A female pilot wants one sexist passenger to know that you don't need a you-know-what to be in the cockpit.
Capt. Carey Smith Steacy, who has been a pilot for 17 years, was appalled to find an offensive note left on a seat aboard a WestJet flight Sunday, Canada's Metro News first reported. The note said that women are better off as mothers than pilots:
To Capt./ WestJet: The cockpit of an airline is no place for a woman. A woman being a mother is the most honor, not as "captain." We're short mothers, not pilots, WestJet. Proverbs 31. (Sorry not PC.) P.S. I wish WestJet could tell me a fair lady is at the helm so I can book another flight!
Steacy did not take lightly to the flagrant sexism, and she took to Facebook to blast the note's author.
"I respectfully disagree with your opinion that the 'cockpit,' (we now call it the flight deck as no cocks are required), is no place for a lady. In fact, there are no places that are not for ladies anymore," she wrote, per Canada's CBC.
Her post garnered a slew of attention online. In fact, DadCAMP blogger and Babble contributor Buzz Bishop had some poignant words about the incident.
"As a father of two boys, I’m trying to nurture their belief in the impossible. I want my 4-year-old to believe he can be a cowboy scuba diver, and I want my 6-year-old to believe he can be a policeman superhero veterinarian," he wrote.
"So when does it fall off the rails? When does a person get to the point that they believe women can’t be pilots, two adults can’t get married, and pink cake isn’t something boys should eat? I don’t have the answers. I just know that after reading notes like this, I’m making damn sure my boys understand anyone can be anything anywhere," he continued.
Steacy spoke with CTV News about the incident and admitted that people are almost always surprised to see a woman flying the plane. However, she said, she never expected a note like the one she received.
“I have to think that’s very much an uncommon opinion among the general public,” she told CTV. However, she said the passenger was right about one part: “I have two beautiful children, it is the highest honor.”
A representative for WestJet was not immediately available for further comment.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are about 8,175 female pilots working for commercial airlines today. This makes up just 5 percent of the industry.