Are there any girls pilots? Women in civil aviation

Very often, when there is a conversation about aviation, the question comes up: “Is there female airplane pilots?"

Of course there is. Back in 1910, in France, the world's first woman received a pilot's license, Baroness Raymonde de Laroche.

Afterwards, the number of female pilots begins to gradually increase. In 1914, Shakhovskaya Evgenia became the first in the world military pilot. In the 20th centuries, only a few managed to realize their dream.

In the 60s they first formed female admission to the civil aviation flight school.

And already in 73 there was the first graduation, consisting of 40 people, in 77 there was a second, after which about 50 people graduated. But, unfortunately, there were no more releases in our country.

Today, there are approximately 25,000 female pilots in the United States, making America number one in the world for this indicator. Women were lucky enough to get a license to fly an airplane. This profession is gaining popularity among women; in terms of percentage, compared to 2003, the number of female pilots has increased by 9% and women make up 5% of the total number of pilots. 400 women, according to 2010 data, work in major airlines.

Also, discrimination in the profession is rare these days; colleagues and passengers react adequately to women in cockpits.

Polish carrier officer, Agnieszka Baran, believes that there is nothing unusual in our century, including female pilots. There are only 7 girls in her company, the rest are all men. But Agnieszka says that they were never discriminated against, this made them very happy, they considered themselves full-fledged members of the crew.

World Aviation reaches that level, becomes the industry where no one looks at the floor anymore. This especially applies to Western airlines.

As for women pilots in Russia. They provide support to the civil aviation sector.

At the controls of Aeroflot, the main Russian carrier, you can also meet a girl.

Asia also has female pilots on its staff. Their services are used by Royal Brunei Airlines - the national carrier of Brunei.

I would like to end this article with the phraseAgnieszka Baran:

“Yes, it’s more difficult for us girls, even when no one reminds us of it, but still the requirements remain high, and we need to prove that we can cope with our responsibilities in the same way. The most important thing is to never give up and then all your dreams will come true. Study and work, and most importantly, never give up.”

— Why is the profession of a pilot considered a man's?

— Apparently because initially flying on airplanes was a dangerous and difficult task, and the first aeronauts were real testers. During World War II, it wasn't just men who took to the air. Women's regiments and units left a bright historical mark. As for work in civil aviation from the post-war period to the present day, I think one of the reasons was the creation of airliners with a control system that involved physical effort. But there have always been exceptions to women who flew both the An-2 in the north and the complex Tu-134, An-24, Yak-40. The stereotype of a “male environment” lasted for quite a long time, and is still noticeable today.

— When did you decide you wanted to fly?

— The conscious desire to become a pilot came after an initial flight with an instructor on a small sports plane. My first flying club teacher, Sergei Nikolaevich Dadykin, managed to create an incredibly comfortable and favorable learning environment for us, then still schoolchildren. On this flight, I felt what piloting was, and after that no force: neither stereotypes that this was not a profession for a girl, nor the surprise of others, nor financial difficulties could stop me. From the age of seventeen I knew what I wanted to do. The flying club itself, where I was brought up, was a very attractive and romantic place. It is a pity that this aviation structure in the budget version is now almost abolished.

from the hero's personal archive

— Where did you study your profession?

— I studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Civil Aviation. I was the only girl in my course, but every aviation educational institution has its own legends about female pilots. And teachers always remember them with pleasure. I felt treated with respect and was accepted as an equal.

— What is the percentage of female pilots in Russia today? Is it different from similar indicators in the world?

— I don't have exact statistics. I can assume that there are about 50 women working in the structure of Russian civil aviation today. This is a very modest figure. While in large European and American airlines the ratio of women is approximately 20-30% of the total number of pilots.

— Have you encountered mistrust from male pilots, stewards, and technicians?

— It all depends on how you feel. I can't imagine that my crew might not trust me and doubt me. The same applies to ground staff. Seconds of doubt in the eyes of my colleagues are replaced by our constructive cooperation after they realize that I am competent, prepared and in the right place.

— Do female pilots have the same workload as male pilots?

