Marion Alice Orr,
CM (born Powell; 25 June 1918 – 4 April 1995) was a pioneering Canadian
aviator who was the first woman to run a
flying school
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a st ...
. She served with the
Air Transport Auxiliary
The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factori ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and was awarded the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
in 1986.
Early life
Orr was born Marion Alice Powell in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. On 5 January 1940, she obtained her private pilot's licence after working to pay for her flying lessons.
[Orr biography on Canadian 99s chapter website]
/ref> She then worked as an aircraft inspector at de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited is an aircraft manufacturer with facilities formerly based in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original home of de Havilland Canada was the home of the Canadian Air and Space Museum lo ...
, and qualified for her commercial licence two years afterwards. She was the second woman in Canada to qualify as an air traffic control assistant. In 1942 she married D.K. "Deke" Orr. He helped her gain her instructor's licence in 1942. The marriage was brief and the couple separated later that year, although Marion Orr, as she was now known, would keep her married surname.
World War II
After being told about the Air Transport Auxiliary
The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factori ...
(ATA) by Violet Milstead, she applied, was tested in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
and was admitted to the ATA. Orr and Milstead moved to England in the summer of 1942. Orr's first flight for the ATA was on 2 June 1943. Her favourite aircraft to fly was the Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
, which she considered "the most beautiful plane ever built."
She began her career ferrying airplanes across the Atlantic, according to her citation for the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
. The Maidenhead Heritage Centre
Maidenhead Heritage Centre is a heritage centre and museum in the town of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England.
Maidenhead Heritage Centre and Museum was founded in 1993.
The centre presents the history of Maidenhead history from Roman times to th ...
, the Spiritual Home of the ATA, and the Royal Air Force Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity.
The museum is split into two separate sites:
* ...
report that no ATA pilot ferried aircraft across the Atlantic. Her ATA record card in the RAF Museum shows she flew about 15 aircraft types, including the Airspeed Oxford, the only twin-engine machine. None of these types was capable of flying the Atlantic. Instead, she flew aircraft to and from factories, squadrons and other units.
She was honourably discharged from the ATA with the rank of second officer in September 1944 with 700 logged hours.
Post-war career, life and honours
Orr assumed the responsibility of Aero Activities Limited at Barker Field
Barker Field was one of several airfields in the Yorkdale area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
History
Opened in 1927, it was a civilian and privately owned airfield for the early era of flying in Canada and was named after William George Barker in ...
in 1947 and two years later acquired the company starting her own flying school in 1949. She was forced to close at Barker Field
Barker Field was one of several airfields in the Yorkdale area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
History
Opened in 1927, it was a civilian and privately owned airfield for the early era of flying in Canada and was named after William George Barker in ...
because the airfield was sold for developed purpose; Aero Activities Limited was relocated to Maple, Ontario
Maple is a neighbourhood in Vaughan, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located northwest of Toronto. Maple was founded as the village of Maple, located at the intersection of Major Mackenzie Drive and Keele Street.
Geography
Maple is located ...
where she had to get permission from the Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent to open her own airfield, Maple Airport
Maple Airport was a small airfield in the Township of Vaughan (now a city) in York Region, Ontario, Canada that was open from 1955 until 1987. The airport, established by Marion Alice Orr, one of Canada's first women pilots, consisted of two runwa ...
.
She was awarded the Ninety-Nines
The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...
Inc. Medallion in 1976 in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of aviation. In 1981 Orr was named a member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. During her career she flew over 21,000 hours, 17,000 hours as an instructor on single and twin-engine aircraft, on wheels, skis and floats, and helicopters. She also taught around 5000 people to fly. As one of Canada's most distinguished pilots, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
in 1993.
Marion Orr continued to fly until her deteriorating health saw her licence revoked in 1994. She died in 1995 in an automobile accident.
See also
* History of aviation in Canada
The history of aviation in Canada begins with the first manned flight in a balloon at Saint John, New Brunswick in 1840. The development of the aviation industry in Canada was shaped by the interplay of Canadian national ambitions, national and i ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orr, Marion
1918 births
1995 deaths
People from Toronto
Canadian aviators
Women in World War II
Members of the Order of Canada
Air Transport Auxiliary pilots
Canadian women aviators