The Chief Engineer and ground staff of Northern & Scottish Airways at Renfrew Airport, summer 1937. Standing next to the Chief Engineer is Sheila Darragh, a female member of the ground crew. The plane in the background is a Spartan Cruiser.
Northern & Scottish Airways was formed in November 1934. Midland & Scottish Air Ferries, which operated at Renfrew Airport between 1933 and 1934, had a female pilot called Winnifred Drinkwater. It was unusual for airlines to employ women as pilots or ground crew during the 1930s, and Scottish companies seem to have been ahead of the times.
Reference: T2002-12 4-021
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
airplanes, airports, engineers, ground crew, Midland & Scottish Air Ferries, Northern & Scottish Airways, pilots, Renfrew Airport, Spartan Cruisers, women