— The job of a line pilot is challenging not only because of the critical phases of flight such as takeoff and landing, but also because of its intense and frequently changing schedule. The change between day and night activity is harmful and poorly tolerated by both men and women. Personally, my schedule is no different from a “man’s” one.

Maria Uvarovskaya

Aeroflot press service

— How did your relatives react to your decision to become a pilot?

— Fortunately for me, they did not prohibit or hinder the fulfillment of my dream, and at the training stage they helped morally and financially. My success is their direct credit.

— Tell us about your form. Are there any standards for what a female pilot should wear? And how is the uniform sewn for you?

— Form, like appearance in general, is part of our work and self-confidence. It is important to look discreet, so that you can work comfortably, and, of course, look beautiful, we are women. According to international standards, the set consists of trousers and a jacket, a tie is required, and a headdress in the form of a cap is always with you. Aeroflot orders a personal uniform for all female pilots, we can discuss and make adjustments together with the masters.

— Have there been any cases personally on your flights or on the flights of other female pilots when passengers reacted in any particular way to the message that they would have to fly with a woman at the controls?

— Some passengers try to thank and express their impressions of the flight. Someone asked to be photographed, and there was a case when a passenger asked to leave an autograph on her passport. Personally, I was touched when one woman, getting off the plane after the flight arrived, asked me to write words of support and encouragement for her daughter on paper and sign my name and position. I don’t know a more pleasant mission if I and my words helped a person to believe in himself and overcome obstacles.

Why, exactly, is Uvarovskaya named “Russia’s first female aircraft commander”? IMHO this is not true:
Our contemporary Nina Vasilievna Lityushkina.
Nina Vasilievna is an airline pilot; no woman in the world has flown so many hours at the controls of a jet aircraft.
Article from the newspaper "Arguments and Facts":

Airlady.

Men love to make fun of women drivers. But it’s unlikely that anyone will be able to throw a barb at this helmsman. Nina Lityushkina controls not a car, but an airplane! She is a first class pilot, for many years she was the commander of the Il-18, and now she is a pilot of the Tu-154 aircraft. Total flight time is about 24 thousand hours! This is a unique indicator even for male pilots. Lityushkina is the only female pilot in Russia and the former USSR who has so many accident-free flight hours.

She studied and honed her flying skills in the skies of her native Mordovia. On her “Annushka” Nina Vasilievna transported passengers and cargo to all corners of the Volga region. She delivered doctors to hard-to-reach areas and transported patients. Since 1971, she found herself in the skies of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, then she completely expanded her horizons and began flying to various parts of our country and neighboring countries.

Nina Vasilyevna has excellent command of the An-2, Il-14, Il-18, Tu-154 piloting techniques. Has access to control and test flights, can transport VIPs, flies in a reduced complement - without a navigator, and has mastered flights using satellite navigation systems. By the way, in August 2007, the pilot received the Nesterov medal. This is the most honorable insignia in Russian aviation. In the airline where Nina Vasilyevna works, such an award is still in a single copy.

Article in the newspaper "Krasnoyarsk Worker":

Wait! At the helm are pilots wearing earrings!..

She looked up from her instruments, turned to Governor Swan and smiled. Alexander Ivanovich saw a charming woman in a flight uniform, and soon learned that Nina Vasilyevna Lityushkina had recently been congratulated by friends and colleagues on her 35th anniversary of flying work and 20 thousand hours of accident-free flight time. This is a kind of world record among women. The general bowed gallantly and left the cockpit. A few minutes later he returned, brought in an elegant box of chocolates and presented it to Nina Vasilievna...

Her colleague Albert Nikolaevich Zhukov, commander of the same type of aircraft, spoke briefly but clearly about her:

I aimed for the sky, I dreamed, I wanted, I got there - through DOSAAF!

And he’s right: there was no other way to this profession for girls, only through sports flying clubs. Not everyone could withstand the grueling tests and merciless selection. It has always been believed that aerobatics is a man’s business...

Nina was born in November 1942 in the Mordovian village of Chukoly, Ardat region. Soon the father went to the front, it became difficult for the mother to cope with four children, and Nina began to live with her grandmother. Tatyana Pavlovna gave the girl an Orthodox upbringing.

