Women in the Aviation field

[Scotturk]

Would like some info on women performing jobs such as Aircraft Ordnance, Aircraft Handler, or Launch Recovery. My daughter is DEP and the recruiter is trying to place her in one of these fields. She was waiting for a PS or YN job but none are coming available. She does qualify for Culinary Specialist but the recruiter is pushing the Aviation jobs. She is not mechanically inclined and I am afraid she would not make it thru A school. I do not want her to go undesignated but hate for her to take a job in which she has no interest.

[Kathy (AOMom)]

Every job has its pros and cons. My daughter is Aviation Ordnance, her one requirement when she joined was she wanted to be on the deck of  a carrier....she got her wish, but not all aviation ordnance is on the deck, some work below deck. Why is your daughter joining? What are her thoughts on what she wants to do when she is done...my daughter joined to see the world, do the best she could while serving, and complete her enlistment, it would depend on what your daughter wants. When my daughter finishes her enlistment, she will be going to college for something completely different. My daughter has no great   mechanical skills, but she has learned a lot in 2.5 years and made some really good friends. Culinary specialist will learn skills that they will have for a lifetime. Hopefully Craig will post here, he helps all Deppers, and has lots of helpful information.

[Paula S.]

To add to Kathy's post... my daughter was a 2nd Class Petty Officer Aviation Ordnance and was attached to a strike fighter group of F-18s.  When she enlisted, knowing my daughter, I asked the recruiter what was the most exciting thing a woman could do in the Navy.  His answer was, "Think carrier, think flightdeck".  Holly served an 8 mth combat deployment to the Persian Gulf in 2007 and worked the flightdeck in the capacity of Plane Captain.  Plane Captains do all the pre-flight, post-flight workup on the jets.  They get the pilots into the jets and do all the pre-flight checks before turning the jet over to the launch crew.  One word of warning... flightdeck is the most dangerous job in the Navy, but also one of the most exciting.  It's hard work under extreme conditions.  If attached to a squadron, the airman is landbased (i.e. Naval Air Station) and only goes out on the carrier when their squadron goes.  They also get to go to places like "Top Gun"/"Top Dome" in Fallon, NV.  Unless they start putting sidewinder missles on commercial airliners, my daughters skills will not carry over to civilian life. 

[Anti M]

Sure they will.  She can work for a company such as Northrop which carries the maintenance/repair training contracts for foreign air forces flying old US military aircraft.  There's a reason I lived in Iran and Saudi; my dad worked on fighter jets there.  Pays exceedingly well.