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Elsie MacGill

The first female aircraft designer (1905-1980) · Canada · On the map · Died at 75

Elizabeth Muriel Gregory MacGill, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes", was a Canadian engineer. She was chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F) in Fort William, Ontario during the Second World War.

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Awards

Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award1953
Officer of the Order of Canada
Women in Aviation International
Person of National Historic Significance

About this person

There she oversaw manufacturing of 1,451 Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force and the British Royal Air Force, then 835 Curtiss Helldivers for the U.S. Navy, which contributed greatly to the war effort and did much to make Canada a powerhouse of aircraft manufacturing. After her work at CC&F, she ran a successful aeronautical engineering consulting business. Between 1967 and 1970, she was a commissioner on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, which published a report in 1970.

Country
Canada
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1905 to 1980 · aged 75