Soon after the war, Nina watched the film “Night Witches” - about the Taman Women’s Aviation Regiment and its battles with the Nazis. And these “witches” dragged her into the sky!..

After graduating from high school, she worked in Saransk at an instrument-making plant and went to Kuibyshev. Here, at the flying club, she managed to undergo initial training as a glider instructor, combining it with the work of a river port receptionist. And the report card has almost all excellent marks; only “Rules of the Soviet Army” and “Fundamentals of Military Education” were passed as “good”. Alas! It is difficult to defeat female psychology...

At the same time, she mastered flying on the Kai-12 gliders from the Hercules-3 winch and on the L-12 Blahnik, followed by the plane... The desperate girl made 172 flights, flying for almost 36 hours, more than ten of them soaring, that is, the most virtuoso.

The road to heaven continued... Two years later, Lityushkina was sent to the Central United Flight Technical School of the USSR DOSAAF, which she graduated in 1964 with a degree in glider pilot instructor.

Nina studied at school on a Yak-12 plane, flew 476 times, spending more than 130 hours in the air!.. The girl was awarded the first category in gliding. Lityushkina expressed a desire to work at the Saransk Aviation Enterprise, where she also retrained to fly the An-2 aircraft. When she had flown more than two thousand hours on the Yak and Annushka, she was approved as the commander of the An-2 aircraft. And then at the Kirovograd Aerobatics School she mastered the Il-14 and An-24.

They write and talk a lot about Siberia in those years, but youth does not tolerate monotony, and Nina Lityushkina agrees to work as a co-pilot of the Il-14 and

Il-18 at the Krasnoyarsk Aviation Enterprise. Three years later, he retrained in Ulyanovsk to drive the Il-18 ship and received an assignment to the Krasnoyarsk 214th flight detachment. Her personal file is replenished with invigorating lines: “For health reasons, she is fit for flying work without restrictions, she flies confidently, and is resilient in flights.”

She is on earth so little that she barely has time to write letters to her family and see her dear friend Galina, a nurse from the clinic. They're like sisters. “There is no buying and selling in friendship, there is only honesty and trust,” says Nina. “I am afraid of unscrupulous people,” she adds. “If I see bad people, I avoid them.” She believes that “aviation is the domain of decent people.”

That is why, apparently, Nina Vasilievna never doubted her choice. And on Lityushkina’s flight uniform a second badge was added: “For 7,000 hours of accident-free flight time.” And again Nina picks up speed: in Ulyanovsk she is retraining at the course for ship commanders of Tu system aircraft. Here again is the aerobatics of her life - the certification commission in 1983 approves her for the position of second pilot of the Tu-154.

Nina Vasilyevna smiles: “Of the women in Russia, I am the only one who flies on the Tushka...

In her description there is an entry: “She performs complex, sometimes difficult work on an equal basis with men, without demanding discounts...” Further conclusion: “Worthy to be a candidate for ship commander...”

It will not be a secret that the human resources departments of airline companies keep an insurance policy for pilots in case of death. Nina Vasilievna bequeaths a modest amount to her sister Lida. We are, of course, talking about risk in flying. She somehow confidentially says: “The Almighty protects us!” He adds: “I will fly as long as I live!”

And this is natural. To the sky - Nina’s prayer, but one day Mother Earth finally took her toll - she helped me experience female happiness with Sergei, to share with him the love of heaven. Now she not only greets the takeoff with delight, but also the landing. They are waiting for her on earth, here she and her husband are growing a garden in which every flower, every blade of grass caresses the heart with joy. Nina worships flowers and regrets that they are not among the indescribable beauties of the sky...

But she was given, as she claims, “to see all of Russia from the sky!..”

That is, she was already a captain in the USSR, and with this title she transferred to the new Russia. So what...

Most people think that only men can be pilots. This is due to the fact that airline passengers predominantly hear the male voice of the pilot during takeoff or landing of the aircraft. Therefore, many people think that a female pilot is something out of the ordinary. Can a woman be a passenger plane pilot? Definitely, it can. Moreover, there are many examples in history that confirm this. Women became pilots not only in civil, but also in military aviation.

