Elaine Jackson

It is not surprising that many US model flying sites have no women pilots or women spectators. According to the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), an extremely small percentage of its membership is women. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that an active part of its membership is women full-scale aircraft pilots (see sidebar for statistics); they fly jets, helicopters, aircraft for passenger airlines, freight, etc. Patty Wagstaff has won the full-scale aircraft World Aerobatic Championships three years in a row. Women are also involved in nonpilot aircraft careers, such as mechanics, ground instructors, flight engineers, navigators, and dispatchers. If female full-scale aircraft pilots are so common, why is model flying so unpopular with women? I spoke with wives of some longtime modelers, and most of them said that they would rather spend free time shopping, reading, or doing crafts; a few were honest enough to admit that they were glad to have their husbands away from the house on the weekends; and several were interested in learning to fly, but lacked confidence.