1971: How do PASSENGERS feel about a LADY PILOT? | Nationwide | BBC Archive

Nationwide's Christopher Rainbow took a flight with Britain's first ever female commercial airline pilot, Yvonne Pope Sintes.

On a flight to Tenerife, Yvonne describes her career journey and passengers share their thoughts.

Clip taken from Nationwide, originally broadcast on BBC One, Thursday 10 June, 1971.

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[SL-OnelessthantheDevil]

she died in 2021 at the age of 90. legend.

[hilaryepstein]

Good for her, a true pioneer. Not only a female commercial pilot but she was the UKs first female air traffic controller. Even now less than 5% of pilots are women.

[Wintersmith]

Really cool, BBC in the old days really knew how to do human interest pieces like this.

[ToneCrome]

She definitely earned her stripes. It would be nice to know what direction her career and life took, and other subjects in these little BBC vignettes...

[GhastlyCretin]

Great point from that man about women flying planes during WW2. Also, there's no way she was hired to fill a diversity quota back then, she would have been hired purely on merit.

[jameshardy]

What determination she showed to go through all those steps to prove her worthiness.

[richardschindler]

Great story. I’m a retired corporate pilot now, so you have an idea of how long ago it was, and my first flight instructor was a woman. From all of the instructors I’ve had through my entire career, she had to be the best, hands down. Most understanding and easy to fly with.

[analogueman]

Over fifty years on, and female commercial pilots still face a certain amount of surprise and confusion from the travelling public. I read a UK sourced article on this very subject only last year.

Goes to prove that some attitudes and opinions take generations to change.

Also worth noting that the first female Bus Driver on London Transport wasn't until 1974, and the first Train Driver for British Rail the following decade.

[ToCoSo]

It feels like one of the boys clubs jobs still.

[fredo]

The pilot speaks like the lady in Brief Encounter.

[AtheistOrphan]

I’m surprised someone didn’t say “Well as long as someone reverses it out of the hangar for her…..”

[grandadgamer]

Quite unbelievable how recent this was. Probably safer with a bird up front than a macho geezer😂

[PERCYxyz]

I'd be more concerned about flying in the de Havilland Comet than the gender of the pilot TBH.

[RolandoRatas]

I don't think I've seen a woman pilot on any plane I've boarded in my life, certainly not one that spoke over the journey updates that are broadcast over the comms.

Having said that a step sister of mine is a co pilot.

[BadgerBotherer]

What beautiful diction she has. Extinct now, sadly.

[hopebgood]

When I left school and started working all my immediate bosses were always women. I never had any sort of problem with that at all.

[meofnz]

I started my flying career in the late ‘70s. My first instructor was female, the club CFI was female (now a senior airline captain) and many of my colleagues since have been female. It’s utterly unremarkable. If it’s still a minority choice as a career for women it’s not because it’s a boy’s club.

[houseyUK]

For me, everyone speaking clear English is so much better than the current version of our language with init, blud, bro. Just me I

[grhinson]

As long as you can do the business...Its all about the individual. Unless there is a physicality requirement. Some women can be physically able to meet the same requirements of men, but its not common.

[debrarufini]

She's not even looking where she's going! ;-)