Judy Cameron still remembers getting the telegram that marked her first offer to fly planes for a major commercial carrier.
Pacific Western Airlines had come calling, writing her a 害羞草研究所渃ongratulations害羞草研究所� and inviting her to sit down with the interview board.
害羞草研究所淲hen I walked into the room, everyone害羞草研究所檚 face was very distraught,害羞草研究所� Cameron recalled.
害羞草研究所淚t turned out that they had wanted to hire me, but it had been vetoed by someone higher up when they realized I was female.害羞草研究所�
Forty-five years later, Cameron 害羞草研究所� who was Air Canada害羞草研究所檚 first female pilot 害羞草研究所� has 23,000 hours of flying, a scholarship and an Order of Canada membership to her name.
害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 a legend,害羞草研究所� said Air Canada captain Steve Rundle. Asked whether he knew of Cameron, he said, 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 like asking a hockey player if they know Wayne Gretzky.害羞草研究所�
After a fulfilling 40-year career, Cameron recalls the struggles she faced in the early years and the efforts still needed to encourage more young women to enter aviation 害羞草研究所� especially the cockpit, which remains extremely male-dominated.
As of January, nearly eight per cent of Air Canada害羞草研究所檚 pilots were women 害羞草研究所� better than the U.S. average of 4.9 per cent, according to a 2022 report from the Centre for Aviation, an Australia-based market research firm.
The figure is also much higher than the tally just a few decades back, when female flight crew stood out glaringly.
害羞草研究所淚 walked into the lunchroom one day and there were 2,000 people,害羞草研究所� Cameron said of her first month at the airline in 1978. 害羞草研究所淓verybody just stopped talking and stared at me.害羞草研究所�
Kick-starting her career
Cameron developed a taste for adrenalin early on, buying a motorcycle in Grade 12 and later riding her Honda hog to the University of British Columbia most days, 害羞草研究所渆ven in the rain.害羞草研究所�
After her first year studying arts, she found a summer job interviewing pilots at small airports for a Transport Canada survey. On her first day in 1973, one of them invited her to hop on board.
害羞草研究所淗e did a lot of aerobatic manoeuvres that shouldn害羞草研究所檛 have been demonstrated,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淏ut after I finished screaming, I decided I really loved this.害羞草研究所�
Cameron dropped out of UBC and applied to a two-year aviation program at Selkirk College. 害羞草研究所淚 got on my motorcycle and drove eight hours to Castlegar 害羞草研究所� and when I got there the head of the aviation program had a motorbike. That害羞草研究所檚 probably how I got into the course.害羞草研究所�
Raised by a single mother in Vancouver, Cameron had grown up in a one-room apartment. Television and cars were luxuries they couldn害羞草研究所檛 afford.
害羞草研究所淭he best part was my mom always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do. She never held me back.害羞草研究所�
When Cameron flew her first passenger, in a two-seat, single-engine Cessna 150 training aircraft, it was her mom in the seat beside her.
College wasn害羞草研究所檛 an easy time. 害羞草研究所淚t was hard, doing my training and being in a classroom full of guys. I was always the odd one out,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t was so isolating.害羞草研究所�
Professional pilot
Following graduation, Cameron found pilot work at a pulp and paper company in 1975, but the board of directors wouldn害羞草研究所檛 let her fly. She wound up helping with dispatch and office management, occasionally managing to get a flight in when a subsidiary operated the plane.
After switching to a job as a passenger agent at B.C.害羞草研究所檚 Airwest Airlines 害羞草研究所� with infrequent turns in the cockpit 害羞草研究所� Cameron was eventually hired by a small regional service in Slave Lake, Alta., where she flew a Douglas DC-3 airliner 害羞草研究所� a big break, due to the larger size of the plane.
Four months later, the company went bankrupt 害羞草研究所� the paycheques bounced 害羞草研究所� and executives at the carrier that took over its routes weren害羞草研究所檛 thrilled about her presence. 害羞草研究所淭he chief pilot there basically didn害羞草研究所檛 want to hire me. But he said, 害羞草研究所楢t least the big airlines won害羞草研究所檛 hire you.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
The airline stationed her in Inuvik, N.W.T., and proceeded to lay her off. She was later rehired as a dispatcher and allowed to fly periodically.
By 1978, Air Canada considered her application, eventually offering her a job.
