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!

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/