Molly Reilly

Reilly's flight training was cut short when WWII forced civilian aviators to stay grounded, so she applied to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in order to complete her pilot certification, but was rejected due to her gender.

Determined to find a job that involved flying, in 1941 she finally enlisted with the RCAF as a photographer in the new Women's Division.

[1] In 1946, after the war ended, Reilly was finally able to finish her flight lessons, earning her private pilot's license from what would later become the Rockcliffe Flying Club in Ottawa.

That same year, Reilly gained national media attention when she participated in the 1947 Webster Trophy aviation race.

[3] A year later, she was hired as the chief flying instructor and charter pilot for Canadian Aircraft Renters.

[3] During her work at Southern Provincial Airlines, Reilly became the first woman to fly professionally to the Arctic,[3] and assisted in the development of the company's air ambulance service in Eastern Canada.