I was quite honored and humbled to be inducted in recognition of my contributions to aviation in Canada, even though I thought I was too young to be in a museum. Fox: Quebec has a hall of fame to recognize pioneers in aviation and space. Q11: In 2004, you were inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame. I thought it was a bit odd that they had put an Anglophone (who spoke French, but still an Anglophone) at the head of this new French program, so I decided to have two plaques outside my office: one was “Kathleen Fox”, and the other one was “Catherine Renard.” Being immersed in French by living and working in those Quebec areas is how I really learned to speak the language. Later on, I was put in charge of the air traffic training program at the CEGEP in St-Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec. Fox: I went to high school in Montreal, so I learned French there, but I wasn’t very skilled until I had to move to Sept-Îles, Quebec, to work as an air traffic controller. Q10: Where did you learn to speak French? I had actually stopped jumping in 1978, but because I was in China, leading the Canadian Parachute Team in an international competition, I figured I had to jump one more time. Fox: The last time I jumped was in China, in 1980. Q9: On top of being a pilot, you also used to jump from planes with a parachute. Fox: I’ve never been to South East Asia and I really want to go there someday. Q8: Is there a place in the world that you haven’t been to yet and that you would really like to visit? It’s so spectacular there, and I think more people should see it. I’ve been to the 7 continents, but I would say that my favorite trips were north, to the Canadian Arctic. Fox: It’s hard to say, because I have travelled a lot. Q7: What’s the most amazing trip you’ve taken so far? They’re pretty friendly and also very independent, which is good because I work long days. Fox: I do, I have 2 cats: Lucky and Rosa. I like to read at night, so that is usually what keeps me up late. Fox: A little bit of both! I would say that I’m more of a night owl, but as I get older I tend to wake up earlier, so I have to discipline myself not to go to bed too late. Q5: Are you an early bird or a night owl? I treat cooking like a science I need a recipe to follow. I can cook for myself, but I can definitely not say that I am a good cook. I especially like flying at the end of the day when the sun is going down, the air is calm and you see birds flying at your level. The view from an airplane is spectacular and it’s very different from being on top of a building. Fox: I like heights, I like being up high. Fox: It’s hard to say, because I’ve had a lot of people in my life who have inspired me in one way or another, but I can definitely say that Canadians Rosella Bjornson, Deanna Brasseur, and other pioneer women in aviation have been great inspirations for me. That’s how and why I became an air traffic controller to be a part of the piloting world. One of my friends from university had responded to an ad for air traffic controllers for Transport Canada, and so I said to myself “if I can’t fly airplanes, I could tell pilots where to go”. When I graduated, I still wanted to be a pilot, but there weren’t any opportunities for women at that time. By the time I was 16, I had to choose between going to university or learning to fly, because I couldn’t afford both. At 3 or 4 years old, I was climbing trees, pretending I was flying airplanes. Fox: This is going to be a bit of a long answer. Q1: You started your career as an air traffic controller. In order to let us get to know her better, the new TSB leader kindly accepted to share some details on her career path and her life outside the office. Fox explored many facets of the air transportation industry, from working as an air traffic controller, to being appointed NAV CANADA’s Vice-President of Operations, all while being a licensed pilot, a flight instructor and a sport parachuting enthusiast. As of 21 August 2014, the TSB has a new Chair: Ms.
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