Rosella Bjornson

Rosella Marie Bjornson, (born July 13, 1947) is a retired Canadian airline pilot, who was the first woman in North America to be hired as a First Officer for a Canadian airline and the first woman member of the Canadian Air Line Pilots Association, International.

Education and career Bjornson attended Champion School and County Central High School in Vulcan, Alberta. She attended the University of Calgary after graduating from high school, where she worked to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Geography. Bjornson spent her summers working on her commercial license and instructor rating. In July 1964, her parents gave her a birthday present of a flight lesson at the Air West Flight School in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Bjornson was a key figure in the formation of the University of Calgary Flying Club and also set the groundwork for the development of an Alberta Flying Farmer Teen Chapter by volunteering with the first group of Girl Guide Air Rangers in Calgary. After graduating from university in 1969, The Winnipeg Flying Club recruited her as a flying instructor.

Rosella made a difference in the lives of female pilots across Canada, particularly when it came to pregnancy regulations. In 1979, when she was pregnant for the first time, a national regulation stated that a woman could not fly while pregnant. Because there was no maternity leave at the time, Rosella had to take unpaid leave for the duration of her pregnancy. She worked with Transport Canada to alter the restrictions surrounding pregnancy and flying after this encounter.

In 2004, Bjornson was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame.

In 2014, Bjornson was honoured with a commemorative postage stamp.

In 2017, Bjornson was awarded a Masters Commendation by The Honourable Company of Air Pilots for her contributions to equality for women in the airlines in Canada.

In 2018, Bjornson was appointed to the Alberta Order of Excellence.