- The two global aviation companies continue to foster the
next generation of women in aviation
- Eight women awarded Judy
Cameron scholarships as program celebrates fifth
anniversary
MONTREAL, March 8,
2024 /CNW/ - Today on International Women's Day, Air
Canada and CAE are proud to announce the eight winners of the 2024
Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships. The two Montreal-based global aviation companies have
again joined forces, to award scholarships to eight women from
across Canada who are pursuing
careers as commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers. The
four CAE recipients training to become commercial pilots will
become CAE Women in Flight program ambassadors and play a key role
in encouraging more women to pursue careers in aviation.
The Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship, now in its fifth year, was
established in honour of Air Canada's first female pilot.
Scholarships are awarded annually by Air Canada and CAE in
conjunction with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, to foster the
next generation of women in aviation.
"Air Canada takes great pride
in its leadership role in promoting diversity, equity, and
inclusion within the aviation industry. Women are well represented
across all levels and branches of our airline," said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice
President, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Public Affairs at Air
Canada. "The Judy Cameron Scholarship actively works to support and
empower the next generation of women pursuing non-traditional
aviation STEM careers. Congratulations to this year's winners."
"CAE is proud to be a leader in promoting diversity, equity, and
inclusion in aviation. Initiatives like CAE's Women in Flight
Program and the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships are critical to
attracting and supporting more women in making their dream of a
career in aviation a reality," said Marie-Christine Cloutier, CAE's Vice President,
Civil Aviation Performance, Strategy and Marketing. "CAE's Aviation
Talent Forecast anticipates a global need for more than 1.3 million
new aviation professionals by 2032, and attracting underrepresented
groups, like women, will help keep the industry aloft and allow it
to thrive."
"I'm incredibly excited that the Northern Lights Aero Foundation
received a record number of applications for the Captain
Judy Cameron scholarships this year.
Kudos to Air Canada for initiating and building momentum for the
program over the past five years, and to CAE for joining the effort
in 2022 to encourage more women in their aviation careers," said
Judy Cameron, Boeing 777 Captain at
Air Canada (retired) and Director of the Northern Lights Aero
Foundation. "Past recipients have become flight instructors,
maintenance engineers, and commercial pilots across Canada. This year's recipients will inspire
and support other women in their aviation journeys. Congratulations
to the eight recipients and to Air Canada and CAE for generously
funding the scholarships."
Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship Awards
Air Canada award
recipients:
- Harnoor Bagarhy - Brampton,
Ontario
- Harman Bagarhy - Brampton, Ontario
- Emily Contos - Winnipeg,
Manitoba
- Chanelle Wilson - Coldstream, British Columbia
CAE Women in Flight Ambassadors:
- Ashley Gellatly - Cargill,
Ontario
- Nyssa Hansen - Delta, British
Columbia
- Chloe Muhl - Grimsby, Ontario
- Trisha Virdee - Innisfil, Ontario
About Captain Judy
Cameron
Judy Cameron became the first
female pilot hired by Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, in April 1978 at the age of 23. She was the first
woman to graduate from Selkirk
College's Aviation Technology Program in 1975. Throughout
her flying career of 40 years and over 23,000 hours, she has flown
the DC-3, Twin Otter, Hawker Siddeley 748, DC-9, Lockheed 1011,
Airbus 320, Boeing 767, and Boeing 777 to the far corners of the
world. She became a captain in 1997 and in 2010, she became the
first female captain in Canada of
a Boeing 777, the largest aircraft in Air Canada's fleet. She
retired in 2015, received the Elsie MacGill Northern Lights award
in the Flight Operations category that year, and in 2016 she was
chosen by the 99s (International Organization of Women Pilots) to
be on its Canadian postage stamp.
In 2019, Air Canada committed to awarding $20,000 per year for three years toward the
Captain Judy Cameron scholarship,
and in 2021 re-committed its support for an additional three years.
Last year, CAE added its support to the scholarship through its
Women in Flight ambassador program.
The Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship is open to women who are
Canadian citizens and who are enrolled in a fixed wing aviation
flight program at a college, university, or flight school, or an
aircraft repair and maintenance program anywhere in Canada.
The Scholarship is administered by the Northern Lights Aero
Foundation, which inspires and celebrates Canadian women in
aviation and aerospace with mentorship, scholarships, a speaker's
bureau, and junior board, along with an annual award event.
About the CAE Women in Flight Ambassador Program
The CAE Women in Flight Ambassador program is helping to create
a movement that encourages young girls and women to dream big and
have no limits. Because women make up a very small percentage of
commercial pilots worldwide, this program shows women that they,
too, can reach for the sky. CAE is partnering with airline
customers globally to provide partially funded and fully funded
pilot training scholarships to deserving women who also become
program ambassadors who inform and inspire other women to become
pilots.
The program was launched in 2018 and expanded in July 2022 to grow the movement by forging
partnerships with more airline customers. Initially, the program
was limited to candidates enrolled in one of CAE's
airline-sponsored cadet training programs. However, with the
program's evolution, CAE now matches existing airline scholarships.
The program aims to build a community of ambassadors who
demonstrate leadership skills, active community involvement,
perseverance, and passion for aviation and can inspire women to
join the pilot profession.
To learn more about the program, go to CAE Women in Flight
Ambassador Program | CAE
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag
carrier and a founding member of Star
Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation
network. Air Canada provides
scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in
Canada, the United States and Internationally on six
continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air
Canada's Aeroplan program is
Canada's premier travel loyalty
program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's
largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an
extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental partners.
Through Air Canada Vacations, it offers more travel choices than
any other Canadian tour operator to hundreds of destinations
worldwide, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, day
tours, and car rentals. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo,
provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of
destinations across six continents using Air Canada's passenger and
freighter aircraft. Air Canada
aims to achieve an ambitious net zero emissions goal from all
global operations by 2050. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX
in Canada and the OTCQX in the
US.
About CAE
At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and
solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we
digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation
training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else,
we empower pilots, cabin crew, airlines, and defence and security
forces to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are
the highest. Around the globe, we're everywhere customers need us
to be with more than 13,000 employees in approximately 250 sites
and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more
than 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight and
mission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital
technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today
and tomorrow, we'll make sure our customers are ready for the
moments that matter.
Read our FY23 Global Annual Activity and
Sustainability Report.
Follow us on Twitter: @CAE_Inc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cae.inc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cae
Hashtags: #CAE; #CAEpilot
Internet: aircanada.com/media
Read Our Annual Report Here
Sign up for Air Canada news: aircanada.com
Media Resources:
Photos
Videos
B-Roll
Articles
SOURCE Air Canada