A Decade After Women Were First Allowed To Fly In IAF

When Alice Miller demanded the Israeli Supreme Court allow her to take the Israeli Air Force pilots' exam in 1994, she had a meeting with then-President Ezer Weizman. The president was not very sympathetic. "Tell me, do you see men knitting socks? Only when pigs fly will women be pilots," he said, as quoted by the newspaper Maariv.

Ten years later, Alice Miller is not an Israeli Air Force pilot. Even though she won her case, she never had a chance to take the pilots' test. Still, her efforts have paid off -- Israel now has an entire squadron manned... by women.

Second Lieutenant Yale Pedhatzur is the squadron's operations officer. "If it weren’t for us, nothing would be accomplished in the squadron. This is a very stressful but highly satisfying job," she said. "I coordinate the flights and launch the pilots into operations. If there is a mid-air malfunction, I coordinate a solution with the technical division and air traffic control tower."

First Lieutenant Meital Gita, the squadron's training officer, is considered by her wingmates to be something of a wizard, according to Maariv. "The crux of combat pilot activity is training and I am responsible for planning this training. No one raises an eyebrow any more when a female training officer is in charge."

The "pinking" of the IAF extends to the control tower. Sgt. Gal Shwartz was the first woman appointed as shift manager in the air traffic control tower at the air base. She says her real dream, though, is to become a combat pilot and is waiting for her invitation. "I am responsible for the plane from the moment it takes off until it leaves the base’s air space," she told Maariv. "My heart contracts when I see pilots and I am still waiting for formation."

It also extends to the ramp, where Col. Rotem Shapira is a technical supervisor. "My job entails significant responsibilities and not one of the gang here truly understands this," she told the Israeli newspaper."It is the difference between being a technician and a clerk."

The squadron itself is still commanded by a man. But the IAF says that will change with time, as more female pilots achieve higher rank and have more time in the cockpit.

FMI: www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/israel/iaf.htm