About Molly Reilly
Moretta Fenton Beall "Molly" Reilly (February 25, 1922 – November 24, 1980) became the first female Canadian pilot to reach the rank of captain, the first female Canadian corporate pilot, and the first woman to fly to the Arctic professionally. Her modifications to the Beechcraft Duke were used to improve the aircraft. Over the course of her career, Reilly logged over 10,000 flight hours as a pilot-in-command — without a single accident. She is a member of the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. == Early life == Reilly was born February 25, 1922, in Lindsay, Ontario. She had seven siblings, three sisters and four brothers, at least one brother enlisted as a pilot during WWII. == Career == === World War II === After graduating from high school in 1940, Reilly took flying lessons at Pat Paterson's Flyers Limited School at Barker Field. One of her teachers was fellow Canadian aviator Violet Milstead. Reilly's flight training was cut short when WWII forced civilian aviators to stay grounded, so she applied to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in order to complete her pilot certification, but was rejected due to her gender. Although the Air Transport Auxiliary accepted women, Reilly couldn't join without her pilot's license. Determined to find a job that involved flying, in 1941 she finally enlisted with the RCAF as a photographer in the new Women's Division.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.