Frances Phipps was a Canadian, and the first woman who reached the North Pole (on April 5, 1971).[1][2]
Phipps grew up in Ottawa, Ontario as Frances Coolin. She was married to the Canadianbush pilot "Weldy" Welland Phipps,[3][4] who had been her flight instructor,[5] and the couple had nine children.[6] Along with her husband, she founded Atlas Aviation in Resolute Bay, Nunavut,[3][7][8] which was at the time the most northerly charter air service in Canada.[9]
The Phipps couple flew together to the North Pole in a Twin Otter ski plane[10] to the North Pole, to install a radar beacon and to promote northern travel.[11] Because no woman had been to the North Pole before, Frances' trip was included in the Guinness Book of World Records.[12]
In 1972, Fran and Weldy bought a 48-foot sailboat, and for over a decade traveled the world by sea.[13]
^Niedzviecki, Hal; Wershler-Henry, Darren Sean (2002). The original Canadian city dweller's almanac: facts, rants, anecdotes and unsupported assertions for urban residents. Viking Canada. p. 112.
