Gisele Garceau was born in Berthierville, Québec, in a family of 8 children. Although she had no family influence in the aviation industry, she had a dream, to become an astronaut. To achieve that she decided to focus on becoming a pilot and master the instrumentation of a cockpit. As a result, she obtained her pilot licenses in parallel with learning avionics aircraft mechanics.
She started her career with Canadair as the first female avionics mechanics in pre-flight. Four years later she joined Transport Canada rank as the first female airworthiness inspector. In this role, she provided approvals and inspection advice to avionics shops across the country. She became the first woman to hold a Category ‘E’ avionics license for avionics. Gisele is a professional engineer, a commercial pilot and a flight instructor. Her extensive career saw her living in Ottawa and Quebec, where she conducted industry audits and inspections across the region. She spent two years in Hong Kong, studying Mandarin and was active with the French-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Gisele was instrumental in writing the new regulations and rules associated with avionics work and licensing at Transport Canada. She is a strong advocate for women in non-traditional roles in the aviation and aerospace industries.
