Flight Training - From Wife's Perspective

Great insightful video.

My 2 cents, don't try to get into flying unless you can afford the "retaliatory purchase agreement". That means, whatever you spend on your flying, she gets to spend an equal amount on the hobby of her choice. Otherwise she is really going to resent the $$outflow for your "fun" while she's trying to make ends meet with the groceries. I'm not talking about training for revenue flying, of course.

It's normal for women to feel more concerned about safety and financial security. I am the wife and had all those feelings. But I also happened to love flying myself, so it was easier in our case. I fully understood the passion, and I was fascinated with the subject unlike you I would have loved the flash card thing. I pursued my ticket too but ended up shot down with medical problems.

As for being a woman into flying, the only thing that bothered me was the other wives, not the male pilots. At fly ins and meet ups, I only wanted to talk flying with the other male and female pilots. But the non-pilot wives would be the ones stereotyping me and assuming I was just another wife.
 
Rushie said:
Great insightful video.

My 2 cents, don't try to get into flying unless you can afford the "retaliatory purchase agreement". That means, whatever you spend on your flying, she gets to spend an equal amount on the hobby of her choice. .
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No truer words have been spoken.LOL
All said, fair is fair
 
kath said:
I could tell a story about the time a pair of *bright pink* XtraTuff boots were being given away as a door prize at an aviation event, and a room full of about 200 pilots all snickered like that was the most ridiculous prize ever. The MC, who *could* have chosen to speak up and say, "Hey, people, there are women pilots in this room, too!" did *not* do this. Instead, he said, "Hey, your wife might like these!" How do you think that made the women pilots in the room feel? There were probably only about three of us in there.
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Everybody’s a victim...

I know a number of women who wouldn’t want bright pink boots. And a few guys who would. :)

You know who’s give a guy wearing pink boots at a flying job the most crap? The women.

Why didn’t one of the women just joke loudly that they didn’t want them? Or that they did? LOL.

“I’d wear ‘em if you’re not man enough to...”

Would be funny out of either one of the women or a dude who likes pink.

Those jokes would have still been made in a room that was 50:50 on scientific genders and lord only knows how many other mental genders.

Send the flaming gay pilot up to ask for them from the guy who won them, or toss them to the super butch female pilot who wouldn’t be seen dead in pink. Maybe the gay guy wants them for his husband. :)

Whatever.

Before anyone gets bent out of shape that society tells people pink is a “girl color”, or that people expect certain people to wear certain things... allow me to yawn.

All sorts of pilots of all genders get forced to wear ugly ass polyester suits with dork bars to meet outdated dumb public view of pilots, like we all need to look like some stupid pseudo-military uniform.

Certain companies aren’t going to let any of us wear those spiffy pink boots. :) Anyone can start a fight in any airline forum by mentioning roper style cowboy boots. LOL.

It’s just not a very good example of any sort of malice aforethought.
 
kath said:
Oh, it is *sooooo* not that simple.

Aviation is a community in which women are sufficiently rare, that the rest of the community often tends to conduct itself in a manner that assumes we are not there at all. This can be an unwelcoming environment for us.

I could tell a story about the time a pair of *bright pink* XtraTuff boots were being given away as a door prize at an aviation event, and a room full of about 200 pilots all snickered like that was the most ridiculous prize ever. The MC, who *could* have chosen to speak up and say, "Hey, people, there are women pilots in this room, too!" did *not* do this. Instead, he said, "Hey, your wife might like these!" How do you think that made the women pilots in the room feel? There were probably only about three of us in there.

I'd encourage everyone to employ a little introspection. Peruse this board; when was the last time you saw (or posted, or liked) a crude joke about hot chicks, or about how bossy wives are, etc? Did you speak up? Did anyone?

I could also tell a story about the guy I flew with once, who addressed me as "little girl" throughout the whole flight...

If you're male (and white), think about the role models you had when you started out in aviation. Chances are very high, that they looked a lot like you, and made you think, "yeah, I can do it, too!" Women starting out? Chances of that much slimmer.

So no, maybe nature does not set out the kind of equality we dream of. But society definitely does not, and the enemy is us. The pilots who snickered at the pink boots had cheered wholeheartedly for the accomplishments of a young female pilot not 15 minutes earlier in the ceremony, but in that moment she was forgotten. Invisible. And I was angry.

I'm a physicist, so I live with this in my day job too.

Sorry for the rant.
There's a lot in this to explain why female pilots who are married, are usually married to other pilots. But that's another post for another day... :)
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Hey Katherine, I agree with some of what you said. I think women are rare in aviation or more specifically as pilots, the same reason minority men/women are. When you don't see someone who looks like you doing it, chances are you assume that it's simply not for you. I'm almost 30 and I joke with my wife sometimes; that in all the years I've taken commercial flights, not once have I ever seen someone of color in a pilot's uniform. And for years, I concluded that flying wasn't for me, even though the desire was always there.
That said, I do believe that generally, aviation is one of the most inclusive community among many others. The dirty little secret is that; it is open to everyone as long as you can afford it. That and the fact that pilots just love to talk about airplanes or we are just way too caught up with ourselves that we will talk your ears off about flying. That alone is inclusive even though it's the egos speaking a lot of the times :)
 
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easik said:
I will once my wife decides to get her license :)
Also I don't think I've met anyone where the roles were switched. Pilot wife and non-pilot husband. I'm sure they exist but very rare.
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We exist. Lots of us, actually.


455 Bravo Uniform said:
I think that was @Cajun_Flyer
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Yep. He wasn't too into the idea of me getting my pilot certificate. Caused a lot of fights. He came around, but I can tell he still doesn't really like it. He enjoys gravity more than I do, I guess.
 
Cajun_Flyer said:
We exist. Lots of us, actually.




Yep. He wasn't too into the idea of me getting my pilot certificate. Caused a lot of fights. He came around, but I can tell he still doesn't really like it. He enjoys gravity more than I do, I guess.
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Now here’s a blast from the past. Welcome back Cher. Anyway, pilots be the ones what enjoy gravity the most. Nothing funner than jumping in a plane, looking gravity right in the eye and saying ‘take that sucka’
 
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easik said:
I will once my wife decides to get her license :)
Also I don't think I've met anyone where the roles were switched. Pilot wife and non-pilot husband. I'm sure they exist but very rare.
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Yes, I was the rare "Non-Pilot Husband" (NPH). And she soloed in less hours. Its not fair :)
 
Here's what happens when a NPH gets his Pilot's license:

Your wife is extremely happy for you, throws a party and celebrates!
Then starts comparing hours flown.
She stops topping off the tanks after she lands "because former NPH flies it more".
I now mysteriously have to watch the new puppy on these nice summer Saturday mornings.
December thru March the plane is all mine (did I mention we live in Minnesota).

...kidding aside, it is awesome flying together!!! When she rides in back with the puppy she's "okay". And if we were coming back to a 15G25 crosswind...she's PIC cuz I ain't figured that one out yet and she just sticks it.
 
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