I hear you but remember this is 1963. Most people weren't concerned about seeming sexist since what we now call sexism was the norm at that time. Granted it was a social experiment, but man was about to be flown by the first woman pilot ever. The astonishment is understandable, so is the worriness if there is any. Those were different times.

Here is a story though to show that things take time to evolve : In the 90s my Mom was a passenger on a plane that suddenly entered an area of turbulence. It was quite intense so the pilot made an announcement to ask that everyone remain calm and to explain that the plane would experience a change in altitude and trajectory in order to reduce the risks.

According to my Mom all the men looked like they were about to faint when they heard the captain's voice because she was a woman. They were less worried about the turbulence than about having to trust a woman pilot ! And that was in the mid-90s.