It makes me a little sad that men don’t just hold most of the executive jobs in private aviation, they also hold title to 99% of the aircraft, according to my friends at JetNet, a private aircraft data aggregator. I am convinced that women make great pilots, insightful decision-makers and savvy travelers. Women just don’t use private aviation the same way men do. I have a few theories about why—and I desperately want to see it change.
- Women don’t travel privately as much as men do because they just don’t know as much about it. I think women’s communication style lends itself to more relational topics while men discuss more physical things–like sports scores, hunting trophies or private jets.
- The process of scheduling charter flights or buying an aircraft is daunting and somewhat unmapped territory. The FAA regulates flight rules and airworthiness, but the rules surrounding aircraft ownership are reminiscent of the Wild West. The process can be intimidating and mistakes can be costly.
- Even when it would benefit the woman-owned business to have a more ad hoc aviation resource, women are more hesitant to make the big cash outlay on something that the general public considers a luxury item. Changing public opinion about the use of aircraft as a critical business tool is a must.
In my opinion, women are the perfect candidate for private aviation. We have a greater need for security and, as the family unit continues to evolve, more incentive to be home instead of stuck in some remote location. We’ve broken a few glass ceilings in our lifetime, girls. Let’s break the 40,000 foot one, too.
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