Controversial topic - warbirds and lack of women

[oz rb fan]

So, how exactly did Judy Pay get left off this list?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107735@N05/3972734187/

Someone has some explaining to do!

exactly who i was thinking of !!!!
a t28.2xt6's a p51 and the only short tail p40-f and growing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[N3Njeff]

Getting my WIX fix for the AM and holding my lil girl and reading this thread that I have a future N3N driver right here.............who knows where that might lead. Im doin my part.

[mustangdriver]

Jeff, what would you do if when she grows up she starts dating a Stearman pilot.

[Fouga23]

Clip his wings?

[Mudge]

Clip something...

Mudge the mohel

[CH2Tdriver]

If you are a passive fan (male or female), you won't get 'in'. However, if you make your presence felt, and have a thick skin, you will be accepted and welcomed into the 'club'.Cindy

I'm kinda intrigued now by this comment. Can you elaborate? When you say passive does that mean you should be ready to go fist to cuffs over the correct shade of RLM74 Graugrun? Also referring to having a thick skin, makes you wonder why anyone would want to volunteer their time? I also imagine a place like POF with all it's live breathing warbirds has no problem attracting a multitude of volunteers. Unlike say a local static museum or airpark who goes out and begs for help to fix up it's outdoor exhibits from the elements but just doesn't generate the interest. I guess there might be alot of folks who are looking at a perceived 'ROI' of their time and see live warbirds as the more attractive option.

I wonder if this is what might present a different attitude toward new volunteers that is perceived as being an 'in-club'?

[Cindy]

HaHa!
By passive fan, I refer to the people who hang out, want to latch on and get all the perceived perks of being a warbird fan (e.g. rides), but when you ask them to actually help, they are always too busy or suddenly disappear. I conduct periodic volunteer orientation sessions. These sessions bring in 10 - 40 people who want to get involved. Of those people, I see 1 - 10 that return once and 1 - 3 that are still around after 6 months.
As for having a thick skin....we have a saying at POF....if we don't pick on you, you haven't been accepted. You have to be able to take a friendly ribbing and dish it out as well. If you can't handle a bit of teasing and the occassional 'old school' type that thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen (and yeah, we get those types too), you won't last long.
I will tell you one thing that no museum wants to hear....volunteers who want to know 'what's in it for me'. Those types don't last. What's in it for me? I get to see and hear some of the coolest airplanes in the world fly. I get to meet some incredible people - veterans, historical figures and other people with the same passion for aviation and history. I don't need anything else!

[cooper9411]

HaHa!
By passive fan, I refer to the people who hang out, want to latch on and get all the perceived perks of being a warbird fan (e.g. rides), but when you ask them to actually help, they are always too busy or suddenly disappear. I conduct periodic volunteer orientation sessions. These sessions bring in 10 - 40 people who want to get involved. Of those people, I see 1 - 10 that return once and 1 - 3 that are still around after 6 months.


As for having a thick skin....we have a saying at POF....if we don't pick on you, you haven't been accepted. You have to be able to take a friendly ribbing and dish it out as well. If you can't handle a bit of teasing and the occassional 'old school' type that thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen (and yeah, we get those types too), you won't last long.
I will tell you one thing that no museum wants to hear....volunteers who want to know 'what's in it for me'. Those types don't last. What's in it for me? I get to see and hear some of the coolest airplanes in the world fly. I get to meet some incredible people - veterans, historical figures and other people with the same passion for aviation and history. I don't need anything else!

Could not have said it any better!

[Dan Newcomb]

I can tell you that at our wing this subject never comes up. We have several female members. Our saftey officer is female as well as a past wingleader. We are all simply “wing members”. What is important is that we share a passion and a dedication for what we do. The work we gladly and voluntarily do is in many ways just filthy dirty work. Opening up a hangar on a cold winter morning to spend a day in grease and oil is far from glamorous. We all live for warm spring days and air shows with those brief hours of flight as we proudly display the machines we fly and maintain. Our member’s passion and dedication trumps gender.

[cooper9411]

When I am working on aircraft, whether for payment or volunteering, I don't care if the people working with me are male or female as long as they are enjoying what they are doing, and can accomplish what they started. I've saw many females at air shows, in fact every Fathers day a local airport has a fly in and there is a waiting list for volunteers. Many of the volunteers are female, and some of the female volunteers are also pilots, A&P's, as well as working with the ground crew. Like I said, if you can do it and love it, who cares if you are male or female!

[N3Njeff]

Jeff, what would you do if when she grows up she starts dating a Stearman pilot.

Chris, why do you feel that you need to scare me like that?? I am really not worried, she will know better

[Dave Homewood]

As well as Judy Pay, Australia also has warbird collector Lynnette Zuccoli among their famous warbird females.

[Mudge]

My wife got her pilots license since we got involved in warbirds. She flies our T6 and flys co-pilot in the Skyraider at least half of the airshows that I do. She drives the cars, rides the motorcyles and flys the plnes. Nothing in our toy box that she doesn't play with ecept the Yale. She will fly in in with me and fly it with me, but she has no interest in soloing it.

OK...another DUHH..What's a Yale?

Mudge the ignorant

[Zachary]

OK...another DUHH..What's a Yale?

Mudge the ignorant

http://www.tigerboys.com/yale.html

[Mudge]

OK...another DUHH..What's a Yale?

Mudge the ignorant

http://www.tigerboys.com/yale.html

Another DUHH...I knew that. Just drew a blank for a moment.

Mudge the senile