Air Canada and CAE celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship with the announcement that applications for the 2024 scholarships are now open.
As part of the initiative, up to eight Canadian women studying to become commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers will be awarded scholarships to pursue their training in 2024. Of the eight, four recipients training to be commercial pilots will join the CAE Women in Flight program ambassadors.
"From the cockpit of a 737 to a flight instructor job, these scholarship recipients are wonderful role models. I am so proud of Air Canada and CAE's support for Canadian women in aviation," said Judy Cameron, Boeing 777 Captain at Air Canada (retired) and Director of Northern Lights Aero Foundation.
The annual Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships, established in honour of Air Canada's first female pilot to help foster the next generation of women following in her footsteps, are awarded in conjunction with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation.
Open Jaw's Natasha McKenty was in attendance at this year's event, which took place on 22OCT at the Toronto Pearson Convention Centre. OJ's McKenty reported, “The room buzzed with female aviators, industry leaders, and a contagious positive energy mirrored by the passion of the Northern Lights Aero Foundation's CEO and founder, Anna Pangrazzi.”
"Our consistent goal has been to spotlight the accomplishments of women in aviation, inspiring young women. With over 200 sponsored students present this year, we believe we're setting the foundation for a diverse industry future," Pangrazzi told OJ.
Murray Strom, Senior Vice President of Flight Operations and Maintenance at Air Canada, added, "It makes me, and everyone at Air Canada, extremely proud to see the success of many of our past recipients of the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship. Already, some have achieved their goals of becoming commercial pilots or Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and I look forward to seeing their careers progress."
"CAE forecasts a need for 63,000 commercial pilots in North America over the next 10 years, so we have to broaden the appeal of a career in aviation and support underrepresented groups, including women, who currently represent only five percent of pilots," said Michel Azar-Hmouda, CAE's Division President of Commercial Aviation Training.
The Captain Judy Cameron scholarship was launched in 2019 and was initially awarded to four recipients. Since 2023, Air Canada and CAE have joined forces to double the number of recipients and award eight scholarships to deserving women.
Scholarship applications open on 01NOV 2023 here.
