You must be a female RV pilot if?..

I?ve had wonderful support in our community, but I do think my experiences as a woman RV owner/pilot has varied some from the male experience. Each of the following observations has happened to me?..some of them several times!

Trish, Roberta, Katie, Daphne, Mercedes, and the other women RV owner-pilots out there?..do you recognize any of these experiences?

You must be a female RV pilot if?..

1. Few pilots, including yourself, had any confidence that you would gain competence in a tailwheel RV when you transitioned.
2. You feel the support of a cadre of well-known RV pilots (and their spouses) who are actively cheering for you to succeed in your RV transition despite barely knowing you.
3. The pilots at the local airport who ignored you when you had a certified airplane become your buddies and want a ride with you now.
4. You become the person the local pilots now call when they desperately need a ride across the state to pick up a small part?.now!
5. You?d like a VAF tee shirt, but you can?t quite stomach putting ?nose art? on your back in public.
6. After announcing your approach to an uncontrolled airport, someone asked on the radio, ?What kind of RV is that?? You reply an RV6, then the questioner tries to gently correct you with, ?Oh, an RV6A. They?re nice planes.?
7. When the same thing happens but the response (with a tinge of surprise in the voice) is ?A 6, huh? How do you like that tailwheel???and you feel a secret pride.
8. You look for a fly-in to attend, but get turned off by the focus on ?Hooter Girls? as the main attraction.
9. While washing your RV, a transient pilot drops by and comments on how lucky your husband is to have a wife that washes his plane for him.
10. You discover the perfect man that you want to spend the rest of your life with at a fly-in campout in the middle of nowhere!

Just in case...

Just in case there are some that have not realized number ten..... Keep us posted on the Flyins!!! We'll try to attend!!

greg

What a family!

Hi Louise,

I haven't met you yet, and I've only met the guy in No. 10 once (about 3 months before you met him). I can't help but think that you two are just right for each other. I just wish I could get my RV finished before that special flyin (where an RV6 and an RV8 start living in the same hangar!) that must be on the horizon out there somewhere. But at the rate I'm going, please don't wait on me!!!

Anyway, I look forward to meeting you.

I have a feeling Paul is tied up with Mission Control with the planned return of STS-120 today.

This RV family that is enabled by such things as Doug's VAF forums is really amazing.

Best Wishes,

Don

We sure think so!

I haven't met you yet, and I've only met the guy in No. 10 once (about 3 months before you met him). I can't help but think that you two are just right for each other. I just wish I could get my RV finished before that special flyin (where an RV6 and an RV8 start living in the same hangar!) that must be on the horizon out there somewhere. But at the rate I'm going, please don't wait on me!!!

Click to expand...

We certainly think so! But, we are tied to different parts of the country for now, so there's some time to get that riveting done!

I have a feeling Paul is tied up with Mission Control with the planned return of STS-120 today.

Click to expand...

I'm sure he is. I don't expect to hear from him until the Discovery crew is safely on the ground.

This RV family that is enabled by such things as Doug's VAF forums is really amazing.

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Amen,

Cute

Cute Louise:

FWIW, as far as your list goes, #8 - I would far rather attend a fly-in that focused on an interesting travel destination (great dive site, particularly scenic, interesting sights or museums, aviation or space related) than a Hooters expo.

#3 - That's not a phenomena limited to female RV pilots!

#5 - I was equally disappointed that the shirt looks like a Hawaiian Tropic ad rather than something aviation related. Maybe Doug will make them more aviation focused next time around.

#6 - Don't worry, I will take up the slack for you on the male side by disappointing those who think real men should fly taildraggers.

All the best, and I hope to meet you and Paul and some of the other great folks on here at an interesting aviation event sometime soon.

Antony

OH YEAH!!!!

Roberta

Re: Item #1 For anyone in the market for top notch tailwheel instruction, go see Joy or Melanie at Texas Taildragers. They are located at Houston Southwest airport (AXH). Joy is one of those lifelong instructors who teaches for the love of it and will make you very comfortable in a tailwheel aircraft.

Chuck

I don't know about all that other stuff, whatever. I just want to know when and where I can find this Hooters Fly-in.

flyinns

Would like to know where that Hooter flyin is also, all the ones I go to only have the Wood Pecker boys. Ah Yes, flyins, great place to pick up men.

