A 60-second Flight Plan

By Crystal Sissons
 How 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?
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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.
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While she knew this mass production was required, it was not a process she favoured. Airplanes required detailed attention in production due to their complexity, versus the more standardized production of products like automobiles. The task was undertaken successfully, and one of the unexpected results was Elsie’s wartime fame, earning her the moniker “Queen of the Hurricanes” thanks to an American comic book series where she was featured.  
 Having researched and written MacGill’s biography (The Queen of the Hurricanes: The Fearless Elsie MacGill), I wondered how it would be possible to do justice to MacGill in just 60 seconds. Yes, she became known as Queen of Hurricanes, but she made many other important contributions as an aeronautical engineer and later as a prominent Canadian feminist. What I learned through this project is that 60 seconds, when done right, can pack an incredible historical punch! The flight plan that made this voyage possible is as engaging as the video itself, which took off on Historica Canada’s website on October 1, 2020 in celebration of Women’s History Month in Canada.
Planning for Take-off
 had always enjoyed watching the Canadian Heritage Minutes, but I really had no idea what went into making them. I found out that the dedicated team at Historica Canada goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure historical accuracy and to produce the highest quality product possible. They do this in conjunction with a film director (for this video Scooter Corkle) and a production company (in this case Point Blank Creative, located in Vancouver).  
 In producing the video on MacGill, I was one of the consultants engaged to ensure the accuracy of the storyline and the historical details. The other consultants included Richard Bourgeois-Doyle (author of Her Daughter the Engineer: The Life of Elsie Gregory MacGill) and Erin Gregoy (Acting Curator at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum). Why have so many consultants on such a short film? To ensure the best possible conception of the material and to provide well-rounded advice that took into consideration different viewpoints and research knowledge.
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 For instance, it was very important from my perspective to ensure that MacGill was not labeled as a “woman engineer”, a title she detested, as she insisted throughout her career that she was first and foremost simply an engineer. This was worked into the script during the exchange with the reporter where she asserts “I’m the chief engineer here, I do what engineers do, that’s all”. And just before this point she clarifies that just because she is a woman, she is not there to manage the large number of women on the plan floor (women workers were essential to the war effort, often called Rosies after the famous Rosie the Riveter, but they had their own managers separate from the engineering department).
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Context is extremely important in historical accounts and Historica Canada wanted to ensure that in producing the video the material history was as accurate as possible. Their management team therefore sought assistance in determining if the physical context of the office space and plant floor was correct.
 They also needed to ensure that all the details of the Hawkers themselves were as accurate as possible with regards to the technical details, which were enhanced with VFX work by Meta Productions, their placement and orientation on the plant floor as well as the positioning of the aircraft that does the fly by at the end of the clip.

Care was also taken to ensure that actors Kayla Deorksen (Elsie MacGill) and Michael Daniel Murphy (reporter) were clothed in appropriate attire for the 1930s/40s and that Deorksen had additional coaching on how to move. In 1929, Elsie MacGill came down with polio, a debilitating disease that marked her for the rest of her life. As a result, it was important that the actor’s movements and actions took this challenge into account. Zosia Ettenberg, a retired physiotherapist who runs Poss-Abilities in Langley, British Columbia and herself a polio survivor, was onsite during the filming to coach the actor on everything from how to walk to how to hold her clipboard, cane and purse while moving. As she noted during a series of radio interviews we did together with CBC in British Columbia, these details add authenticity to the video which is often lacking in media portrayals of people with disabilities.

The Heritage Minute is available in both official languages. This meant that the lead actors needed to be fluently bilingual. By casting with this in mind, the differences between the two versions are minimal and the language is beautifully rendered, compared to dubbing which minimizes the visual quality of the film. The bilingual nature of the video is also in line with MacGill’s beliefs. As a feminist leader, Elsie made a point of using her second language, French, whenever possible in speeches and worked to have bilingual messaging in official messages when she was at the helm of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs.  
But what about Elsie’s later achievements? These are not forgotten. Historica Canada maintains the online Canadian Encyclopedia where an entry I wrote, “Elsie MacGill” covers her life in more detail. This article includes a list of references for those who wish to know more.  ​
Celebration of women in STEM
 The history of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is still a developing field of historical research. Much has been done in the last two decades to seek out the key women in these areas, and their records when possible, in order to restore their stories to the historical record. The fleshing out of Elsie’s story is only one part of this work. In addition to shinning a light onto the history of women in STEM, this research provides recognition for current leaders in STEM as well as role models both for current professionals and the younger generations of women contemplating STEM careers.

The planning for the Elsie MacGill Heritage Minute took this into account, as in addition to featuring a key woman engineer, it includes the participation of two prominent Canadian scientists. The voice over at the end of the English version is performed by Dr. Donna Strickland, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2018, while the voice over at the end of the French version is performed by Canada’s Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer.

A good flight plan takes time and is crucial to ensure the safety of any flight, and its execution depends on key individuals and infrastructure. The Elsie MacGill Heritage Minute was both successfully planned and executed due to similar care and planning. The video is now in flight and will contribute to the opening of historical horizons for many years to come.
 Resources:
Link to English Minute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stnMHGw8qkQ
Link to the French Minute:
https://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.
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