Lack of diversity among airline pilots

[rob in cal]

    It seems that every time I go to an airport the only pilots I see are white males.  Is there a movement to diversify the pilots of the US?  Why isn't this on the political agenda, or ever brought up by candidates?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

How about we just hire qualified pilots regardless of race? Why is this a thread, none the less a potential subject?

For whatever it's worth, I have never seen a pilot on a flight I've flown on. I know they greet passengers when you board, but I literally never pay attention and have no memory or mental image of any of my pass pilots. I very well might have had a black pilot once. Maybe not. I don't know.

[rob in cal]

    I bring this up because I'm wondering why the pro-affirmative action people are so silent on this issue, unlike things like pop culture or police and fire department racial unrepresentativeness.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/Why-are-there-so-few-female-pilots/

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I don't know about you, but the only pilot I know is Amelia Earhart.

tbh, it's about teaching young girls that it's cute to be scared. (bonus points if you read that article)

[Bojack Horseman]

There are a growing number of female pilots, though racial homogeneity is a thing in the airline pilot world. From my knowledge of the industry, gays and lesbians seem to make up the majority of minority pilots. As for flight attendants, I've seen every color of the rainbow, and I've yet to fly with a male flight attendant who wasn't gay. (For those that aren't aware, my major in college was Airline Management and Operations, and my intended career path is a flight attendant.)

In 2006, history was made when Atlantic Southeast Airlines operated two flights with an all-black, all-female crew:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3EuN_TbXmM

[Hatman 🍁]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/Why-are-there-so-few-female-pilots/

Still a better gender ratio than this forum.

[angus]

    It seems that every time I go to an airport the only pilots I see are white males.

I have noticed this as well, not only on commercial airlines but on small private ones too.  This is anecdotal, however, and unless you collect some statistics you can't really make a blanket statement.

Incidentally, the only boat pilots I've ever seen are males as well.

[dead0man]

I don't know about you, but the only pilot I know is Amelia Earhart.

Neil Armstrong, Alan Shepard, Chuck Yeager, John McCain, Chuck Lindbergh, Sully, Bill Burr, the gay guy from Grease....

[Illiniwek]

Just got a university of Illinois magazine that bragged about a female pilot alum.

[dead0man]

And the reason is, of course, the same reason hockey isn't all that diverse....it's expensive, and you've almost got to know somebody that does it to get into it.

and it's hard.  You have to have several different skill sets, and not be afraid of heights/flying/your own competency.  If you win the genetic lottery, and happen to be born in the west and really want it, you can do it no matter where you're from through the military.  But you've got to really be good, that sh**t is very competitive....as you would expect it to be and as you'd want it to be.

[Mr. Morden]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/Why-are-there-so-few-female-pilots/

Still a better gender ratio than this forum.

Maybe, maybe not.  The latest polls allege that the forum is now ~10% female:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=230406.0
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=229395.0

[Mr. Morden]

What is the male-to-female ratio of airline passengers?  From anecdotal experience, it seems that men tend to outnumber women in first class.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I don't know about you, but the only pilot I know is Amelia Earhart.

How about we just hire qualified pilots regardless of race? Why is this a thread, none the less a potential subject?

For whatever it's worth, I have never seen a pilot on a flight I've flown on. I know they greet passengers when you board, but I literally never pay attention and have no memory or mental image of any of my pass pilots. I very well might have had a black pilot once. Maybe not. I don't know.

It's amazing how many people are unobservant and/or lack intellectual curiosity.

How can you talk about politics if you aren't observant and ask questions?  I suppose by this logic the person in the 1940s who asked, "how come there are no black people in our league" should have just shut up and we could have all been enjoying the wonders of all white basketball.

The logic is so messed up.  Asking the question doesn't imply people want to hire unqualified pilots.  Historically there were very few male nurses.  But once salaries and job security increased and the stigma of being a male nurse went down males of all races entered the field.  It wasn't that males were "unqualified".  People really need to leave the Republican/Nazi mindset of superior races behind.  It's 2016 for Pete's sake.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I don't know about you, but the only pilot I know is Amelia Earhart.

How about we just hire qualified pilots regardless of race? Why is this a thread, none the less a potential subject?

For whatever it's worth, I have never seen a pilot on a flight I've flown on. I know they greet passengers when you board, but I literally never pay attention and have no memory or mental image of any of my pass pilots. I very well might have had a black pilot once. Maybe not. I don't know.

It's amazing how many people are unobservant and/or lack intellectual curiosity.

How can you talk about politics if you aren't observant and ask questions?  I suppose by this logic the person in the 1940s who asked, "how come there are no black people in our league" should have just shut up and we could have all been enjoying the wonders of all white basketball.

The logic is so messed up.  Asking the question doesn't imply people want to hire unqualified pilots.  Historically there were very few male nurses.  But once salaries and job security increased and the stigma of being a male nurse went down males of all races entered the field.  It wasn't that males were "unqualified".  People really need to leave the Republican/Nazi mindset of superior races behind.  It's 2016 for Pete's sake.

You know damn well that I did not say that blacks are somehow disqualified from being pilots. Nice try, dick.

[Mr. Reactionary]

I don't know about you, but the only pilot I know is Amelia Earhart.

How about we just hire qualified pilots regardless of race? Why is this a thread, none the less a potential subject?

For whatever it's worth, I have never seen a pilot on a flight I've flown on. I know they greet passengers when you board, but I literally never pay attention and have no memory or mental image of any of my pass pilots. I very well might have had a black pilot once. Maybe not. I don't know.

It's amazing how many people are unobservant and/or lack intellectual curiosity.

How can you talk about politics if you aren't observant and ask questions?  I suppose by this logic the person in the 1940s who asked, "how come there are no black people in our league" should have just shut up and we could have all been enjoying the wonders of all white basketball.

The logic is so messed up.  Asking the question doesn't imply people want to hire unqualified pilots.  Historically there were very few male nurses.  But once salaries and job security increased and the stigma of being a male nurse went down males of all races entered the field.  It wasn't that males were "unqualified".  People really need to leave the Republican/Nazi mindset of superior races behind.  It's 2016 for Pete's sake.

You know damn well that I did not say that blacks are somehow disqualified from being pilots. Nice try, dick.

Lefty logic now dictates that not discriminating on the basis of race is actually racism.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

LOL, so much for making a joke. Sorry for not following the airliners, dope. I don't like flying, you see. Not one bit. Therefore, I don't observe. Every time I've been forced on a plane in my adult life, I've fainted. Check your health privilege.

Thanks for making me have to see that absurd rant, Sanchez

[RINO Tom]

Maybe minority youths, for whatever reason, haven't been as interested in studying aviation?  It doesn't have to be a thing.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I have an idea to increase diversity in aviation: lets take a bunch of black people and FORCE them to fly us. That hasn't been tried before amirite?

[Ebowed]

Maybe minority youths, for whatever reason, haven't been as interested in studying aviation?  It doesn't have to be a thing.

Given that commercial airline pilots tend to end up living in poverty... the economic prospects surely scare a number of potential people away from the career.

[catographer]

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Amen. By now I just assume all commentators in Atlas are male unless stated otherwise.