Both men and women can fly an airplane. Representatives of both sexes have identical requirements regarding training and obtaining the right to pilot an aircraft. Despite this, many airlines today are still wary of allowing women onto large airliners. But still, representatives of the fair sex who meet all the requirements for pilots receive the right to fly aircraft and carry out passenger air transportation on them.

Aeroflot pilot Maria Uvarovskaya

Examples

Are there any female pilots? So that there is no doubt about this, we will give a few examples. Olga Kirsanova– a pilot who has been flying an airliner for several years. Olga is one of the few female specialists who have received the right to fly large aircraft. In recent years, Olga has been a pilot of an airliner that weighs more than 100 tons. As the pilot herself claims, everyone can get a seat in the cockpit of an airliner. The main thing is to have a strong desire and desire to achieve this. Olga admits that she had to work hard and make every effort to achieve the right to pilot an airplane, but it was worth it.

Another striking example of women in the history of civil aviation is Maria Fedorova. This specialist is an employee of Aeroflot. Maria received the right to fly passenger aircraft at the age of 23. This is the first girl in the world who managed to become a pilot at such an early age. At 23, many people still don’t know how to drive a car. And Maria has already managed to master the control of giant airliners with more than 100 passengers on board.

Maria Fedorova, who became a pilot at age 23

During the First and Second World Wars, not only men, but also girls were allowed to join the military. The result surprised everyone: many girls coped with the assigned tasks and showed such courage that many representatives of the stronger sex could envy. Girls and women took to the skies in military aircraft, which were not nearly as safe as modern military aircraft.

The first woman pilot - Raymond de Laroche. She received status as the only female pilot in 1910. It was a pilot from France. During the tsarist reign, there were women pilots in Russian civil aviation. 80% of men and 20% of women entered training to become pilots. During this period, Princess Shakhovskaya officially received the status of a military pilot. During World War II, many women who were allowed to fly fighter planes became heroines. However, in those days, only men were pilots in civil aviation. Because of this, many people have formed a stereotype according to which only men can fly an airliner. Therefore, when the pilot’s name is announced before takeoff, and it is female, many are shocked. A similar reaction can be observed in people who learned that the best pilot of the last century was a woman. Indeed, this title was awarded to pilot Svetlana Kapanina. And this once again proves that women can fly an airliner no worse than men.

Are there any female civil aviation pilots in Russia? Certainly. Olga Gracheva, Maria Uvarovskaya, Maria Fedorova, Daria Sinichkina, Larina Ermurzaeva, Tatyana Kazachkova - this is not a complete list. Many of these girls spent years working to gain the right to fly an airplane. Some women in Russian civil aviation work as co-pilots, and some girls have the status of aircraft managers. In total, about 400 women have a pilot license in Russia. Aeroflot employs thirteen female pilots. Three of them have PIC positions. In particular, Maria Uvarovskaya flies an Airbus A320 aircraft. By comparison, more than 25,000 women are licensed in the United States. But only 800 of them can fly a linear aircraft.

In Europe and the United States, the number of women flying airliners or working as co-pilots is significantly higher than in Russia. Why such difference? This is explained by the fact that after the collapse of the USSR there were few opportunities left in the country for training to become a pilot. Not every girl could afford to enroll in a flight school, after which she would have to spend a lot of money and a lot of time to gain the practical skills necessary to enter civil aviation.

How can a woman become a pilot?

If you dream of flying an aircraft, dreaming of the sky, you must understand that the path to becoming a pilot is thorny and very difficult even for a man, not to mention young girls. Previously, it was allowed to first undergo training at a school, and then work off flight hours by visiting special clubs. Courses were created at universities that were intended only for women. But after the first and only graduation, as a rule, such courses ceased to exist.

In the modern world the situation is completely different. There are many active flying clubs that offer students a complete training base while also providing flight practice. Once you have accumulated the required number of flight hours, you can obtain your commercial pilot license. With such a license, you can get a job at Aeroflot and other major airlines.

