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Sky's the limit: Pioneering pilot Rosella Bjornson blazed the trail for women in aviation

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It was after the Second World War that Rosella Bjornson’s father dragged an Avro Anson Mk II dual-engine aircraft home to their southern Alberta farm.

That was the beginning of Bjornson’s fascination with flying that would eventually lead her to become the first female airline pilot in Canada.

“This was my playhouse,” she said of the bomber. “Can you imagine that little girl crawling all over that airplane?”

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She dragged her little sisters, her dogs and cats and her dolls out to the broken-down aircraft, where she was always the captain.

On Saturday, politicians and industry enthusiasts lined up at the Alberta Aviation Museum to effuse praise for Bjornson’s persistence that blazed the trail for so many more women in aviation — not just in the cockpit, but also repairing planes in hangars and directing them from control towers.

As a teenager, Bjornson asked, “Why not me?” said Stephanie McLean, Alberta’s minister of Status of Women and Service Alberta.

“She refused to accept she wouldn’t reach her dream because she was a woman,” McLean said.

A young Rosella Bjornson with her father, Ken, with their Aeronca Champ on their Champion-area farm about 1950. Rosella went on to become the first female to be a first officer on a scheduled airline in Canada.
A young Rosella Bjornson with her father, Ken, with their Aeronca Champ on their Champion-area farm about 1950. Rosella went on to become the first female to be a first officer on a scheduled airline in Canada. Photo by Supplied /COURTESY, ROSELLA BJORNSON

After taking private lessons to earn her pilot’s licence at 17, Bjornson became a flying instructor in Winnipeg, where she later applied for jobs with airlines whose managers scoffed at the thought of a woman at the controls.

“Oh we couldn’t possibly do it,” said one.

“Oh, women are not strong enough,” said another.

But in 1973, regional carrier Transair hired her as a first officer. She encountered some surprised reactions, such as an air traffic controller in Toronto who asked whether the pilot’s seatbelt was on too tight — he’d never heard a female voice in the cockpit before.

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When she encountered sexism, she chose to laugh it off.

Six years later, Bjornson became pregnant — which caused her to lose her medical qualifications to fly. She took an unpaid leave, because she refused to treat pregnancy as “sick leave.”

It was her discussions with Transport Canada that helped prompt changes to regulations, which now allow women up to six months pregnant to continue flying with the oversight of a doctor.

That rule change allowed pregnant women like McLean to serve in provincial cabinet, which involves frequent travel.

Canadian aviation trailblazer Capt. Rosella Bjornson is honoured during a ceremony at the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton, Alberta on Saturday, November 5, 2016.
Canadian aviation trailblazer Capt. Rosella Bjornson is honoured during a ceremony at the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton, Alberta on Saturday, November 5, 2016. Photo by Ian Kucerak /Postmedia

Bjornson, who was the first female captain in Canadian aviation, wasn’t trying to battle a feminist crusade. “I was just doing my own thing,” she said.

The Alberta Labour History Institute also unveiled a trailer for one of two videos it has produced on Bjornson as part of its series on women in the workplace.

Kendra Kincade, and air traffic controller with Nav Canada, said she hopes Bjornson’s success inspires other young women interested in aviation to pursue jobs in the field. Kincade is the founder and chair of Elevate, a group that mentors women interested in aviation careers, and which co-sponsored the event honouring Bjornson.

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Although no longer a laughable notion, women navigating the skies remain rare birds. They make up about six per cent of Canada’s commercial pilots, 15 per cent of air traffic controllers, and less than two per cent of aircraft mechanics, Kincade said.

“I still cheer every time there is a woman in the cockpit. It is still too rare,” said Sherwood Park MLA Annie McKitrick, who has also trained as a pilot.

Capt. Rosella Bjornson, showing her in her early days as a pilot.
Capt. Rosella Bjornson, showing her in her early days as a pilot. Photo by Supplied

Five airlines and 18,000 hours later, Bjornson retired from the flight deck in 2004. She still flies her Cessna 170, which is parked on her Ardrossan acreage east of Edmonton.

Keeping her hooked is the perpetual challenge of executing a perfect takeoff and landing. She never tires of watching the northern lights or fall colours from on high.

“This is such a beautiful world we live in, and to be able to see it from the vantage point of 31,000 feet or 34,000 feet, it’s just awesome.”

jfrench@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/jantafrench

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