Occupation Aviator Spouse Bill Pratt Role Pilot | Name Rosella Bjornson Children 2 | |
Born 13 July 1947 ( 1947-07-13 ) Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | ||
Rosella bjornson jet pilot
Rosella Marie Bjornson (born July 13, 1947 in Lethbridge, Alberta) is a retired Canadian airline pilot, who was the first female pilot for a commercial airline in North America and the first woman member of the Canadian Air Line Pilots Association, International.
Contents
- Rosella bjornson jet pilot
- Canadas first female commercial pilot discusses her career
- Career
- Honours
- References
Canada’s first female commercial pilot discusses her career
Career
Bjornson was educated at Champion School and County Central High School in Vulcan. She first learned to fly at the Air West Flight School in Lethbridge, as a birthday gift from her parents in July 1964. She went on to become an instructor at the Flying Club in Winnipeg.
Bjornson's ground-breaking flight as a commercial pilot was in April 1973 from Thompson, Manitoba to Winnipeg, on a Transair Fokker F-28. It was another five years before Air Canada hired Judy Cameron.
In 1990, Bjornson was the first Canadian woman promoted to the rank of captain, when flying for Canadian Airlines International. She later flew with Air Canada and Zip before retiring in 2004.
Honours
In 1997, Bjornson was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2004, she was inducted into the Women in Aviation, International Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Bjornson was honoured with a commemorative postage stamp.