Kathleen Carol Fox

Kathleen Fox had wanted to fly from an early age, but put her plans on hold while she earned a Bachelor of Science degree at McGill University. While at McGill she responded to an advertisement for skydiving, took up the sport and over the next 10 years completed some 648 parachute jumps. She became Chief Instructor for the McGill Skydiving Club. She earned an Expert Parachutist Licence, qualified as an Instructor Examiner and was Area Safety Coordinator of the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA) for Quebec. She became the first female president of the Association at age 20, serving in that capacity from 1972 to 1978. She led two Canadian parachute teams in competitions in France in 1979 and China in 1980.

Following graduation from McGill in 1972 and still yearning for a career in aviation, she began work with Transport Canada in 1974 as an air traffic controller at various Quebec control towers. Sheered her Private Pilots Licence in 1978.

She continued her training and earned her Commercial and Airline Transport Pilot Licences, qualifying for multi-engine, instrument and instructor ratings. She earned a Class 1 Instructor rating in 1988 and in 1989 was authorized by Transport Canada as a Designated Flight Test Examiner.

In 1982 she took up a new opportunity, this time to work in a Quebec program for French language training for Air Traffic Control (ATC) trainees. She took a leave from ATC while she headed a new department for development and delivery of the curriculum for almost four years.

Continuing her education, Fox returned to McGill, earning a Master’s Degree in Business administration in 1986. After graduation she returned to Air Traffic Control in Montreal, and in 1987 was acting manager of the St. Hubert tower. In 1989 she undertook Instrument Flight Rating controller training for ATC at Montreal, continued to teach flying, and was then transferred nay Transport Canada to Ottawa to a managerial post. While there she was hired by the Rockcliffe Flying Club in 1993 as a Flight Instructor and Flight Test Examiner.

Following increased responsibilities with Transport Canada, Fox transferred to NAV CANADA in 1996, and became Director, Safety and Quality in 1997. In 1999 she became Director, Air Traffic Services, was promoted to Assistant Vice-President, Air Traffic Services, and became Vice-President Operations in 2003.

In that capacity, she was responsible for providing leadership and direction throughout NAV CANADA’s Operations Group, which oversaw all seven Area Control Centres, 42 Control Towers, 60 Flight Service Stations, and seven Flight Information Centres across Canada. Her duties also included operation training of Air Traffic Controllers and Flight Service Specialists.

In July 2007 Kathy Fox retired from NAV CANADA and was appointed as a board member of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, responsible for investigating air, rail, marine and pipeline accidents. Again she continued her pursuit of higher education, and in 2009 she received a Master of Science degree in Human Factors and System Safety from Lund University in Sweden. Her extensive work in the field of aviation safety helped lead to her appointment in 2014 to a four-year term as Chair of the Canadian Transportation Safety Board.

Beyond a stellar career in aviation for over 40 years, Fox has flown over 5000 hours as a pilot and instructor. She served three times as a member of the Canadian Precision Flying Team, representing Canada at world championships in 1996, 1999 and 2000. A member for 30 years of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licenced pilots where she had held many offices.

She has received many accolades for her work, including the Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Award in 2010, and the David Charles Abrasion Memorial Flight Instructor Safety award from the Air Transportation Association of Canada. She continues to instruct at the Rockcliffe Flying Club. She retains her passion for flying and flight safety, and is continually sought after for her insight into many aviation related matters.

Kathleen Carol Fox was inducted as a Member of Canada’s Aviation Hal of Fame in 2016 in a ceremony held at Ottawa, Ontario.