ years.

Just my .02, YMMV

QRQ 30 · 12-23-2005, 16:00

QUOTE]female captains I've flown with have without exception been outstanding[[/QUOTE]

I should certainly hope they are outstanding by the time they make Captain.

The Bonus · 12-23-2005, 16:12

Before 9/11, upgrade to captain at some of the regional airlines was less than six months...

From a four seat Cessna to left seat of a fifty passenger jet in that amount of time is pushing the limits of safety even with good simulator training, regardless of the male/female issue. I certainly wouldn't have been comfortable in that situation.