Canada's first licensed woman pilot, Eilleen Vollick was born in Wiarton and cam to Hamilton about 1911. She was fascinated by aviation and in 1927 enrolled in the flying school established near her home on Hamilton Bay by Jack V Elliot, a Hamilton businessman and pioneer in Canadian commercial aviation. The spirited Eilleen Vollick devoted her spare time to flying and soon mastered the school's Curtiss JN-4 training aircraft. On March 13, 1928, she passed the federal aviation test and nine days later she was issued a private pilot's certificate. This significant achievement opened Canada aviation to women and many became listed pilots, and participants in various airshows and special flights through-out Canada. From 1929 Eilleen live in New York where she died.

Location

Near the entrance to Hamilton Civic Airport, off Airport Road, Mount Hope

Themes

• People
• Transportation systems and communications
• Women's history