Before she commanded the Snowbirds, Maryse Carmichael was a young Air Cadet from Quebec City with a dream of becoming a military pilot. That dream would eventually make her the first woman to fly with the Snowbirds - and the first woman to fly with any jet aerobatic demonstration team in the world.

In Part 1, Maryse shares her journey through Air Cadets, flight training in Moose Jaw, instructional flying on the CT-114 Tutor, operational flying with 434 Squadron, VIP operations with 412 Squadron, and serving in Bagotville during the post-9/11 years. Along the way she discusses Exercise RV92, flying with her brother, supporting the Prime Minister, and the experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy.

Maryse also reflects on earning a position with the Snowbirds, learning precision formation aerobatics, flying formation inverted, and eventually returning to command 431 Air Demonstration Squadron. It is a story of perseverance, trust, leadership, and one of the most remarkable careers in Canadian military aviation.

CONTINUE THE FLIGHT

Maryse mentioned our interview with Jamie Speiser-Blanchet. Check it out:
https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes/command-the-future-force-jamie-speiser-blanchet

If you're interested in another Snowbirds perspective, check out our interview with Blake McNaughton:
https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes/snowbirds-the-unexpected-path-blake-mcnaughton

HEAR MORE SNOWBIRDS EPISODES

https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/search?query=snowbirds

EXPLORE THE LOGBOOK
More stories from RCAF and mission aviation pilots

https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes