Air Canada and CAE Announce Eight 2024 Judy Cameron Scholarship Winners Pursuing Pilot or Aircraft Maintenance Training

The two global aviation companies continue to foster the next generation of women in aviationEight women awardedJudyCameronscholarships as program celebrates fifth anniversary

On International Women’s Day,AirCanadaandCAEare proud toannouncethe eightwinnersof the2024CaptainJudyCameronScholarships. The two Montreal-based global aviation companies have again joined forces, to awardscholarships to eight women from acrossCanadawho are pursuing careers as commercial pilots oraircraft maintenance engineers. The fourCAErecipients training to become commercial pilots will becomeCAEWomen in Flight program ambassadorsandplay a key role in encouraging more women to pursue careers in aviation.

The CaptainJudyCameronScholarship, now in its fifth year, was established in honour ofAirCanada’s first female pilot.Scholarships are awarded annually byAirCanadaandCAEin conjunction with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, to foster the next generation of women in aviation.

“AirCanadatakes great pride in its leadership role in promoting diversity, equity,andinclusion within the aviation industry. Women are well represented across all levelsandbranches of ourairline,” said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer,andPublic Affairs atAirCanada. “TheJudyCameronScholarshipactively works to supportandempower the next generation of women pursuing non-traditional aviation STEM careers. Congratulations to this year’swinners.”

“CAEis proud to be a leader in promoting diversity, equity,andinclusion in aviation. Initiatives likeCAE’s Women in Flight Programandthe CaptainJudyCameronScholarships are critical to attractingandsupporting more women in making their dream of a career in aviation a reality,” said Marie-Christine Cloutier,CAE’s Vice President, Civil Aviation Performance, StrategyandMarketing. “CAE’s Aviation Talent Forecast anticipates a global need for more than 1.3 million new aviation professionals by 2032,andattracting underrepresented groups, like women, will help keep the industry aloftandallow it to thrive.”

“I’m incredibly excited that the Northern Lights Aero Foundation received a record number of applications for the CaptainJudyCameronscholarships this year. Kudos toAirCanadafor initiatingandbuilding momentum for the program over the past five years,andtoCAEfor joining the effort in 2022 to encourage more women in their aviation careers,” saidJudyCameron, Boeing 777 Captain atAirCanada(retired)andDirector of the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. “Past recipients have become flight instructors, maintenance engineers,andcommercial pilots acrossCanada. This year’s recipients will inspireandsupport other women in their aviation journeys. Congratulations to the eight recipientsandtoAirCanadaandCAEfor generously funding thescholarships.”

CaptainJudyCameronScholarshipAwards

AirCanadaaward recipients:

Harnoor Bagarhy – Brampton, OntarioHarman Bagarhy – Brampton, OntarioEmily Contos – Winnipeg, ManitobaChanelle Wilson – Coldstream, British Columbia

CAEWomen in Flight Ambassadors:

Ashley Gellatly – Cargill, OntarioNyssa Hansen – Delta, British ColumbiaChloe Muhl – Grimsby, OntarioTrisha Virdee – Innisfil, Ontario

About CaptainJudyCameron

JudyCameronbecame the first female pilot hired byAirCanada,Canada‘s largestairline, 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 yearsandover 23,000 hours, she has flown the DC-3, Twin Otter, Hawker Siddeley 748, DC-9, Lockheed 1011,Airbus 320, Boeing 767,andBoeing 777 to the far corners of the world. She became a captain in 1997andin 2010, she became the first female captain inCanadaof a Boeing 777, the largestaircraft inAirCanada‘s fleet. She retired in 2015, received the Elsie MacGill Northern Lights award in the Flight Operations category that year,andin 2016 she was chosen by the 99s (International Organization of Women Pilots) to be on its Canadian postage stamp.

In 2019,AirCanadacommitted to awarding $20,000 per year for three years toward the CaptainJudyCameronscholarship,andin 2021 re-committed its support for an additional three years. Last year,CAEadded its support to thescholarshipthrough its Women in Flight ambassador program.

The CaptainJudyCameronScholarshipis open to women who are Canadian citizensandwho are enrolled in a fixed wing aviation flight program at a college, university, or flight school, or anaircraft repairandmaintenance program anywhere inCanada.

TheScholarshipis administered by the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, which inspiresandcelebrates Canadian women in aviationandaerospace with mentorship,scholarships, a speaker’s bureau,andjunior board, along with an annual award event.

About theCAEWomen in Flight Ambassador Program

TheCAEWomen in Flight Ambassador program is helping to create a movement that encourages young girlsandwomen to dream bigandhave 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.CAEis partnering withairline customers globally to provide partially fundedandfully funded pilot trainingscholarships to deserving women who also become program ambassadors who informandinspire other women to become pilots.

The program was launched in 2018andexpanded in July 2022 to grow the movement by forging partnerships with moreairline customers. Initially, the program was limited to candidates enrolled in one ofCAE‘sairline-sponsored cadet training programs. However, with the program’s evolution,CAEnow matches existingairlinescholarships. The program aims to build a community of ambassadors who demonstrate leadership skills, active community involvement, perseverance,andpassion for aviationandcan inspire women to join the pilot profession.

To learn more about the program, go to CAEWomen in Flight Ambassador Program |CAE  

AboutAirCanada

AirCanadaisCanada‘s largestairline, the country’s flag carrieranda founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensiveairtransportation network.AirCanadaprovides scheduled service directly to more than 180airports inCanada, the United StatesandInternationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax.AirCanada‘s Aeroplan program isCanada‘s premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world’s largestairline partner network of 45airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotelandcar rental partners. ThroughAirCanadaVacations, 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,andcar rentals. Its freight division,AirCanadaCargo, providesairfreight liftandconnectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents usingAirCanada‘s passengerandfreighteraircraft.AirCanadaaims to achieve an ambitious net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050.AirCanadashares are publicly traded on the TSX inCanadaandthe OTCQX in the US.

AboutCAE

AtCAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertiseandsolutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation trainingandcritical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew,airlines,anddefenceandsecurity forces to perform at their best every dayandwhen 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 sitesandtraining locations in over 40 countries.CAErepresents more than 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flightandmission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Todayandtomorrow, we’ll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter.

Source: CAE and Air CanadaPhoto Credit: CAE and Air Canada