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

(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

. 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

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

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.

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

Early life

World War II

Post-war career, life and honours

See also

References