Canadian Aviatrix #93 – Iva Collins (1924-2003)

Iva May Collins was born around 1924 to Russ Mervyn Collins (a piano tuner who became the manager of a department store) and Alda Luella Beatrice Burton.

Iva started flying in 1941 and took her first solo flight in July.

On 27 November 1941, Iva passed her flying test and received her PPL, making her the 93rd female pilot in Canada. She was 17 years old.

Iva married David Garfield Evans in 1946. He was an electrician and keen naturalist – known for his ability to attract birds and handfeed them. The couple had two sons and lived for many years in Nipigon. (There’s also a Rosalind Evans listed with the family in the 1974 electoral register, but she’s not mentioned in either of the couple’s obituaries, so it’s unclear what relation she is.)

Iva died in 2003, aged 79.

Note: Iva was listed with an asterisk in No Place for a Lady – meaning the author hadn’t been able to find her. I just had “I.M. Collins” and the date of her PPL.