Army Women: Better Chopper Pilots Than the Guys?

[BrentWil]

Very interesting read.

http://swampland.time.com/2014/02/16/army-women-helicopter-pilots/

Ten out of every 100 Army helicopter pilots are women — but they account for only 3 out of every 100 accidents.

That’s the bottom line in an Army report that, in an effort to study the impact of women on the front lines, compares accident rates of men and women flying Army helicopters from 2002 to 2013.

The revelation is included in Army Major Seneca Peña-Collazo’s report, Women in Combat Arms: A Study of the Global War on Terror, which he published in May while a student at the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

[loose wheel]

1. Need more than this...

What circumstance did these accidents take place in? Where did these accidents take place? What were the maintenance record of each individual helicopter? How does the breakdown by vehicle type? (Chinook, Blackhawk, or Apache)

That being said, women have shown better spatial reasoning than men in tests. The US Navy figured out in the 1960s that it would be better off having all women crews on the subs, from a resource standpoint, anyway. Women use less oxygen and less food, but that could never have been sold to the US public.

[BrentWil]

2. Read the study. You can get to it by clicking the link. NT

[loose wheel]

4. The article is honest.

It regarded the sample size as possibly too small to draw a meaningful result, and it leaves out specific conditions and decisions that resulted in the accident.

[Orrex]

3. Why? Because they're not afraid to ask for directions.

Hardy har har.

[proudretiredvet]

5. I have some questions about the research.

And I really do not know the answers.
Do women fly the same type and model of choppers that men do on the same missions?
I've seen a lot of lady chopper pilots but only on the transport type of choppers. I was not able to see who piloted the gun ships and attack choppers.
On one type of mission you are avoiding all hostile fire. On the other type of mission you are headed into a situation where you can expect hostile fire. This means the stress level is much different and decisions are made much quicker.
I would like to clearly state that I never observed an unsafe chopper pilot male of female.

[clffrdjk]

7. No the aviation jobs have been desegregated

I am not afraid to admit that there are several female aviators that I am very very jealous of.

[proudretiredvet]

9. Thanks

My attitude about women in the military and in different specialties is simple. If they can do their job well I want them on my team. That is also my attitude about men in the military.

[clffrdjk]

10. My view exactly, a any job has certain requirements.

Now as long as those requirements are not arbitrary (must be male, only models need apply...) I don't care who or what a person is. Do the job as required and that is all that should matter.

[clffrdjk]

6. I know a few female pilots

And they are good pilots who follow all the rules. To use "Starbuck" from BSG as an example that attitude is a dangerous one and one found far more often in men than women. Aviation is an industry dominated by men but I highly encourage any girl who loves flight to pursue.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Women can take high Gs better too

When I wrote the FN background I found that one. I did not use the datapoint then, but as I write a new world, I might. Imagine a space naval service where most of the fighter pilots are women?

[Egalitarian Thug]

11. Gee, and only 40 years later.

This is no revelation. This is no surprise. This is exactly what was reported 40+ years ago, ny people that are universally ignored. You know, the people that are right almost all the time, the people that are hired and paid to tell us what is.

I remember virtually the same report coming out from the Air Force Academy in the '70s.