Wrong. Women are already flying every jet the navy has, including the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-14 Tomcat. They fly them in training units and as test pilots–everywhere but in combat. And they fly them just as well as men. " I’ve seen women in flight school run circles around men," says a male navy flight instructor. In fact, navy doctors say smaller-framed women may be better able to withstand wrenching “G forces” (the gravitational pressure that comes from sudden acceleration) during dogfights than hunky top guns.
The truth is that it’s impossible to know for sure how anyone will react to combat until the moment comes. But male fighter jocks who assume women will automatically break down and cry when the shooting starts are wrong again. It takes an aggressive warrior– male or female–just to make it through the navy’s demanding flight training. “The woman who gets through flight school will be a hard charger to begin with. When it comes time to shoot down a MiG, she’ll do it,” says a navy squadron commander. “Being aggressive is a character trait that resides in both men and women.” Men also fear that women shot down will be raped as POWs. The threat is certainly real: at least two women, one an army flight surgeon, were raped by Iraqi soldiers during the Persian Gulf War. But navy women who want to fly in combat say they are willing to face that risk. “That sort of thing is a hazard of war and you face it as a professional,” says Lt. Brenda Holdener, who flew helicopters off supply ships in the gulf war. For military women, the greater threat may actually be closer to home. At least 24 army servicewomen were raped or assaulted by fellow soldiers while serving in Saudi Arabia.
Yes, quarters are cramped on any navy ship. Being on a carrier " is like living in an ant farm for months," as one young male pilot puts it. But women already serve on carriers for brief tours. And contrary to the World War II image of John Wayne and the boys swinging from hammocks, modern navy ships are now more compartmentalized, making it easier to create separate accommodations for the sexes. “Modifying showers and berthing spaces is nothing more than a hotel problem,” acknowledges a senior navy officer. Lt. Sheila Scarbrough, who has served. on four ships, says: “I had to share the head with male officers. You just flipped the sign to say ‘female.’ And no, we didn’t hog the bathroom.”
The problem of pregnancy at sea has been hyped. It’s true that the navy supply ship Acadia was dubbed “The Love Boat” during the gulf war because 36 women returned home pregnant. But nine actually conceived before shipping out. And navy analysts found that the overall pregnancy rate on ships deployed to the gulf was just 7.6 percent, about half that of shore postings.
Mythology is not the only obstacle for women who want to fight. When a female pilot stood up during a seminar at last year’s Tailhook convention and politely asked whether women might fly in combat squadrons, admirals running the session squirmed and male aviators in the audience jeered and hooted. From day one, navy fighter pilots are told they are the best and the bravest. The idea that the girl next door can be as well puts many of them into an emotional tailspin. Women aviators may face their biggest dogfight with the raging male ego.