Dana Overall has a flyin in KY every spring.
He serves Hooter's wings. I have not made
it yet, but I think Hooter girls serve the wings.
He is on this forum.
Tom

tomwebster said:

Dana Overall has a flyin in KY every spring.
He serves Hooter's wings. I have not made
it yet, but I think Hooter girls serve the wings.
He is on this forum.
Tom

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I'm there dude. I had better get my @** in gear and get this plane done. Time is running out.

I'll add a new one:

11. When your friends introduce you and your spouse they say, "They have an airplane they built in their garage. And they BOTH fly it!"

That happens to my wife and I sometimes.

briand said:

I'm there dude. I had better get my @** in gear and get this plane done. Time is running out.

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I guess I do "resemble" #8 Although Louise, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....airplanes.........or servers. I'll be honest, I spend more time looking at the airplanes...have a better chance for a ride in one of those

12. When you're flying with your 11 year old son, and people wonder... "Who's flying that thing?"... Oh well, I wonder that myself sometimes!!

Tammy

....don't know why women are constantly having to prove themselves in this business. Aviation history is filled with great female pilots. Consider this one.....

Evelyn Genevieve Sharp was Nebraska's best-known aviatrix during her eight-year career. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Sharp and was born October 1, 1919, in Melstone, Montana. Her family moved to Ord in her youth.

She became interested in flying at age fourteen, and she soloed under the tutelage of Jack Jefford at sixteen. Two years later she received her commercial pilot's license, one of the youngest persons to achieve this rating.

Ord businessmen assisted in the purchase of her first airplane, and she repaid them with profits from barnstorming trips. (it was a Robbin)

At twenty Evelyn became an instructor. Over 350 men learned flying from her in Spearfish, South Dakota, her first teaching assignment. She was the nation's first female airmail pilot. With the coming of World War II, Evelyn joined General H. H. "Hap" Arnold's Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, expert pilots who flew aircraft from factory sites to shipping points. Her proficiency enabled her to fly everything from training craft to bombers.

On April 3, 1944, at the age of twenty-four, Evelyn Sharp was killed near Middleton, Pennsylvania, in the crash of a P-38 pursuit plane. At the time of her death she was a squadron commander only three flights from her fifth rating, the highest certificate then available to women. She is buried in Ord.

Ord Rotary Club
Nebraska State Historical Society
Ord Airport - Valley County


....hang in there, Louise. I flew with some great gals on the air line, the only down side was one who always had her blouse slightly unbuttoned and it was somewhat of a distraction looking for traffic in her direction.

My 13 y.o. daughter, Diana, flies with me frequently. On a recent breakfast run she told me that in art class the teacher asked the students to do a perspective drawing. The drawing Diana made was of a pilot's perspective looking down the runway on take-off. A view she knows well.

I don't know if she likes flying or the fact that we can get somewhere quickly without sitting in a car for hours. I'm also not sure if she will ever seriously take up flying but at least she will have a bunch of fond memories of flights with her old man.

Give your daughter that front seat perspective!

bsacks05 said:

My 13 y.o. daughter, Diana, flies with me frequently. On a recent breakfast run she told me that in art class the teacher asked the students to do a perspective drawing. The drawing Diana made was of a pilot's perspective looking down the runway on take-off. A view she knows well.

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Nice! Trish Russell tells about how she flew a lot with her father but was always relegated to the backseat so her brother could sit up front. I hope the RV-10 pilots out there with daughters make sure they get some front seat time! Whether your daughter ever want to be a pilot or not, I'm sure she has benefited from seeing a part of life from that perspective.

Women unfortunately DO seem to have to prove to male pilots that they are worthy. I'm guessing that this is due to the widespread notion that females are somehow just are not as good as males when it comes to aviation.

I've known female pilots who are downright scary, some mediocre and some fabulous, just like the male pilots I know. Your sex does not determine your skill or professionalism.

I'm thinking of all the female pilots in WW2 who ferried many types of aircraft including Spitfires, Tempests, Landcasters, Mosquitoes etc. here and in England during the war plus the many Russian fighter pilots (including some aces) during that conflict who proved they had what it took. Mary Dilda showed her skills at Reno by winning her class against some of the best male pilots in the US.

