ABSTRACT
On 4 April 2013, the Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, launched a glossy magazine called Flying Solo: A Handbook for Women Pilots, which was designed by military female pilots, for female pilots. The Chief’s willingness to publish a document that frankly and fearlessly addresses some of the confronting barriers and challenges faced by female pilots in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) prompted me to reflect on just how far the Australian Air Force has come in terms of cultural reform over the past few years. Air Force’s willingness to actively address some of the known challenges facing women working in the non-traditional employment role of pilot reflects a significant cultural and ideological shift that, just five years ago, would have been rejected as ‘inequitable’, ‘too radical’ and frankly unnecessary.
