Women are vastly under-represented in the aviation and aerospace sectors and while change has been slow, new education policies and more visible role models are shifting the status quo. Frances Cook spoke to the UK's Royal Aeronautical Society and Women 1st to find out what barriers exist and what can be done to address the gender imbalance.

It is difficult to believe that in the 21st century, with so much emphasis o­n gender equality in the workplace, that women are so vastly under-represented in the aviation and aerospace sectors. While women are very visible in customer service and administrative roles - in the UK around two-thirds of ticketing and sales personnel are female - behind the closed doors of the cockpits, the hangars and the board rooms, it is a very different story.

The tight-knit EAA community helped bring 19-year-old Philipp Stute of Friedrichshafen, Germany, to the Kermit Weeks Flight Research Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to work o­n EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast as a maintenance volunteer!

Taking the Next Step: Fearless, Graceful, Together

What an inspiring conference. We networked, we learned, we succeeded. We united vision, purpose and energy in o­ne magnificent location. It was a beautiful experience spending time with outstanding women and men over the few days in Istanbul and we proved that in an extremely short time we can create an inclusive environment for each other.

We wish to thank all present for making it so amazing. We especially wish to thank Sevda Tantan for being such a gracious and attentive hostess, her guidance was key to the success of the event. We also wish to thank our generous sponsors for their support before, during, and after the event: ATU Duty Free, CP Centro Pilota, Turkish Airlines, TAI – Turkish Aerospace Industries, TAV – Istanbul Terminal Operations, and Toshid. Our students, sponsored by TAV, came away with a stronger belief in what they can achieve and motivated to try new things! These young ladies minds were opened to recognize the many opportunities available.

We all discovered what an exciting city is Istanbul! All our senses were engaged, especially taste and sight! We had many unique opportunities available to us, amongst which private tours of Istanbul’s historical buildings, the air force museum, boat tours, and a special visit to the very modern Turkish Airlines Training Facilities. Our Welcome Reception was held in the Starlight Bar giving us a bird’s eye view over Istanbul, and the banquet was held in the Saltanat Restaurant, where the delicious dishes of the Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine were prepared and served fashionably. We thank Tugba Irmak, our official photographer, who was able to capture these special moments o­n film for us to share. (visit the AWE gallery and AWE facebook page).

The Saturday Conference was inspiring and really showed how we can “Take the Next Step: Fearless Graceful and Together.” As the Turkish proverb says “One hand does not clap, two hands do” our speakers together created a very special energy and inspired us to continue to grow and succeed. Thank you to: Burcu, F16 pilot and squadron leader; Feride, TAV manager; Safiye, Turkish Airlines co-pilot candidate; Trish, Boeing flight test navigator; Munevver, Network Manager at Eurocontrol; and Ozge, aerial cameraperson. It takes many to make up the whole, and we were given a glimpse of how vast aviation and aerospace really is and how working together gives the best outcomes. Whether military, commercial, general aviation, traffic control, dispatcher, engineer, artist or more … this diversity is what makes aviation special and rewarding.

Souvenir Program    Turkish Women in Aviation History Video  UTED (Turkish Technic's magazine) Aviation For Women Magazine

As o­ne participant put it ‘The Future is in the Skies’ and ‘The affect of what we do is felt by many.’

We look forward to returning to Istanbul.

Teşekkürler Ederim Istanbul!

Good news and bad news from EASA.
Their Draft Opinion o­n NPA-2011-16, ‘Qualifications for flying in Instrument Meteorological Conditions’, has been published and takes o­n board some important suggestions made by IAOPA Europe. In particular, it has acceded to the suggestion that pilots converting from ICAO-compliant instrument ratings such as the FAA IR should not need to sit written theory exams. Instead, they will simply need to demonstrate adequate knowledge to the Examiner during their Skill Test. Nick Wilcock of AOPA UK reports: “Conversion of suitably experienced pilots holding ICAO IRs wishing to convert to the new ‘competency-based’ IR should be much simpler, requiring no written exams. Instead, the IR Skill Test will include an assessment by the Examiner to confirm that the applicant has the relevant theoretical knowledge for the C-B IR.”    
Overall, the document remains both prescriptive and bureaucratic. Wilcock adds: “Regrettably, the Agency has failed both to comply with the EASA Management Board’s call for greater rulemaking flexibility and to note the Commission’s flexible response in other areas of aviation legislation. It has also failed to recognise that there is no safety case to justify the exclusion of the provisions of JAR-FCL 1.175(b) in the Aircrew Regulation (which allow national authorities greater flexibility in their own airspace). We will work with all other organisations to demand their inclusion.”    
The Draft Opinion also confirms that EASA has no time for specific national requirements such as the UK’s ‘IMC Rating’, which is credited with contributing so much to Britain’s enviable safety rate. Together with other associations, AOPA UK will be continuing its campaign to allow future pilots to gain the lifesaving skills the IMC Rating provides – a campaign which has the full support of the UK CAA.

This scholarship is thank you to generous donations. Further donations are welcome.

These scholarships include conference participation, network and social events. It also includes student membership to Women in Aviation International for o­ne year. They do not cover travel and accommodation.

We encourage you to introduce women to aviation during Women of Aviation Week, an outreach movement begun by Mireille Goyer, Canada. Flights that take place between March 5-11 should be logged o­n her website at www.womenofaviationweek.org in order to tally the total and allow both female first flight timers and pilots to be eligible for prizes. In conjunction with the reenactment of Harriet Quimby's flight across the English Channel 100 years ago, Mireille's goal is to have these flights performed in 100 locations o­n March 10. Harriet Quimby, legendary for being the first American woman to acquire a pilot's certificate in the United States, is this year's impetus behind many events scheduled for that week.

Reserve Saturday, March 10th to fly a woman, whether young or just young at heart, and acquaint her with the joy of flight. Who knows how she will see the world after sharing the passion.

The Aviation and Women in Europe Conference this year, o­n its itinerant path showcasing European involvement in aviation, was held in The Netherlands, home to aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer Anthony Fokker (1890-1939) and KLM (1919). Two days of events included presentations o­n space, commercial, military, general and corporate aviation, along with numerous networking and mentoring activities. Eight countries were represented: Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States.

This scholarship is thank you to generous donations. Further donations are welcome.

These scholarships:  include conference participation, network and social events, they do not cover travel and accommodation.

March 18, 2011 — NASA debuted this week its new website that celebrates women’s contributions to science and exploration.

The Women at NASA website was developed to encourage more young women to pursue careers in math, science, and technology. Through a collection of videos and articles, the Women@NASA project shares the stories of 32 women across the agency who contribute to NASA’s mission in many ways.

http://women.nasa.gov/