The Margaret Littlewood Story: Edmonton's pioneering flying instructor during the Second World War

Margaret F. Littlewood taught Air Force pilots during the Second World War. In 1976 she was presented with the Amelia Earhart medal for being the first woman in Canada to do this work in advanced flying.

I trained for three or four years at a civilian flying school in Toronto. The school owner's daughter and I were given full training in all flying licenses up to an Instructor's license which I received in 1942. When war broke out, the Federal Government closed all civilian flying schools because of gas rationing. Since I was now out of work I wrote to all ten Air Observer Schools across Canada to see if I could teach pilots in Link Training - on that amazing little machine on a pedestal that does everything an airplane can do, but never leaves the room. I did not want to waste all my years of training if I could help it. I heard from nine schools politely telling me there were not openings for a Link training instructor and behind it all I felt "especially for a girl". The last school I heard from was Edmonton No. 2. It was headed by General Manager, the famous "Wop" May, one of Canada's famous bush pilots. He did not write but phoned. He told me he was losing his chief instructor to Canadian Pacific Airlines who were getting their own Link trainer and would not be renting four hours a day from No. 2 Air Observer School very soon. I was delighted as this was my last chance to stay in aviation work. We settled on a date: February 1943.

One of our men Instructors from the Toronto School had already come to Edmonton A.O.S. and was a staff pilot. Stan met the train. I stayed at the Y.W.C.A. until I found suitable accommodation in a private home.

The day after my arrival Stan picked me up in his car and we drove to the city airport station #2 where I met Mr. May in his office. He turned me over to the matron of the station who took me on a tour of the various departments - parachute section, Canteen radio and ended back at Wop May's office. He walked me down the hall to the Link Trainer Room. For a few seconds I stood outside the door marked "Authorized Personnel Only" and became nervous wondering 'Why did I bluff my way into something I knew nothing about?' Mr. May took me to meet the two Link instructors who were operating the trainers with a student in each. Then he left me. The student pilots were doing an instrument radio range problem and as I sat at the instructor's desk I became more and more fascinated by this little machine that can save pilots, when they are lost, to arrive home safely. I spent most of my days sitting at the desk with an instructor, and how he handled the signals to the pilot in the trainer who was orienting himself on the radio range problem and come home on "the beam". The signals from the desk are identical to those he will receive in the air.

As I watched the maneuvers, I began to wonder how all the experienced pilots both Air Force and Airlines would take to a lady instructor. They all knew what they were doing, but I didn't have a clue at this point. When there was a vacant hour on the Link schedule, I was able to practise this side of the instrument and radio range work, with the instructor at the desk. On the desk is a large chart of the range that the pilot is using in the [traine4? - unclear] each communicates via a microphone. On the table is a slow-moving recorder which tracks every movement, and when the pilot is finished he can stand at the desk and see both his accomplishments and his errors - if he loses his airspeed, he goes into a spin and must right himself as he would in the air.

Time was fast approaching for the Visiting Flight by the Air Force officials. By the time they arrived, I was as ready as I'd ever be in my crash course and for my Llink trainer test. To save time, since the regular instructor was leaving soon, Mr. May decided to send me to Currie Barracks in Calgary for my test there as the visiting flight would be there before coming to Edmonton. A flight Lieutenant tested me both at the desk and in the trainer and I returned to Edmonton with my instructor Authorization stamped in my log book. I took to this work like a duck to water and wished I could do it forever but it was a war-time job only.

I am honored to have worked with such great names as Grant McConachie, North Sawle, Holick Kenyon, Vic Fox and many other experienced pilots. I knew I still had lots to learn but these pilots have no idea how much they taught me while working with them. Today the little link trainers are obsolete and the airlines and flying clubs and schools have simulators for the particular types of aircraft they use. There were a few humorous moments but they would take up too much time for this story. In 1976 I was presented the Amelia Earhart medal for being the first woman in Canada to do this work in advanced flying and as far as I know, the only one as the war progressed favorably for the allies and all the schools in Canada were closed.

The other accomplishment I made was in Edmonton. In the time between the end of World War II and the early 1950's I had been mulling over the one flying license I did not have and that was Public Transport (Airline) License. I talked it over with the Chief Flying Instructor at the Edmonton Flying Club who thought it was a great idea and promised to work with me intensely to obtain it. It was a lot of hard work and study, both in the air and ground school, but my instrument training was a huge help in blind flying (on instruments). I did receive my Transport license - one of three women in Canada to obtain it even though I could never use it. But in the early fifties I finally obtained every flying license in Canada possible to get. I finally retired and then it was back to the drab work in an office. My thanks to all the great aviation people who helped me all the way.