Feb 2012 Amanda Rutland (New Zealand)
Amanda Rutland is based at CHC, Christchurch Airport, New Zealand.
Flying the Moth, Centennial Park
Pictures included are the C185 and the Tiger, as that’s what I’ve done the bulk of my flying in over the years. We have a lot of female pilots here in NZ, but unfortunately taildragger pilots in general (male or female) are becoming exceedingly difficult to find.
If you want to get a rating on a new type it’s very difficult to find an instructor capable of training you. Women do seem to be more determined to give it a go here; it’s in the’ too hard’ basket for a lot of men who have their minds set on becoming airline pilots.
Haven’t flown much in the last few years, had a change of career so have been doing a lot of study. (:
Amanda & Bill & Moth
Got my private licence at 17, commercial at 19. Learned to fly a Piper Cub first, then worked in Wanaka flying a Tiger Moth and a Pitts Special, then flying a Cessna 185 dropping skydivers.
Have also flown an Auster and a Harvard, albeit briefly. Have around 1400 hours, 800 taildragger.
Take care.
Amanda Rutland
New Zealand
Linda Melhoff
Posted at 23:37h, 03 FebruaryYou are an inspiration, Amanda. We have friends from our little airport in Oregon, USA who have a home in NZ. They are there now and will spend the summer and return to us in late April. We hope to go and visit them there sometime and see what the airports in NZ are like.
My husband and I restored a 1929 WACO Taperwing and Just acauired a Piper J-3 Cub project that will be my airplane.
Neroli
Posted at 14:44h, 02 FebruaryHi Amanda
Great to see you have found this website. Lots of truly inspiration ladies. I am based at Te Kowhai which is just north of Hamilton. I own a Super Cub ZK-BQV. My husband instructs solely in the Cub and teaches ab intio through to commercial etc. We are amazed how many people want to learn in a taildragger and they go through the syllabus as easily as those in a nose dragger. We have people from all over the country come to do type ratings etc. There is also a strong group of lady taildragger pilots in the North Island and we get together a few times a year at Tiger Club meets and taildragger flyins. We are coming down to Mandeville this year for the vintage flyin. Be lovely to meet you if you are there.
Best wishes
Neroli
Charlotte
Posted at 13:03h, 02 FebruaryYou’re right about those aiming to be airline pilots, most of the people I met whilst training for my CPL were shocked at the very though of hour-building on a taildragger!
Lisa Martin
Posted at 10:01h, 02 FebruaryWow. Too bad you had to switch careers. What a great start you have! I love the Tiger Moth’s. They are so pretty. I was talking to a man in my local Pilot’s Lounge day before yesterday. He’s up to 2500 hours and just gave up. He’s starting a new job as a car salesman next week. Our economic situation has been tough on young pilots. More and more employers only want part time help, gets them out of lots of new government regulations that would break them if they hired full time help.