The military was slower to accept women. Major Deanna Brasseur was one of the first three Canadian women to receive military wings for operational duty in 1980. In 1989 Major Deanna Brasseur passed her flight check ride on CF-18 jet fighters and a lifetime goal was realized. The move to equality has been neither smooth nor easy. Prejudice and outright hostility against female pilots continues.
Women complain of having to endlessly prove themselves.
But the love of flying has overridden many of these concerns and women are finding new ways to use their training. In 1992 Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman to go into space. She also holds her private pilots licence and a PhD in neurobiology. Julie Payette M.D., another Canadian pilot, has also been trained as an astronaut. Women have crossed other frontiers.