A pilot, regardless of whether he is a man or a woman, must have the following qualities and knowledge:

1. Perfect health.
2. Stable psychological state: the ability to quickly cope with panic, remain calm and act quickly without giving in to emotions.
3. The necessary stock of engineering knowledge.
4. Aircraft flying knowledge and skills.
5. A certain number of flight hours.

Only if all these points are met can a pilot expect to receive a license. But, of course, the game is worth the candle.

In contact with

Raymonde de Laroche is French and the first woman to receive a pilot's license. It happened in 1910 on March 8th. Four years later, the first military pilot appeared - Evgenia Shakhovskaya. At the beginning of the last century, only a few ladies were awarded the right to fly an airplane. Things have changed a lot since then; are there any female pilots today?

Women in modern aviation

Are girls hired as pilots today? Of course, they do, many of them achieve great success in this difficult task. The United States has the largest number of female airplane pilots. According to the American Aviation Administration, currently about 30,000 women are licensed to fly air transport. Among them are private pilots, commercial pilots, and those with airline licenses. This confirms the popularity of the pilot profession among the fair sex.

Of the total number of pilots, approximately five percent are female civil aviation pilots.

These data are not very different from those that were relevant ten years ago. In fact, major airlines only have about a hundred female pilots. The ladies themselves say that there is practically no discrimination in this regard now. Passengers and colleagues treat the girl at the controls of the plane quite calmly and with respect.

Modern aviation is at a level where the question of whether there are women pilots is no longer relevant. There is practically no difference between a man and a woman in this regard. Although, there are still much fewer girls. Agnieszka Baran (Polish pilot) said that her company employs only five women, and more than a hundred men. But, she says that both management and instructors and captains treat them the same as men.

Women pilots in Russia

Gender in aviation is now practically unimportant; this has been achieved primarily thanks to the West. They have a more liberal attitude towards this issue. Can a woman be a pilot in Russia? This approach extends to other regions, which is why in Russia you can often find a woman in the captain’s chair. Ladies take part not only in civil flights, but also in military ones. Many Russian airlines employ women as pilots, including UTair, Aeroflot and Transaero.

As for Asia, women also play a significant role in commercial aviation. In some companies they occupy key positions. For example, Royal Brunei Airliens has several female pilots on its staff.

Women themselves understand that the pilot’s profession is very important and not easy. They are prepared to be taken seriously and expected to do their job perfectly. Every woman pilot proudly performs all the duties assigned to her, often even better than men.

As Agnieszka Baran said, the main thing is to approach the matter correctly, then everything will work out and your dreams will come true. It doesn’t matter what position in aviation a girl wants to take, if her dream is to fly an airplane, then it will come true on the very first day of her pilot career.

Girls pilots, go ahead!

British Airways deserves special attention. In 2013, its management announced that it would henceforth give preference specifically to female pilots. The purpose of such a program is to dilute the male staff with representatives of the fair sex. In this regard, the requirements for entry into pilot courses have been changed. Men were enrolled last, and all the girls who wanted to were recruited first.

The largest number of women currently work at Lufthansa.

This is a European airline with 300 pilots on staff. As for British Airways, before the announcement of the new course aimed at girls, the number of men was eighteen times higher than the female team. In the United States at the moment there are already approximately 7 percent female pilots. This is considering that there are more than 120 thousand pilots in the country. The number of ladies on airline staff is constantly growing, with an increase of about 20 percent over the past ten years.

But, although airlines already completely trust beautiful girls - pilots, the same cannot be said about passengers. Most of them take this calmly, but there are those who, upon learning that a woman is sitting in the cockpit, completely refuse to board the plane. Just a few years ago, according to a survey conducted in the UK, just over half of respondents did not want to see pilots in skirts. At the moment, this figure has decreased significantly.

Is pilot a female or male profession?

The current level of development of society has almost completely abolished the division of professions into women's and men's. What specialty to choose, pilot or any other, is everyone’s business. And here gender does not matter, the main thing is talent and skills. If a woman is good at flying, she understands all its intricacies, and can easily control any aircraft, then why shouldn’t she be a pilot?

It’s the same with men, because among them there are many skilled chefs, designers and hairdressers, and no one says that these are purely female professions. Therefore, today a pilot can be either a woman or a man.