No Place for a Lady: The Story of Canadian Women Pilots 1928-1992

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Even today, female pilots are a minority. In the early days of aviation
in Canada, they were both a rarity and a target for criticism and
discrimination. However, such negative attitudes were no match for the
attractions of flying—its challenges and excitement—and the number
of women pilots rose steadily throughout the century.

Eileen Vollick was the first woman to be licensed as a pilot in Canada.
From that landmark event in 1928 to Roberta Bondar’s space flight in
1992, women have moved into nearly every aspect of aviation, including
as pilots with major commercial airlines, Transport Canada, and the
Canadian Armed Forces; as inspectors for Transport Canada; and as flight
test engineers for airplane manufacturers. Canadian women have also been
flight instructors, bush pilots, pilots for the RCMP and the Coast
Guard, and helicopter/stunt pilots.

This work gives a detailed yet fairly fast-paced history of women in
aviation in Canada, emphasizing individuals and their personal
accomplishments. Numerous profiles of notable women in the field are
used as sidebars, which provides a visual and informational break from
the history lessons. Generous use of direct quotes and an appreciation
for humor make the book a popular read without sacrificing solid
research. As the first comprehensive work on the subject, it is a useful
addition to any Canadian social history collection and will disillusion
anyone who still believes that women are too delicate to fly.