Nancy Bird Walton with her Leopard Moth aircraft . Dressed for the hotclimate of inland Australia, Nancy's shorts were considered unladylike in the thirties. Nancy cy Bird Walton 1915 - 2009 was a pioneering Australian aviatrix who began flying when she was only 17, taking her first lesson from Sir Charles Kingsford Smith at his flying school at Mascot.Two years later in 1933 at the age of 19 Nancy became the youngest female commercial pilot in the British Empire. Nancy was hired as the pilot for the Far West Children's Health Scheme in 1935 , flying a nursing sister to remote properties, and pioneered aerial ambulance and baby clinic services. Nancy became known as " The Angel Of The Outback " transporting sick and injured children between their homes and hospital using her own Gipsy Moth aircraft. During World War II Nancy served as Commandent of the Women's Air Training Corps and in 1950 became founding president of the Australian Pilot's Association and also patron. Nancy Bird continued her work as the pilot for the Far West Children's Health Scheme flying nurses and medical supplies to remote areas of NSW for several years and in later years was active in promoting aviation heritage and encouraged women of all ages to fly. Nancy Bird received the AO and OBE for her services.