Mount Hope in Hamilton, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Eileen Vollick (1908-1968)

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2023

1. Eileen Vollick 1908-1968 Marker

Inscription.
Canada's first licensed woman pilot, Eileen Vollick was born in Wiarton and came to Hamilton about 1911. She was fascinated by aviation and in 1927 enrolled in the flying school established near her home on Hamilton Bay by Jack V Elliot, a Hamilton businessman and pioneer in Canadian commercial aviation. The spirited Eileen Vollick devoted her spare time to flying and soon mastered the school's Curtiss JN-4 training aircraft. On March 13, 1928, she passed the federal aviation test and nine days later she was issued a private pilot's certificate. This significant achievement opened Canadian aviation to women and many became licensed pilots, and participants in various airshows and special flights throughout Canada. From 1929 Eileen Vollick lived in New York where she died.

Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Recreation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Women. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 13, 1928.

Location. 43° 9.553′ N, 79° 55.538′ W. Marker

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is in Hamilton, Ontario. It is in Mount Hope. It is on Airport Road West 1.2 kilometers west of Upper James Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hamilton ON L0R 1W0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe,

in the Hamilton-Halton-Brant Area,

and specifically in the Toronto Metropolitan Area.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: “They Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth” (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); Smith Family Cemetery (approx. 5.3 kilometers away); Homestead of United Empire Loyalists Daniel and Elizabeth Young (approx. 6.1 kilometers away); Young Cemetery (approx.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2023

2. Eileen Vollick 1908-1968 Marker

6.4 kilometers away); Private Jacob Hess (approx. 8.2 kilometers away); Smith-Gooderham House (approx. 8.2 kilometers away); Site of First Wendy’s Restaurant in Canada (approx. 8.3 kilometers away); Rymal Family Heritage (approx. 8.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hamilton.

Also see . . . Canada’s History - Unacquainted with Fear. How Eileen Vollick became the first Canadian woman to earn a pilot's licence.

Eileen was inspired to break in to the formerly male-only domain. “As I drove past the aerodrome a small still voice whispered, ‘Go ahead, brave the lion in his den.’ I proposed to learn to fly, and feared being turned down or laughed at.”

(Submitted on July 18, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Eileen Vollick in flight gear image. Click for full size.

3. Eileen Vollick in flight gear

Source: Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

Credits. This page was last revised on June 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 389 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 18, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.