Lets assume that 5% of every class at a major is made of something other than a white male. In a class of 40, that means 2 non white males. Do you actually think that ALL of the 5% don't deserve to be there? Let's say that is true. Do you really think that there aren't at least 2 other white males of the 38 that are less qualified than others who didn't get the job offer or interview?

Now let's leave fantasy land. The truth this industry can be harder if you don't fit the stereotypical pilot mold. For every person you think got an advantage because they were a girl, there were many more who were actually treated worse because they were not a white male.

Personally, I know way more white men who slipped through the hiring cracks and got into a position they were not qualified for than a black person or a woman.

 

To add to the above post^, try talking to women about their path in aviation and what they’ve dealt with. It’s often eye opening, disgusting, and shameful.

Pretending it’s a walk in the park to get a legacy job as a minority is either ignorance or willful denial of reality.

 

I guess this story qualifies as a TOTD nominee...

At my first 121 gig, we had to do a few rides in the jumpseat before we could start IOE. My flight was delayed a few hours because they needed to call a reserve FO.

The captain and I were in the flight deck talking when I saw the FA enter the aircraft followed by the female FO (who I actually met when I was in training). The FA says, "Our FO is here. She is coming down the jet bridge." Since the captain can't see the entry door, he assumed the FO was at the top of the jet bridge but she was actually right behind the FA. His response, "SHE?! Sh!t."

Imagine starting a trip as a new hire with that kind of welcome. We ended up doing an approach into an airport with a short runway in the snow with a tailwind of 10 gusting to 15. The tower clears us to land and tells us the breaking action is poor. I had some doubts as to if we had to count the gust into our tailwind limit, but as a FNG I wasn't going to say anything unless I could find it in the FOM. Luckily that new FO had the stones to tell the captain that not only could we not land due to the gust, but we couldn't land with a braking action below good with ANY tailwind. I wonder if that captain remembers that a female FO saved his ticket that day so that he could go on to United.

 

I actually agree with you on a lot of what you are saying. Just funny hearing people say that there isn’t a preference of non white males. When there clearly is in the age we live in now.

 

Show us the numbers you used to come to this conclusion

 

Women are over-represented in some fields (nursing, schoolteacher, cosmetic sales, beauticians ...) Do you think society needs to remedy this?

Perhaps exposing more men to these fields in school to foster interest. Some trendy posters and feel-good articles about how rough men have it?

 

They actually are doing that. There is an huge shortage in nursing and the industry is trying to let men know that they can be nurses too. Having a diverse working group is an advantage. Personally, I have gotten bored talking with other pilots about their Corvettes.

 

That's exactly what is going on, particularly in nursing and teaching.

 

Sorry to dispute your experience but that just about summarizes my Delta interview... Hey lets spend 20 minutes looking at all your high school and college transcripts except your 3.87 GPA for your MBA because that was correspondence and actually counts against you. Hmm you also say that you might have failed a daily sortie in military UPT but don't have your UPT gradebook to prove it? That's a red flag for sure, there's the door don't come back.

Seriously. 2 topics in the interview, my high school grades and the fact that I honestly stated that while I never failed any checkride of any sort, I probably failed *something* in UPT but don't have my gradebook for details. 1 year re-apply, which for an ex-USAF fighter pilot who was a stan-eval chief means don't come back.

They've got a hiring system that works for them, and it's got a few landmines in there. Step on one and you don't need to reapply. I've got a bunch of friends at Delta who say it's a great place to work but the interview team was clearly triggered by my high school grades before I walked into the room and it went downhill from there. They didn't ask a single question about my flying experience. Not one. The hardball question - "So, what do you think about education NOW?"

Spirit and SWA interviews were polar opposites of Delta. Half an hour chatting about flying, then go over the logbook to find some more flying stories to chat about. When can you start? Totally different approach.

 

I had a 2.7 college GPA (in philosophy, minor in geology) and 3.8 high school GPA and was somehow the first person hired at Delta post 2001. White dude and civilian with a retired regular line pilot recommendation. Every one of those so called preferred people on here got hired after me.

The interview looks a lot at how you react to things. Get defensive and close up? You're not gonna do well. They are looking a tremendous amount at how you arrive at the answers. I noticed they were not reacting favorably to my FE exam wondering if FDX was a priority (it was) and addressed that in their "anything to add?" at the end. I could have said nothing more, or addressed it on the nose and owned it. It was a bit of a Will Ferrell moment in old school, but I told them yep and laid it all out. I made my case very clear, which that communication method (while recognizing the audience) has also paid off in spades in my 12 years at DL.