Elsie MacGill was a pioneering force in aeronautical design and manufacturing and a powerful voice for women’s rights throughout her lifetime. Like all pioneers, she marked many “firsts” in her education and career. Her work as chief aeronautical engineer from 1938 to 1943 at The Canada Car and Foundry Company, Ltd., where she was engaged in the manufacture of Hawker Hurricanes, contributed to the war effort and earned her the moniker “Queen of the Hurricanes.” In her later career, as an aeronautical engineering consultant, she continued to perform aircraft design and served on panels and committees aimed at international aircraft safety. She also pursued equity for women in Canada, serving as one of seven commissioners on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and tirelessly advocating for the adoption of the recommendations generated by the Commission after publication of its report in December 1970. MacGill was honored by the Society of Women Engineers as the 1953 Achievement Award recipient.