Obituary: Jenny Frame

Jenny Frame, flying inctructor. Died aged 71.

New Zealand's first female chief flying instructor will be remembered for her passion for flying and the encouragement she gave to other women, friends and family say.

Jenny Frame died at home in Nelson last month, aged 71, after a long battle with cancer.

Born in 1933 in Invercargill, Mrs Frame moved to Nelson with her family 17 years ago.

Fellow flying friend Anne Cassin said Mrs Frame had opened the door for women pilots. She pursued a childhood dream to fly when she started lessons as a 16-year-old in Invercargill and continued on to become a flying instructor.

"She was a pioneer for us to look up to. She encouraged many women to take up flying."

Jenny Frame was one of the founding members of the New Zealand Airwomen's Association in 1959, a group that helped give women credibility in the male-dominated industry.

"She was totally absorbed in flying and she was at home with it. But at the same time she had so many interests that I don't know where she found the time," Mrs Cassin said.

She was employed by the Nelson Aero Club as a flying instructor before setting up Tasman Bay Aviation with Stu Rae in 1993.

Don Frame, her husband of 40 years, said she was a strong-willed woman who had achieved a number of things for women in the aviation industry: "She was always fighting the authorities to give women more opportunities to fly."

- NZPA