Calgary aviation museum showcases Canadian woman’s incredible feat

The people who run a Calgary museum are getting ready to welcome some big crowds in the weeks ahead.

Staff at the Hangar Flight Museum are proud to have a new chance to highlight a Canadian woman who helped turn the tides of history.

They’re showcasing the accomplishments of pioneering aeronautical engineer Elsie MacGill.

MacGill was in charge of an Ontario factory that produced the Hawker Hurricane fighter plane, which was crucial to victory in The Battle of Britain during the Second World War.

The exhibit focusing on MacGill features artifacts from Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame (CAHF), which is housed in the Hangar Flight Museum.

“To be the chief engineer on the Hawker Hurricane is an incredible feat, especially for women during the time of the Second World War,” the CAHF’s Katherine Simunkovic said. “I think it’s really important to showcase that, and understand that these are strides that we’ve made and that we can continue to make going forward.”

The exhibit features medals MacGill was awarded for her service and a reproduction of a 1942 comic book that celebrates her as the “Queen of the Hurricanes.”

“She was very famous during the Second World War,” the Hangar Flight Museum’s Brian Desjardins said.

Museum visitors also see a large display version of the special new Canadian dollar coin that salutes MacGill’s service to the country.

“(The coin shows) the Hawker Hurricane and Elsie MacGill’s portrait is on there,” Desjardins said. “She’s holding the blueprint design of the Hawker Hurricane.”

Museum staff hope the exhibit will be popular with the large crowds expected during the upcoming Family Day long weekend.

“Family Day was our busiest day last year,” Desjardins said.

The MacGill exhibit is alongside a Hawker Hurricane aircraft, flown on patrols along Canada’s west coast during the Second World War.

“It’s awesome to have female role models to look up to, to know (what’s) possible,” museum visitor Brianne Cyr said. “Not only for myself, but for my kids too.”