Jaye Edwards, among the last surviving female pilots who served in Second World War, celebrates 100th birthday
B.C.'s Jaye Edwards flew Spitfires and bombers during the war
Jaye Edwards was all smiles as she celebrated her 100th birthday milestone with family and friends this past week.
Born on the outskirts of London, U.K., the former pilot is one of the last surviving members of the famed "Attagirls," a group of just over 160 women who flew war planes from factories to the front lines.
In an interview with CBC earlier this year, Edwards said she was fascinated by small planes.
As women weren't allowed to fly planes for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War, Edwards joined a group of civilian pilots, the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) that flew planes from factories and airports to military outposts.
"We were trained to fly not just one type of single engine [plane] — but any type of single engine planes," she said.
During the war, Edwards flew more than 20 different types of planes — from Spitfires to bombers — and took flight hundreds of times.
Eventually she moved to B.C., working as a teacher and raising her family.
Canadian astronaut Cmdr. Chris Hadfield — describing himself as "one of the newest Spitfire pilots in the world" — sent a special birthday message to Edwards.
Today, Edwards is one of three remaining female ATA pilots, alongside Eleanor Wadsworth of the United Kingdom and Nancy Stratford of the United States, according to the ATA Association.
