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International Organization of Women Pilots
The Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport (CYKZ) is a long
established and respected service provider to the general, business and training aviation
markets. The business has been owned and operated by the Sifton family since its inception.
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The Elsie MacGill Northern Lights award stands to honour Canadian women who have
contributed significantly to any facet of aviation in this country. On Thursday, October 1st, 2009
the Ninety Nines, International Organization of Women Pilots held a dinner in honour of Heather
Sifton and presented her with the inaugural Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Award.
Mrs. Sifton was a licensed and respected pilot and has been a leader in the Canadian aviation
community. In the years since Buttonville was first established, Heather has maintained an
important role in all aspects of the development and growth of the airport and its related
operations. In addition to her business acumen, Heather has been a positive influence and role
model for many aviation students – women in particular.
Joined by members of her family, local aviation and political dignitaries and members of the
Ninety Nines, in accepting the honour, Heather commented that “This is a special evening for me
and the Sifton family as a whole. I want to thank you for such a tribute. To be surrounded by
peers and friends and be honoured by you, makes for yet another truly good memory from all the
years we have been involved in the aviation
community. Many of you here are more than
aviation colleagues – you are personal friends
and we grew and share a great love for flying
and all that it represents together.”
For over 45 years we have been able to
contribute to aviation in Canada. From
something that started as a personal interest I
have been able to participate in the
development of many things – a great business,
a collection of truly special people who work
with us and call our airport home and a job that
has brought me pleasure and self satisfaction.”
About Elsie MacGill . ..
Elsie Gregory MacGill was born in Vancouver, two years after powered flight at Kittyhawk.
MacGill was the first Canadian woman to graduate with a degree in electrical engineering at the
University of Toronto and the first woman in North America with an advanced degree in
aeronautics from the University of Michigan. In 1939, as chief engineer for the Canadian Car and
Foundry Company in Thunder Bay, Elsie designed, oversaw production and was aboard the test
flight of the Maple Leaf Trainer II, making her the first female aircraft designer in the world.
2833 - 16th Avenue, Box 100, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 0P8
Telephone: (905) 477-8100 Fax: (905) 477-8053 Email:
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CYKZ ATIS – 127.1 Mhz. Unicom – 123.5 Tower – 124.8 & 119.9 Ground – 121.8
During World War II, Elsie oversaw production of the Hawker Hurricane and she designed a
series of modifications including de-icing and skis to equip the Hurricane for cold weather
flying. Elsie went on to serve on aeronautical research and regulatory committees for the National
Research Council and the United Nations.
During her appointment to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women, she
supported abortion and tax laws that made women responsible for themselves. In the course of
her career and life, Elsie was awarded four honourary doctorates, made an officer of the Order of
Canada and in 1975, the Ninety Nines, International Organization of Women Pilots presented her
the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship medallion – among many others.
One interesting note is that Elsie never earned a pilot's license. On the day of her graduation
from U of Michigan, after celebrating late into the night with friends, Elsie went to bed, sore and
aching. She woke up the next morning, paralyzed from the waist down, suffering from polio. She
was 24. It took her years of hospitals and therapy to learn to walk with two heavy canes. But this
did not define her. From the rear seat of the Maple Leaf Trainer, and for thousands of hours
hovering over her engineering drafting table, Elsie flew.
Addition Information . . .
Since 1963 the Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport has served as a vital link to the Greater
Toronto are and surrounding regions. Operated by Toronto Airways Ltd., it is the 10th busiest
airport in Canada.
The available services include Million Air Toronto – a 24/7 FBO operation with Canada customs
(8am to midnight), ample ramp space, secure heated hangar facilities for resident and transient
clients, on-site aircraft maintenance and avionics, weather and flight planning services. For
passengers there is the Million Air lounge, full concierge support including hotel rates, courtesy
van and limousine services plus an executive conference room. Pilots enjoy a private lounge with
shower facilities, satellite TV a BMW courtesy car and a private theatre room.
In addition to Million Air Toronto, the airport is home to Toronto Airways Flight Training - the
largest flight school in Canada. The training operation offers programmes to Canadian students
and also has established itself as a global provider through association with Beihang University’s
(China) commercial pilot training programme. In addition to a large fleet of training aircraft,
Toronto Airways also offers several flight simulators up to and including a recently ordered Level
5, King Air sim – the first and only of its kind within the GTA.
Others who call Buttonville their base include the Buttonville Flying Club, aviation college
operations, corporate and business aviation charter operators, rotor craft schools, private flight
operators and aircraft sales/brokerage/management firms |
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