Elizabeth Muriel Gregory "Elsie" MacGill (27 March 1905 – 4 November 1980), made famous as the Queen of the Hurricanes, was the world's first female aircraft designer. She worked as an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War and did much to make Canada a powerhouse of airplane construction during her years at Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) in Fort William, Ontario. After her work at CC&F she ran a successful consulting business, and became famous again in 1967-1970 as a commissioner on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, published in 1970. Elsie MacGills UofT graduation photo This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government  - Type Mayor-City Council  - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area  - Total 7. ... Electrical Engineers design power systems. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... Harvard Square, May 2000 Cambridge is a city in the greater Boston area in Massachusetts, United States. ... Helen Gregory MacGill (7 January 1864 – February 27, 1947) was one of Canadas first woman judges and for many years the only woman judge, and a noted womens rights advocate in Canada, where she fought for female sufferage. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering that concerns aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) also variously known as Canadian Car and Foundry, or more familiarly as Can Car, manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market. ... Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. ... The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women (French: Ministre du Patrimoine canadien) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canadas Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport. ...

Early life and education

Elsie was born in Vancouver on 27 March 1905, daughter of James Henry MacGill, a prominent Vancouver lawyer, and Helen Gregory MacGill, British Columbia's first woman judge.^[1] Her mother was an advocate of women's suffrage and influenced Elsie's decision to study engineering. MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto in 1927; she was the first Canadian woman to earn a degree in electrical engineering. For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... Helen Gregory MacGill (7 January 1864 – February 27, 1947) was one of Canadas first woman judges and for many years the only woman judge, and a noted womens rights advocate in Canada, where she fought for female sufferage. ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The University of Toronto (U of T) is a public research university in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Electrical Engineers design power systems. ...

After graduation she took a job with American Austin Car Company in the US, and when they started to move into aircraft manufacturing she enrolled at the University of Michigan in aeronautical engineering. In 1929, she was the first woman in North America to graduate with a masters degree in aeronautical engineering. The American Austin Car Company was a United States automobile manufacturing British Austin Motor Company. ... Flying machine redirects here. ... The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U of M, UM, U-M or simply Michigan) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Michigan. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering concerning aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ...

Just before graduating she was struck by polio.^[1] She was told that she would probably spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, but refused to accept that possibility and forced herself to learn to walk with two strong metal canes. To help pay her bills, she wrote magazine articles about planes and flying^[2] while beginning doctoral studies at MIT in Cambridge.^[1] Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... Harvard Square, May 2000 Cambridge is a city in the greater Boston area in Massachusetts, United States. ...

Engineering career

Elsie MacGill during her CCF years

In 1934, she started work at Fairchild Aircraft's operations in Montreal as an Assistant Engineer. In 1938, she was the first woman elected to corporate membership in the Engineering Institute of Canada. The Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) is the national organization of the 12 provincial and territorial associations that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada. ...

Later that year she was hired as Chief Aeronautical Engineer at Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F), becoming the first woman in the world to hold such a position.^[3] At CC&F she designed and tested a new training aircraft, the Maple Leaf Trainer II.^[4] Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) also variously known as Canadian Car and Foundry, or more familiarly as Can Car, manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market. ... A trainer is a training aircraft used to develop piloting, navigational or weapon-aiming skills in flight crew. ...

The Maple Leaf was designed and first built in CC&F's Ft. William (now Thunder Bay) factories, where she had moved. Although the Maple Leaf II did not enter service with any Commonwealth forces, a number were sold to Mexico where its high-altitude performance was important given the many airfields from which it had to operate. Her role in the company soon changed when the factory was selected to build the Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The factory quickly expanded from about 500 workers to 4,500 by war's end, half of them women.^[4] For much of the war MacGill's primary task was to streamline operations in the production line as the factories rapidly expanded. MacGill was also responsible for designing solutions to allow the aircraft to operate during the winter, introducing de-icing controls and a system for fitting skis for landing on snow.^[4] Nickname: Motto: Superior by nature Location of Thunder Bay, Ontario Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Ontario Region Northwestern Ontario District Thunder Bay District CMA Thunder Bay Settled 1679 as Fort Caministigoyan See histories of Port Arthur and Fort William Amalgamation 1 January 1970 Government [1][2]  - Type Municipal Government  - Mayor Lynn... The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... RAF redirects here. ...

Elsie MacGill portrayed as "The Queen of the Hurricanes."

By the time the production line shut down in 1943, CC&F had produced over 1,400 Hurricanes.^[5] In 1940 she wrote a paper on the experience, Factors affecting mass production of aeroplanes. Her role in this successful production run made her famous, even to the point of a comic book being published in the United States about her, using her then-famous nickname, "Queen of the Hurricanes".^[4] Numerous popular stories in the media were published on her as well, reflecting the public's fascination with this female engineer. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ...