I suppose no matter how evolved we think we are (males), the small numbers of females in aviation do make them a novelty and hard for us not to treat them differently. We should all be aware that many male's outlook on female pilots has possibly made their journey more difficult and that they are there because they really love aviation and flying. Let's encourage that love, no matter what sex people are.

Males do seem to congregate around female pilots, even more so if they are attractive, to the point of annoyance unfortunately. Men it appears, are pre-programmed to go ga,ga over women pilots. While we might blame biology for this, let the women do their things guys. Fawning over women pilots may be enjoyable to some but I suspect not many. Respect and equality might be more appreciated.

I remember an exceptionally good looking female pilot at a flight school. She wore an engagement ring even though she was not engaged to keep some of the "wolves" at bay. She had trouble getting her work done due to a constant ring of guys surrounding her and the male instructors never offered to help her push aircraft to the fuel pumps a couple hundred feet away. She was about 5 foot 3 and 105 lbs. maybe so this was tough for her. She did it anyway. I never knew if she wanted help or wanted to prove to the men that she could do it.

I offered to help one day and was surprised that she gratefully accepted. As I talked to her more and got to know her, I found she was a great, friendly person with a huge passion for flying. Underneath the wall she presented to men to protect herself was a strong woman who just wanted to be treated like another pilot. I hope she made it to the airlines as was her dream.

Anyone who actually builds an airplane and flies it well has my respect, male or female. I suspect that most males share this view. Build on ladies and I hope to meet you at a fly in (with or without Hooters girls) so that we can swap flying stories.

David-aviator said:

....don't know why women are constantly having to prove themselves in this business. Aviation history is filled with great female pilots. Consider this one.....

Evelyn Genevieve Sharp was Nebraska's best-known aviatrix during her eight-year career. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Sharp and was born October 1, 1919, in Melstone, Montana. Her family moved to Ord in her youth.

She became interested in flying at age fourteen, and she soloed under the tutelage of Jack Jefford at sixteen. Two years later she received her commercial pilot's license, one of the youngest persons to achieve this rating.

Ord businessmen assisted in the purchase of her first airplane, and she repaid them with profits from barnstorming trips. (it was a Robbin)

At twenty Evelyn became an instructor. Over 350 men learned flying from her in Spearfish, South Dakota, her first teaching assignment. She was the nation's first female airmail pilot. With the coming of World War II, Evelyn joined General H. H. "Hap" Arnold's Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, expert pilots who flew aircraft from factory sites to shipping points. Her proficiency enabled her to fly everything from training craft to bombers.

On April 3, 1944, at the age of twenty-four, Evelyn Sharp was killed near Middleton, Pennsylvania, in the crash of a P-38 pursuit plane. At the time of her death she was a squadron commander only three flights from her fifth rating, the highest certificate then available to women. She is buried in Ord.

Ord Rotary Club
Nebraska State Historical Society
Ord Airport - Valley County


....hang in there, Louise. I flew with some great gals on the air line, the only down side was one who always had her blouse slightly unbuttoned and it was somewhat of a distraction looking for traffic in her direction.

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The woman who taught me to fly, Amelia Reid, was inspired to earn a ticket after a 1939 flight in a Taylor J-2 Cub with Evelyn Sharp.

http://www.ameliareid.com/images/Amelia_images/amelia_reid.mov

I always thought it would be great if there was a way to track the lineage of who taught my instructors instructor to fly on down to the Wright brothers…

rv6ejguy said:

Women unfortunately DO seem to have to prove to male pilots that they are worthy. I'm guessing that this is due to the widespread notion that females are somehow just are not as good as males when it comes to aviation.

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Good post, Ross. I've come across a number of old timers that tend towards the sexist side complaining about women pilots. I never understand that. Heck, I'm tired of seeing only dudes at a fly-in. It's nice to break it up a bit.

When I hear them complain, I just utter two words, "Svetlana Kapanina"

An amazing pilot. And easy on the eyes too.

Female RV Pilots

The only thing wrong about female RV pilots is: there are not enough of them.

It would be sheer heaven for me if I happened across such a person that I could spend time with.

Low n Slow said:

I always thought it would be great if there was a way to track the lineage of who taught my instructors instructor to fly on down to the Wright brothers?

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We can't go back that far, but we're on our 3rd generation. My Dad, my Mom (soloed), brother, me and my nephew (he took his PP checkride last weekend!)

