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The more things change,
the more they stay the same, as the saying goes. In 1942, when this featured
appeared in Flying Aces magazine, the participation of women and girls
in model aviation was very limited. Being that it was more than 75 years ago, it
might have been attributable to a lack of encouragement or even outright
discouragement by men and boys. However, here it is 75 years later and the
participation rate by women and girls is not that much greater. About the only
time you see them in photos in modeling magazines is when they are young girls
who are part of a schoolroom group activity conducted by an AMA member. The same
goes for model rockets. For that matter, the same goes for model cars, boats,
and helicopters. A lot of money and time has been invested in trying to motivate
girls to engage in model aviation and all other traditionally "male" sports. In
extreme cases, boys are shamed for being born as boys and inheriting the
"obvious" gender bias that comes with it. The theory goes that if boys would
just get out of the way, girls would naturally adopt and thrive where males once
did. Has anyone out there ever witnessed guys shooing gals away from the flying
field? I didn't think so. Hmmm, seems there's a lot of work to be done by the
social busybodies.
Powder-Puff Pilots
Photos By Harold W. Kulick
Don't allow the title of this page to fool you, male model builders. These gals
aren't a pushover. Your Model Editor recently attended a gas contest and watched
the girls put up some real performance. Like most all feminine creatures, they're
a bit baffled by the technical aspects of model plane design and engine operating
technique, but they learn quickly, are neat and capable in their work, and some
show remarkable ability in craftsmanship.
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The recent Brooklyn Skyscrapers' model meet drew eleven girl
contestants. Here's Yolanda Da Nicola and her Ohlsson-powered cabin job.
Carroll Moon, microphone in hand, describes types of model planes
entered by the young ladies. Girls are efficient at clerical work, too.
Doris Meyers, secretary of the Skyscrapers Club, also manages
to get her hand in the modeling game. Here, she assembles the craft she built.
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Muriel Chernov's boy friend is the well-known model designer
Maurice Schoenbrun. He helped design her entry but she built it all alone.
Doris Eggert, of Philadelphia, sister of champ Walter, having
her gas job processed at Philly. She's a good modeler in her own right.
Popular among the Quaker City model builders is Bunny Gutekunst.
She appears at meets and learns all she can. Here's her workmanship.
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Posted August 31, 2019
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