Ed. Laurel Bank School, Glasgow. Father: Professor James Cunnison, of 19 Montrose Gardens, Milngavie, Dumbartonshire. 5 foot 2, eyes of, er, hazel. Veronica Inness described her as "a rather dour little Scotswoman" From May 1937, Chief Flying Instructor with the Strathtay Aero Club, Perth (the one in Scotland). She was only the second woman in Scotland to gain a commercial pilot’s licence, and the first to become a flying instructor.
"Miss Margaret Cunnison, flying instructress of Strathtay Aero Club, Perth, giving some wrinkles to a pupil" - The Courier and Advertiser, 13 Jul 1937
She married Major Geoffrey Bruce Ebbage, an ophthalmic surgeon with the RAMC, in 1941. She then became one of the 'First 8' women ATA pilots, joining on the 1st January 1940 as a Second Officer.
After couple of years at Hatfield, she was posted to Luton as an instructor; her report at the time said she "is a steady and reliable pilot. She works extremely hard and has proved invaluable as an instructor on light types". She was promoted to Flight Captain in Feb 1942, but suffered a bout of appendicitis from July to October, and then went off sick again on the 19th December 1942 and never returned to the ATA; her contract was terminated in March 1943. She did, indeed, only work on 'light types'; her log book shows 'Moth, Magister, Courier, Master, Oxford, Hart, Proctor, Rapide, Anson and Piper Cub'. d: 4 January, 2004, in Haddington, aged 89
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Cunnison Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file): |
Dec 1939
Jun 1937, with quite tall members of Strathtay Aero Club
1942 caricature by 