害羞草研究所淚 got a call from the vice-president of operations the week before I started, and he wanted to point out rather seriously that if I got pregnant, I wouldn害羞草研究所檛 be allowed to fly,害羞草研究所� she recalled. 害羞草研究所淚 wasn害羞草研究所檛 married at the time and I had no family plans 害羞草研究所� I didn害羞草研究所檛 know what to say.害羞草研究所�
Overall, though, she said the experience was positive and the pilots respectful, some of them serving as mentors.
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Trials of a (con)trailblazer
However, the company was no exception to the years-long failure of most airlines to provide uniforms for pregnant crew members, including Cameron in 1984. The shortcoming was a milder example of some of the gender inequalities that persisted at various carriers into the 1970s, including strict weight limits, age ceilings and marriage bans for flight attendants.
害羞草研究所淢y last child was born in 1990, and I never had a maternity uniform,害羞草研究所� she said with a wry chuckle. Instead, her mother-in-law sewed epaulettes onto her husband害羞草研究所檚 dress shirt and a panel into a pair of Cameron害羞草研究所檚 pants.
害羞草研究所淥fficially, I was unaware of the fact I was pregnant until the second trimester,害羞草研究所� Cameron said. Transport Department rules banned pregnant pilots from flying except for three months in the middle of their term.
Today, Air Canada aviators may be asked to submit a note from their doctor every two weeks confirming they are fit to fly, starting in the 20th week of pregnancy. Pilots are considered fit to fly until week 30, 害羞草研究所渋n the case of a normal pregnancy,害羞草研究所� according to Transport Canada regulations.
Many of Air Canada害羞草研究所檚 410 female pilots 害羞草研究所� out of 5,230 in total 害羞草研究所� see Cameron as an inspiration.
害羞草研究所淛udy害羞草研究所檚 always been a mentor to female pilots,害羞草研究所� said Elaine Bradbury, who first met her at Seneca College in 1981, when Cameron instructed visiting students on a flight simulator.
Later, Bradbury flew alongside her on an Airbus A320 jet and a Boeing 777 airliner.
害羞草研究所淚t was just nice to talk to another woman who had succeeded,害羞草研究所� Bradbury said. 害羞草研究所淚t gave us hope and encouragement to see someone like that. She always said just keep on going, it害羞草研究所檚 there for the taking if you want it.害羞草研究所�
Passing the torch
Since retiring in 2015, Cameron has barely slowed down. The Oakville, Ont., resident has taken a course on aerobatics 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渓oops and rolls and Cuban eights害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� in Florida. And she害羞草研究所檚 actively involved in the Air Canada scholarship program in her name. Launched in 2019 and backed partly by CAE, the fund helped support 13 young women training to become pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers last year, granting them $5,000 apiece.
Education in the sector is notoriously expensive.
害羞草研究所淚t costs $100,000 today to get all your licences in Canada,害羞草研究所� said Murray Strom, Air Canada害羞草研究所檚 vice-president of flight operations.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not typically a profession that attracts the wide range of Canadians that we have, it doesn害羞草研究所檛 represent our community,害羞草研究所� he said. The scholarships work to offset that imbalance.
Last year, 12 per cent of new pilot licences issued in Canada went to women, according to the Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide.
Cameron also serves as a director on the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, which offers mentorship and highlights women害羞草研究所檚 achievements in aviation.
害羞草研究所淯ntil we started doing it, there was no recognition in the aviation community,害羞草研究所� said Anna Pangrazzi, who founded the organization in 2009 and runs Apex Airplane Sales out of Ontario害羞草研究所檚 Buttonville airport north of Toronto.
害羞草研究所淛udy, she害羞草研究所檚 kind of a trailblazer.害羞草研究所�
Pangrazzi recalls piloting a small Cessna with her as a passenger a few years back.
害羞草研究所淲e took off from Buttonville and I wanted to put the autopilot on, and she goes, 害羞草研究所榃hat are you doing?害羞草研究所� She wanted to hand-fly it all the way to Kingston害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� more than 200 kilometres.
In short, Cameron helped a friend seize the controls and chart a course, something she害羞草研究所檚 grown into after decades in the cockpit.
害羞草研究所淪he was very precise on the altitude and the heading害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� the direction the nose is pointed 害羞草研究所� Pangrazzi remembered.
害羞草研究所淎ll the way.害羞草研究所�
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Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
