PHYLLIS (PENNEY) GAUL
was Newfoundland's
first female pilot.
She was born in St. John's,
May 29, 1925. By the time the family had moved to historic Harbour
Grace in 1931, the dawn of aviation had arrived. Charles Lindbergh
flew over St. John's in
1927 and many great aviation events were written in to
Newfoundland's history, including Amelia Earhart's
arrival and departure.
One of Phyllis Penney's
fondest memories was that of a school holiday given immediately,
when news was received of an aeroplane landing. The children were
all permitted to run, walk or be driven to the airport to join in
the excitement with the rest of the people. Many school books were
left behind eliminating homework those nights. Her father, who owned
one of the few cars in town, used to drive some of the pilots and
crew to and from the airport from The Cochrane Hotel (also known as
Archibald's Hotel) where
they all stayed. On one occasion, her brother Bob had the privilege
of riding with Amelia Earhart.
Her earliest recollection of wanting to fly
centred around a radio programme about a young pilot called
AHowie Wing".
Her prize possession was his picture dressed in appropriate flying
attire, looking very handsome standing by his aeroplane. She
received the picture by saving and sending box tops to a local
Margarine/Butter Company. Other incentives were pilots in the family
and working in the airline/travel industry.
During the war years, Phyllis went to Acadia
University in Nova Scotia, returning to work with the Navy, both RN
and RCN. After the war in 1946 she went to Gander Airport, Nfld. It
was then known as "the
cross roads of the world"
and she was hired at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as a Ground
Hostess/Secretary to the Station Manager. She flew occasionally as
extra crew to help with all the Dutch Immigrants and their babies
travelling to the U.S.A. The babies travelled inside wicker baskets
with windows that were placed one on top of the other in the rear of
the plane.
It was inevitable that Phyllis Penney joined
the small local Flying Club "Terra
Nova Aviation" and took up
flying. Her Student Pilot's
Permit was issued from the Dept. of Public Works in St. John's
Nfld., under the Air Navigation Act (1929) valid for one year from
April 29, 1947. She solo'd
in a Piper Cub, call sign VO-ABC on July 15, 1947 and received her
Pilot's Licence on August
10, 1947. Her Instructor was Ewan D. Boyd.
There was much jubilation at the Flying Club
when she got her wings. There was a party, with her fellow students,
including telegrams that warned her about the dangers(!) of flying,
but sent love and congratulations. Phyllis went on to get checked
out in a Tiger Moth on land, water and skis. In 1950 KLM transferred
her to Montreal International Airport, at Dorval, PQ, where her
private flying was put on hold because of traffic density and
expenses.
In 1952 Phyllis married Richard M. Gaul. He had
been with Ferry Command in Gander during the war, then flew with TWA
afterwards. He was also a graduate from the Terra Nova Aviation Club
in Gander and when they met was working in Operations for BOAC in
Montreal.
In 1957, Phyllis resigned from her job with KLM
and was busy raising a family of four, 2 daughters and 2 sons - a
most rewarding trade-off for private flying she said. In 1972 she
went back to work for a Travel Agency and was once again involved
with airline transportation and travel. (She still had the cockpit
in the back of her mind)
Phyllis and Richard moved to Vancouver in 1986.
Richard was involved with building Canada Place and the organization
of Expo> 86. Following
that they opened a Travel Agency, affiliated with main land China
and once again aviation was an important factor in their lives.
In 1993, Roger Pike, President and CEO of
Labrador Airways honoured Phyllis Penney Gaul by flying her back to
Harbour Grace for the dedication ceremony of
"The Spirit of Harbour
Grace" a 1943 DC 3 given
as a gift to Harbour Grace by the Pike family.
In 1997, both Phyllis and Richard returned to
Gander Airport for a wonderful 50-year reunion of airlines/airport
employees. Both were given celebrity status on that occasion. They
are retired now, living in West Vancouver overlooking the water.
They watch the cruise ships and freighters going by, also many
helicopters and float planes shuttling to various islands from
Vancouver. They have many fond memories of their adventures in
aviation and their lives that spanned a Continent from the Atlantic
to the Pacific.
Phyllis enjoys logging on to our Canadian 99s
website at www.canadian99s.org to see what we are doing, she
mentioned she particularly enjoyed the article
about flying Newfoundland@
by Sue Ramsay.
(My personal thanks to Phyllis Penney Gaul for
this long distance "interview"
and also Brian Williams, Manager of the North Atlantic Museum in
Gander, Nfld., who kindly sent me all the information needed on
Phyllis for my research......S. Allen)
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