There are many professions that are seen as male dominated, and being a pilot is one of them. For a lot of people, when they think of a pilot, they may imagine a male, but this is not always the case.
More and more women are training and becoming successful pilots, and can work in any profession, regardless of gender, as long as the necessary steps, procedures, education and training takes place.
Can a girl become a pilot?
Women have been pilots and aviation experts since the early 1900s, so girls being pilots is not a new thing, however, for many years it has been seen as a rare role for a female. That being said, the popularity of female pilots has grown massively since the 1970s onwards, and continues to grow every day.
Amelia Earhart was an American pilot and aviation pioneer as early as the 1930s, and is considered one of the most influential women in history, being the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and setting many records. Not only this, but she wrote best selling books about her aviation career, experiences and knowledge, and was an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Nowadays, women have far more rights, and are welcome in many professions, regardless of sex or gender, and are capable of working in roles just as well as men are. It is for this reason that a girl can become a pilot, if she wishes too, just as men can.
Do many girls become pilots?
Unfortunately, airline pilots is a profession that is still male dominated, and it is reported that only 5% of pilots worldwide are female. However, Air India is the leading major airline with female pilots in the world, with about 12.7% of pilots being female. Similarly, British Airways reports 5.9% of its pilots as females.
According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, only 5% of pilots are women currently, and a shocking 1.42% of all captains are female. Perhaps it is time to break gender norms, and encourage more women to work in supposed ‘male roles’ for the sake of diversity.
How can a girl become a pilot?
Contrary to popular belief, a girl can become a female pilot in the same ways as a male can. In order to become a pilot, you have to go through extensive, rigorous training, regarding controls, safety, procedures, systems and practice, regardless of your sex or gender.
To become a female pilot, you will need to meet all of the requirements, qualifications and procedures, just the same as a male pilot. For instance, one of the first steps in becoming a pilot is to ensure that you are medically fit and able, with a medical certificate from the civil aviation authority before you start your flight training.
Once you have this, and you are mentally and physically fit enough to begin your flight training, you will have to enrol in a flight school, or find a flight instructor to learn all of the basic skills required to fly a plane. In addition, you will have to gain all of the necessary flight hours, training, and obtain a pilot’s license from the relevant aviation authority.
If you have passed all examinations, logged your flight hours, and are able to effectively control, operate, fly the aircraft, and stick to all safety and emergency procedures, then you will be able to fly a plane.
Some of the more basic requirements that you have to meet depend on the approved training organization in which you obtain your license. However, for the most part, you will need to be at least 18 years old, have good written and oral communications skills, numerical, mathematical and analytical skills, and of good health.
To become a pilot, you will have to obtain a private pilot license first, allowing you to pilot an aircraft that is not intended for commercial use. You will have to complete this first with at least 45 hours of flying, along with many other subjects such as mathematics, physics, computer science, navigation, flight planning and aircraft structure.
Once you have your private pilot license, you can fly single engine aeroplanes, for private, or recreational uses. If you want to, and you have obtained the private pilot license, then you can begin training to become an airline pilot, however this course will take much longer, and you will have to complete many more hours of flying time.
In addition, you will undertake training concerning everything there is to know about the aircraft industry, the planes themselves, operations, system failures and many more subjects. Only then can you receive your commercial pilot license, and complete more flight hours in order to fly for big company airlines as a female pilot.
