‘Pale, male and stale’ in the USA

Pilot shortage: The solution to US’ aviation woes is to have more women in aviation, says the writer. — Chicago Tribune/TNS

Flight cancelled? Stuck on the tarmac? Aviation’s capacity woes underline a massive industry blind spot: Women remain largely grounded.

THE aviation industry has a problem. A shortage of airline pilots is causing a “constraint on capacity,” which translates to cancelled flights and delays for travellers – especially on smaller airlines. There’s more: In early April, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that a shortage of air traffic controllers is expected to gum up travel this summer in the United States, especially in the Northeast. And according to one industry observer, the lack of maintenance personnel in aviation is reaching crisis levels.