Air Force woman makes history

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 5

Air Force woman makes history

Corporal Janine Leyden, aged 20, of Dunedin, has become the first woman in the Royal New Zealand Air Force to be awarded a flight crew brevet. Corporal Leyden graduated as a flight steward with No. 42 Squadron at the R.N.Z.A.F. base, Ohakea, the V.I.P. transport squadron equipped with Andover aircraft. The appointment of Corporal Leyden, formerly a transport driver, to R.N.Z.A.F. aircrew is signified by a small half-wing brevet on her uniform. The presentation of the brevet to her by Air Commodore D. M. Crooks, the air officer commanding the R.N.Z.A.F. Operations group, was a proud moment for Corporal Leyden. She joined the R.N.Z.A.F. two years ago as a transport driver. While serving ,at Ohakea in the. base transport flight she trained as a flight steward and shared her driving duties with those of a volunteer air steward with No. 42 Squadron. After the introduction into the R.N.Z.A.F. of the flight steward trade earlier this year, Corporal Leyden joined No. 42 Squadron as a full-time flight steward and has already flown 500 hours with the squadron within New Zealand and the South Pacific. Also to receive their flight • steward brevets with her were Sergeant Stephen Cleaver, of Christchurch, and Sergeant Graham Gilmoure, of Teniuka.