The Museum of Northern British Columbia is showcasing the belongings of Elainne Roberge Schlageter, one of the first female pilots in Canada who paved the way for future generations.
The aviatrix was born in Prince Rupert in 1909, and in 1932, she became the fourth woman to get a commercial flying licence in the country when the industry was fully male-dominated. Roberge passed her flying test in 1930 when she was 21 鈥� making her the 21st overall woman to have passed it.
鈥淪he grew up in what Rupertities called 'the castle' and some of her personal possessions... show her aesthetic and sophistication at a time when Prince Rupert was still in its infancy,鈥� said Susan Marsden, curator at the Museum of Northern BC.
The display features 41 items, including Roberge鈥檚 study table, bamboo chairs, a wooden dresser, a magic lantern slide projector, and eyeglasses. It also showcases everyday objects such as her perfume bottles, a silver nail buffer, a hairbrush, ceramic buttons, a metal iron, and more. Roberge was well-off.
鈥淧rince Rupert has a history of strong successful women, such as, among several others, Ruth Harvey, after whom the Museum鈥檚 Art Gallery is named, and Bernice Liu, whose father owned the Imperial Palace, and who is now a famous movie actress in Hong Kong. Elianne Roberge Schlageter, the 21st female pilot in Canada, was probably the first of such successful women,鈥� said Marsden.
A pilot in making
Jen Eggleston, a B.C.-based illustrator and history buff researched the lives of the first 100 women to earn private pilot licences in Canada and compiled this information . She was inspired by Shirley Render鈥檚 book, 鈥淣o Place for a Lady: The Story of Canadian Women Pilots 1928-1992鈥�.
She found that Roberge鈥檚 mother鈥檚 husband in 1920 owned the Knox Hotel in Prince Rupert and was known for being flamboyant and a bootlegger.
Roberge and her sister were recorded twice in the 1921 census 鈥� once with their mother but also as boarders at St. Joseph鈥檚 Academy.
When Roberge was a schoolgirl, L Morton Bach鈥檚 plane came through Prince Rupert while attempting to fly from Mexico to Siberia. Strong winds damaged the plane, and many children took pieces of fabric from the wings. Roberge faked a bathroom excuse to grab a large piece, keeping some and selling the rest in pieces for one cent each.
Her mother emphasized the importance of education, leading Roberge to move to Montreal to stay with her grandparents and attend 脡cole des Beaux-Arts. There, she learned to drive and joined the Montreal Light Aeroplane Club.
In 1930, Roberge realized her passion for flying by becoming a pilot. However, the first time her mother saw her flying, she crashed.
Roberge worked as a commercial artist and stayed in Montreal for about five years.
After that, she moved to Vancouver, joined the Aero Club, and became secretary and dispatcher for Yukon Southern Air Transport to pursue an aviation career.
She was trained on all the company鈥檚 planes and frequently served as co-pilot on search-and-rescue and fire-fighting missions with Grant McConachie, a Canadian bush pilot and businessman who later became the CEO of Canadian Pacific Airlines.
The Fying Seven
Roberge joined 鈥淭he Flying Seven鈥� when it was formed in 1936. It was the first and only all-female pilot club in B.C.
The website, , says the press called them the 鈥淪weethearts of the Air鈥� or 鈥淔lying Flappers鈥� or, simply, 鈥淎ngels鈥� 鈥� and they made it their mission to promote the inclusion of women in aviation.
There was also an article published in the famous Chatelaine Magazine that wondered whether women were 鈥渟trong enough鈥� to fly.
鈥淎re they fitted temperamentally to operate aircraft?鈥� the article asked.
The Flying Seven鈥檚 goal was simple: to prove that a woman鈥檚 place was in the air.
During the height of the Second World War, the Flying Seven attempted to enlist in the military but were promptly rejected; it would take decades before the Royal Canadian Air Force accepted any female pilots.
However, this did not stop them from contributing to the war effort. In 1940, as air raid sirens blared across the city, the Sweethearts of the Air flew over Vancouver, distributing 100,000 pamphlets. One stated, 鈥淪mash the Nazis!鈥� while another urged, 鈥淕ive dimes or dollars to buy our boys more planes!鈥�
This demonstration raised $100,000 from the city鈥檚 residents, enough to fund the purchase of eight new planes for the Aero Club of B.C., Vancouver鈥檚 new flight school 鈥� one that notably accepted women as students.
After studying various subjects, from flight theory to aircraft maintenance, the school鈥檚 graduates went on to find jobs at many companies, including Boeing and other major aircraft manufacturers.
Although from 2010 to 2023, the number of pilot licences issued to Canadian women grew by 79 per cent in the commercial sector and 58 per cent overall, women acquired just 12 per cent of all pilot licences issued by Transport Canada last year.
