Maryse Carmichael (born 1971) is a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

pilot and flying instructor. She was the first woman to join the

Canadian Forces Snowbirds The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Snowbirds' of ...

aerobatic team, and later became the commander of the team.

Early years

Carmichael was born in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. She joined the local air cadet unit 630 Rotary Beauport squadron in 1984, at the age of 13, and served in the unit for four years. In 1990 she joined the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

full-time. She earned her private pilot's license while a teenager, and completed her military pilot training in 1994, when she was 23 years old.

Career

On completing her training, Carmichael served as Flying Instructor and the School Operations Officer and Standards Officer at

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the List of cities in Saskatchewan, fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Re ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. She was then assigned to the 434 Combat Support Squadron in

Greenwood, Nova Scotia Greenwood is a village located in the western part of Kings County, Nova Scotia, Kings County in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. History Greenwood was a small hamlet south of the Dominion Atlantic Railway's Kingston, Nova Scotia, Kingston S ...

, followed by a role in VIP transport with the 412 Transport Squadron in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. In this role she was responsible for flying Prime Minister

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to destinations around the world. In November 2000, Carmichael was selected to fly with the Snowbirds aerobatic team, becoming the first woman on the team. In 2003 she was posted to 3 Wing Bagotville in Quebec as the deputy wing operations officer and in 2007 she moved to 8 Wing Trenton in eastern Ontario. In May 2010 she was named the commander of the Snowbirds, becoming the first female pilot to lead the squad. In 2013 she retired from the Canadian Forces and took up a role as a military flight instruction specialist. In 2013, Carmichael received the

Elsie MacGill Elizabeth Muriel Gregory MacGill (March 27, 1905November 4, 1980), known as the "Queen of the Hawker Hurricane, Hurricanes", was a Canadian engineer. She was chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F) in Fort William, Ontari ...

Northern Lights Award for Flight Operations and Maintenance.

Personal life

Carmichael is married to Major Scott Greenough, a Canadian Forces fighter pilot, and they have two daughters.

References

1971 births Living people Military personnel from Quebec City Canadian women aviators Aerobatic pilots Royal Canadian Air Force officers {{Authority control Canadian flight instructors