We're all just people

By happenstance, most of my instructors have been female. I know that is not the usual thing.

I have seen bad female pilots and average female pilots and I have seen Patty Wagstaff and read about Beryl Markham and Pancho Barnes.

I have seen bad male pilots and average male pilots and I have seen Leo Loudenslager and read about Charles Lindbergh and Chuck Yeager.

Pilots are a tiny minority of the community and female pilots are an even tinier minority. As such, maybe they should expect some unusual reactions.

I know I find those female pilots I know way more interesting than the average person. Maybe the attention isn't such a bad thing.

Another one

#13. You might be a female RV pilot if...your e-mail address is "rvatrix". (my wife, of course...)

One More

#14. You must be a female pilot if....... your license plate on your jeep says AVIATRX (like mine).

Hi David, (David-aviator)

We lived in Troy from 1993 to 2004... south of town off Highway U, then west off of Moore School Road. I've been into ?Greensfield? and I've driven to Frank Baldwin's place a few times, but not flown in there.

I'm furloughed from TWA (1989-2003), but hopefully will be back in a couple of months. Were you previously "red" or "green"? My husband had a few OZ friends who still live in the Troy area.

Come over to 3LF sometime, we have 5 RVs on the field. My Dad built his, the rest of us bought ours.

Tammy

tangocharlie said:

Hi David, (David-aviator)

We lived in Troy from 1993 to 2004... south of town off Highway U, then west off of Moore School Road. I've been into ?Greensfield? and I've driven to Frank Baldwin's place a few times, but not flown in there.

I'm furloughed from TWA (1989-2003), but hopefully will be back in a couple of months. Were you previously "red" or "green"? My husband had a few OZ friends who still live in the Troy area.

Come over to 3LF sometime, we have 5 RVs on the field. My Dad built his, the rest of us bought ours.

Tammy

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Tammy, I know where you lived, not far from Greensfield. The guy who built my red barn hangar lives in that area.

I was "red" out of New York until a left seat opened in STL. There is an ex-OZ guy around here named Randy Mayhood, flew with him years ago when he busted broncs and roped calves on his days off. Last I saw him he was in the left seat of a 757.

Talked with Frank yesterday and saw his Thorpe leave today, he's quite busy doing EAA/DAR work in the area.

Will check out 3LF.

Things are looking up for furloughed AA/TWA pilots, hope your recall notice comes soon. Sounds like there may even be a light in the tunnel for furloughed flight attendents....

David-aviator said:

Tammy, I know where you lived, not far from Greensfield. The guy who built my red barn hangar lives in that area.

I was "red" out of New York until a left seat opened in STL. There is an ex-OZ guy around here named Randy Mayhood, flew with him years ago when he busted broncs and roped calves on his days off. Last I saw him he was in the left seat of a 757.

Talked with Frank yesterday and saw his Thorpe leave today, he's quite busy doing EAA/DAR work in the area.

Will check out 3LF.

Things are looking up for furloughed AA/TWA pilots, hope your recall notice comes soon. Sounds like there may even be a light in the tunnel for furloughed flight attendents....

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David,

Frank is a neat guy, I'm not positive, but he may have done my Dad's sign off.

My husband was into cutting horses and cattle as well, so we spent some time with Randy.

I did 2 small "tours" of New York... new hire in 89 then during the Gulf War in 91... I adapted, but it was a long way from home for a girl from Illinois!!

See you in Litchfield sometime.

Tammy

#15

#15 - You haven't seen your fiance for a month and you spend most of your first morning together building new seat backs for your RV.

# 16

If you're granddaughter ask's " Gramma, can we go flying today?"

Roberta

Question...

robertahegy said:

If you're granddaughter ask's " Gramma, can we go flying today?"

Roberta

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I love it! My favorite was a question from a 4 year old girl to her CFI mom. "Mommy, can boys be pilots too?"

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

Female RV pilots

I flew my RV6A for 8 years and now my RV9A for 2 years. I have had nothing but respect and friendlyness form all the other RV pilots in our area. My husband has been my biggest supporter and did the transition from a 152 with me in 6 hours. I soloed on my 55th birthday,( 10 years ago) so it can be done at any age.
Marge Carr

Good Job, Marge!!!

Roberta