Nancy Bird-Walton, AO, OBE (born October 16, 1915) is a pioneering female Australian aviatrix, and is the patron of the Australian Women Pilots' Association
Biographical summary
She was born Nancy Bird. At the age of 17, she was a pupil of Charles Kingsford Smith. In 1935 she obtained her commercial pilot's license. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1966, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On Australia Day 1990, she was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), "for service to aviation, particularly the participation of women in aviation". She is an Australian Living Treasure.
Trivia
The first Airbus A380 delivered to Qantas will be named after her.
References
- ABC, 2002, Australians, Nancy Bird-Walton
- Monash University, 2004, Hargrave : the Pioneers, Celebrating the bicentennial of aviation 1804-2004
- Bird, Nancy [1961] Born to Fly Angus and Robertson
- Walton, Nancy Bird [1990] 2002 My God! It's a woman : the inspiring story of one woman's courage and determination to fly HarperCollinsPublishers ISBN 0-7322-7370-6
