Proof that women were born to fly

According to Transport Canada statistics, male pilots outnumber female pilots twelve to one in this country. But it’s not just pilots. Women are severely underrepresented in almost all facets of aviation. Kendra Kincade, an Edmonton-based air traffic controller and industry activist, wanted to find out why — so she gathered a team of talented supporters and produced and directed a 90-minute documentary called Only Up, released in late January. Featuring stories from trailblazing women pilots, aircraft mechanics, air traffic controllers and more, Only Up sets out to identify the attitudes and barriers that have kept women from aviation, and how we can change them. Here are 5 things we learned from the documentary, now streaming online – details on how to watch can be found below.

1. There are indeed very few women in aviation 

   Globally, the industry is facing a massive talent shortage as demand for personal and professional air travel continues to rise post-pandemic. Still, in Canada, women represent only 5% of pilots, 3% of aircraft maintenance engineers and 17% of air traffic controllers. 
    

2. The problem dates back to the beginning  

   Only Up journeys back to the roots of air travel in Canada — specifically, 1926, when Eileen Vollick became the first girl to knock on the door of Parliament to request permission to fly (which would not be granted until her 19th birthday, even though boys could fly at 17). She eventually became the first Canadian female licensed pilot in 1928. Despite opposition, other female civilian pilots followed suit, and during World War II, they flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary — transporting more than 300,000 planes to be used for combat abroad. But after the war ended, according to the film’s creators, “ATA women were denied jobs as commercial pilots and, more or less, sent back to their kitchens. It would be decades before the first woman would fly a jet in North America.”   

3. You have to see it to be it. 

   The documentary was specifically created for an audience of young girls and women to show them all the exciting possibilities that are open to them — careers they may never have even heard of before. To do this, the film introduces the audience to aviation role models like Canada’s first female airline jet pilot, Captain Rosella Bjornson; Captain Judy Cameron, the first woman pilot for Air Canada; search-and-rescue technician Master Corporal Katherine Hanek; Melissa Haney, the first female Inuk captain for Air Inuit; Alberta-based air racing pilot Blaire Hamilton; and more industry trailblazers. 
    

4. Making the documentary was a labour of love. 
   Only Up director Kincade says aviation saved her — her career as an air traffic controller for NAV Canada gave her the confidence and financial security she needed to leave an abusive relationship and build the life she dreamed of for herself and her four children. Now, her passion is for spreading the word. She created a production company, Taking Flight Productions, hired a crew and sought support from corporate sponsors and the CEO of Super Channel, where the film is now streaming. “I hope this film brings people into the aviation industry,” Kincade said to Skies Magazine. “But mainly, I just hope people watch it and believe they can do whatever they want.”  

5. You can watch Only Up anytime. 

   Only Up, which is streaming now on Super Channel, is available through Apple TV Channels, Prime Video Channels, with your cable or satellite package, or through the Super Channel App.