After Hurricane production ended, CC&F looked for new work and ended up with a contract from the US Navy to build SB2C Helldivers. This production did not go nearly as smoothly, and a continual stream of minor changes from Curtiss-Wright (in turn demanded by the US Navy) meant that full-scale production took a long time to get started. In the midst of this project MacGill and the works manager, E.J. (Bill) Soulsby, were fired. At the time it was not clear why this had happened, and it was rumored Soulsby had been curt with a group of Navy brass that had visited a week earlier. It was later revealed the two were having an affair, and were fired for this reason.^[6] The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... For the biplane, please see Curtiss Helldiver. ... The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was once a leading aircraft manufacturer of the United States, but has since become a component manufacturer, specializing in actuators, controls, valves, and metal treatment. ...

MacGill and Soulsby were married in 1943^[4] and moved to Toronto where they set up an aeronautical consulting business. In 1946, she was the first woman to serve as Technical Advisor for ICAO, where she helped to draft International Air Worthiness regulations for the design and production of commercial aircraft. In 1947 she was Chairman of the Stress Analysis Committee of this part of the United Nations, the first woman to chair a committee in the UN. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ...

Women's rights

MacGill published a biography of her mother in 1955 entitled My Mother the Judge: A Biography of Judge Helen Gregory MacGill. Her mother and grandmother's work in the suffrage movement inspired her to spend an increasing amount of time dealing with women's rights during the 1960s.^[3] In 1967 she was named to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada and co-authored the report published in 1970.^[7] She also filed a "Separate Statement" describing those of her opinions that differed from the majority on the Commission. For example, she wanted abortion removed from the entirety of the Criminal Code.^[3] The term womens suffrage refers to an economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage — the right to vote — to women. ... The term women’s rights typically refers to freedoms inherently possessed by women and girls of all ages, which may be institutionalized or ignored and/or illegitimately suppressed by law or custom in a particular society. ... The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women (French: Ministre du Patrimoine canadien) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canadas Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport. ...

She was also a member of the Ontario Status of Women Committee, an affiliate of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. For this work she was given the Order of Canada in 1971.^[8] The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women (French: Ministre du Patrimoine canadien) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canadas Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport. ... Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country (Hebrews 11. ...

Quotes

Upon entering the engineering profession:

MacGill once said:

In passing

Elsie MacGill died on 4 November 1980 in Cambridge, Massachusetts after a short illness.^[11] In noting her passing, Shirley Allen, a Canadian member of the Ninety-Nines organization of women aviators described her: "She had a brilliant mind and was recognized as an outstanding Canadian woman. Neither gender nor disability prevented her from using her talents to serve her community and country." ^[12] is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government  - Type Mayor-City Council  - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area  - Total 7. ... The Ninety-Nines was founded on November 2, 1929 at Curtiss Field, Long Island, New York for the mutual support and advancement of women in aviation. ...

Awards

MacGill's paper, Factors Affecting the Mass Production of Aeroplanes, won the Gzowski Medal from the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1941.^[13] In March 1953 the American Society of Women Engineers made her an honorary member and named her "Woman Engineer of the Year," the first time that the Award had gone out of the United States.^[13] She was awarded the Centennial Medal by the Canadian government in 1967, the Ninety-Nines awarded her the Amelia Earhart Medal in 1975, and in 1979 the Ontario Association of Professional Engineers presented her with their gold medal. In 1983 she was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, and in 1992 she was a founding inductee in the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in Ottawa. The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a professional organization founded in 1950, by Beatrice Alice Hicks, to support and promote the activities and presence of women in the often male-dominated field of engineering. ... The Ninety-Nines was founded on November 2, 1929 at Curtiss Field, Long Island, New York for the mutual support and advancement of women in aviation. ... Amelia Mary Earhart (24 July 1897 – missing 2 July 1937, declared dead 5 January 1939) was a noted American aviation pioneer, author and womens rights advocate. ... Canadas Aviation Hall of Fame, based in the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, commemorates and honours those whose accomplishments in aviation contributed so much to Canadas development as a nation. ... The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) is the national organization of the 12 provincial and territorial associations that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada. ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ...

The Maple Leaf II was designed by Elsie MacGill

CC&F Hawker Hurricane X on a test flight over Fort William, Ontario

See also

• Women in warfare (1945-1999)

Blanca Canales CW03 Rose Franco General Margaret A. Brewer FMLN Commander Ana Maria Lt. ...

References

Notes

Radio-Canada redirects here. ... “ASCE” redirects here. ... The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is a Canadian public filmmaking organization established to produce and distribute films that inform Canadians and promote Canada around the world. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

Bibliography

is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

External links

• Short profile of MacGill from Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame
• Elsie MacGill - Queen of the Hurricanes from the CBC
• "Queen of the Hurricanes" from the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
• Biography of MacGill and bibliography, from Library and Archives Canada