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A 60-second flight plan

By Crystal Sissons

Queen of the Hurricanes CoverHow do you tell the story Elsie Gregory MacGill (1905-1980) in 60 seconds? What do you focus on? How do you make it happen? How do you ensure that it represents a solid piece of historical research that is both accurate and engaging?

These are some of the many questions that ran through my mind when I was approached by Historica Canada to be one of the consultants for the new Heritage Minute which would feature her story. It was an exciting prospect to say the least, given the notoriety of the Heritage Minutes, but could it do her justice?

The proposed plan was to focus on MacGill’s work as chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry’s plant (now Bombardier Incorporated) in Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay, Ontario). To make the project more manageable, the plan was to target her work on the Hawker Hurricane, where MacGill led the engineering team in the retooling of the plant to produce these fighter aircraft. This was necessary to achieve mass production which was demanded by the needs of the Second World War.

READ MORE on the CAHS website.

EGM Heritage Minute Picture

Resources:

Link to English Minute:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=stnMHGw8qkQ

Link to the French Minute:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWZR5v79W6k&ab_channel=HistoricaCanada

To purchase a copy of Queen of the Hurricanes: The Fearless Elsie MacGill in paper, e-book or audio book see: Second Story Press.