Is it hard to be a mom and a pilot?

Once out of training and working for an airline I say you can have a family and be an airline pilot without worry. Being away from home and living on the road is tough with or without kids. A supportive co-parent will be the key to making the career work for your family!



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“You definitely have to work together as a family.” In spite of their challenges, the panelists agreed that they love being both a pilot and a mother, and they demonstrated with their own lives that there are many ways to be both simultaneously.

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In the United States about 1 in 10 pilots are women. I am pretty confident a high percentage of them have families. I have a dear friend who is a pilot for a major airline. She raised two kids who have since graduated college while being an airline pilot the whole time.

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Women pilots were also formerly called aviatrices (singular aviatrix). Women have been flying powered aircraft since 1908; prior to 1970, however, most were restricted to working privately or in support roles in the aviation industry. Aviation also allowed women to travel alone on unprecedented journeys.

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No particular age is considered the “best” age to become a pilot. In the U.S., you can earn a student pilot certificate beginning at age 16, a private pilot certificate at age 17, and commercial pilot at age 18 — but these are minimums, not maximums!

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Do pilots children fly free? In most cases, it's not “free” but rather they can give discounted tickets to a certain number of people a year. That is up to the airline to decide, however most airlines don't let them fly for free. They charge them like they charge everyone else.

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In the U.S., there are no FAA age limits for pilots except for commercial airline pilots employed by airlines certificated under 14 CFR Part 121. These airlines cannot employ pilots after they reach the age of 65. However, these pilots may stay on with a Part 121 carrier in some other role, such as flight engineer.

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This benefit varies from airline to airline. Family members may fly free when space is available or at discounted rates. Flying stand-by is a common benefit, but it can be challenging when there is a group. Some airlines provide “buddy passes” to pilots to share with friends and families.

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Regarding airlines in the United States, some offer paid leave and allow female pilots to perform ground duties instead while pregnant. Typically, in the United States, female pilots go on maternity leave eight to fourteen weeks before the baby's due date.

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In terms of actual days, some publications say most short-haul pilots will either travel home every day if possible or work for five days and then spend three or four days at home. Long-haul pilots are said to spend more time away from home, although they do get 10 to 15 days off per month to see their families.

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The good news for those who are above the age of 17, is that there is no maximum age for getting your private pilot license. The world is your oyster, and it is never too late to go for your private pilot's license. That said, getting your medical certificate is required by the FAA to fly solo.

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Some students ask themselves, “Am I too old to become a pilot?” and wonder how long they will be able to pursue a career in the air. No one is too old to attend flight school, as long as they are physically capable of operating an aircraft.

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While the number of women with licenses to fly commercial airliners increased by 45% between 2008 and the end of 2022, they are still only 4.92% of all pilots in the industry.

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While there certainly are fewer women training to be pilots, women also face gender-unique social pressures, double standards and systemic barriers that deter their entrance into aviation. Women have been interested in aviation since Wilbur and Orville gave up bicycles for airplanes at the turn of the 20th century.

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India has the highest number of female pilots in the world. They comprise 12.4% of pilots in major airlines. No other country has ever surpassed the mark of 10%. India has more than 1,200 female pilots.

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