Female Aviators

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 813

This appeared last friday in the Israeli daily Haaretz. I, for one, can't imagine why such a thing could take place, but then I'm an air force nut. I would appreciate any comments on the subject, mainly from the female members. Has anything similiar happened in other air forces?

Female interest in pilots courses is losing altitude
By Amnon Barzilai

The number of women interested in participating in the Israel Air Force's pilots course is steadily dropping, according to figures collated at the air force flying school in Hatzerim.

Ever since the gates of the school were opened to female candidates, some 12 courses ago, 107 budding female aviators have participated in the training. Of these, just one completed the course to become a fighter pilot. Three other women completed the navigation part of the course, and there is one women at an advanced stage of the current fighter pilot course.

The IAF decided at the start of this year to increase the number of women candidates in its pilots courses. Since January this year, the IDF's enlistment administration has contacted all the female inductees who met the preliminary criteria (including psychometric results and personal ability tests) to try out for flying school. This policy is intended to increase the number of female inductees who are candidates for the pilots courses.

In practice, however, the trend is very different, with the number of women interested in applying for the course dropping.

The commander of the air force's flying school, Colonel Adi Shaham, said this week that he believed the reason for the decline was a sharp drop in motivation among female inductees. The top brass in the IAF, however, believe that the database of information gathered since women began to participate in the pilots courses in not comprehensive enough to facilitate a thorough study of the reasons for this lack of motivation. This, they say, is because the number of women applying for the pilots course is very low, and any minor change in the trends would have a disproportionate influence on the overall figures.

Following a preliminary look at the figures, the IAF has put forward several possible explanations. First, they say, the trend that was started in the 1990s, whereby courses that had previously been the sole domain of male soldiers were opened to women, has run its natural course. At first, this trend created a wave of interest and enthusiasm, but the feeling now is that this initial appeal has worn off

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20 years 6 months

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060311/asp/frontpage/story_5954957.asp

"Wind blows for fighter girls"

Saturday, March 11, 2006
SUJAN DUTTA

Lately in Bangalore, Yelahanka and Dundigal: Women in the Indian Air Force have created a gender issue for the government with nearly half the girls in training performing consistently better than the men but still being barred from flying combat aircraft.

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18 years 1 month

Posts: 417

In practice, however, the trend is very different, with the number of women interested in applying for the course dropping.

The commander of the air force's flying school, Colonel Adi Shaham, said this week that he believed the reason for the decline was a sharp drop in motivation among female inductees.


So they're not applying because they don't want to? Not much of an explanation ...

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 833

IDFAF female fighter pilots

Hi guys.
I have the IMAX DVD "Fighter Pilot- Operation Red Flag". The camera pans the flightline with close-ups of the pilots getting into their jets. At this particular Red Flag a number of Israeli F16s took part and a female pilot can been seen strapping herself into a F16 D. Also, female pilot flew a F15 C at this particular event. Women still can't park though. :diablo:

Get this DVD! The footage is magnificent. There is a close-up of a couple of Strike Eagles in formation and one by one they peel off and away from the formation- fantastic! A10, F16, Luftwaffe Tornado, C17, MH60- they're all there. Also the synthetic visualisation of the DACT sessions is well displayed.

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B-17. WWII.

Attachments

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4861666.stm

"Pakistan gets women combat pilots"

Last Updated: Thursday, 30 March 2006, 16:16 GMT 17:16 UK
By Zaffar Abbas
BBC News, Islamabad

The women had to go through the gruelling three-year training

The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) has inducted four women as fighter pilots for the first time.

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 3,328

Babewatch

http://www.hiromiyokoyama.com/nana.html
reported:

"After WWII, first female Japanese jet aircraft pilot: Grandmother Yokoyama Hideko"

Born in Taishou 8. Active girl practised fencing, Juudou (martial arts), Kendou (sword).
16 years old, supported by family, and achieved amphibious aircraft and second-class aircraft licenses. Later, achieved aerobatic and instrument flight licenses.

After WWII, all before-WWII pilot licenses cancelled. All must re-achieve pilot licenses by US military standards.

1953, Hideko was first female Japanese to achieve pilot license by US military standards
1955, husband operated flight company.
1956, invited by Johnson AFB, Dasaitama Prefecture, first female Japanese to fly military jet aircraft.
Later, invited by JASDF, flew F-104.

Did not like to be called Obaachan (Grandmother) by grandchildren, so they called her Nana (Seven).

Writer of this Website is Hideko's granddaughter, Yokoyama Hiromi, a physics lecturer and researcher, currently (from 2007 April) at Toukyou University.
http://www.hiromiyokoyama.com/hello.html

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 3,328

http://www.alamogordonews.com/news/ci_8201550

"German fighter gets first woman pilot"

Article Launched: 02/08/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
Alamogordo Daily News
By Laura London, Staff Writer

The first-ever woman to pilot a German air force Tornado fighter plane has graduated from the German Air Force Flying Training Center at Holloman Air Force Base.

[Any photo?] 8D

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16 years 7 months

Posts: 242

I was just wondering if ANY members of this forum are female? :confused:

(at least the modern military aviation forum)

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 3,328

http://www.asianjournal.com/galing-pinoy/59-galing-pinoy/379-monessa-catuncan-a-filipina-takes-flight.html

"Monessa Catuncan: A Filipina takes flight"

Saturday, 25 October 2008 12:11 Billy Dela Cruz/AJPress

UNITED States Air Force F-16 fighter pilot Monessa Catuncan doesn’t just maneuver an aircraft whenever she’s on air—she also carries the Philippine flag and the pride of the country it represents and the people in it.

http://forum.dtmonline.com/leo/cgi-bin/view.cgi?forum=5&topic=149

Article dated 3 January 2007.
Pilot course classmates Lieutenant GU Yu Xin and Lieutenant ZHUANG Hui Qing were the only two ROCN S-2T female pilots.

Zhuang had 300 flight hours after she flew S-2T for two years.
Gu and Zhuang were 133rd Squadron, 1st Aviation Group, Naval Aviation Command, ROCN.

http://tt.mop.com/club/read_1388497.html

Photos of ROC military female pilots and crew members.

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19 years 1 month

Posts: 653

Nice to see the rest of the world catching up. IIRC the first all female RAF crew was in the early 90s, and we've had FJ chapesses for well over a decade!:D

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15 years 6 months

Posts: 253

I just want to say.......

I really like this photo and her sense of humor:)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/milorgman/Female_20Pilot_20_28Small_29.jpg

cheers,

-John

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18 years 5 months

Posts: 2,318

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2009-05/08/content_11336914.htm
to
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2009-05/08/content_11336914_2.htm

12" figures of UK soldiers.
I don't recognise the woman's uniform. Para-medic?

Royal Air Force Falcons Parachute Display Team.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falcons/theteam/

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falcons/theteam/officercommandingandteamleader.cfm

TJ

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14 years 11 months

Posts: 126

Don't forget, during WWII the ATA women pilots were flying Lancaster bombers, with at most only a cadet to help, also Spitfires and all other fighters, bombers, flying boats, etc., the famous picture was of Lettice Curtis climbing down a ladder from a Lancaster, having just delivered it solo to an operational squadron. Lettice is still alive and in her nineties!!.

Cheers Brian Doherty. :D