Robyn Clay-Williams facts for kids

Robyn Clay-Williams is an Australian expert in healthcare safety. She is also famous for being one of the first two women to become pilots in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). She joined the RAAF in 1979. At first, women were not allowed to be pilots, so she worked in aircraft maintenance.

After the rules changed, she finished her pilot training in 1988. In 1993, she became a test pilot, flying new or changed aircraft to check them. Clay-Williams rose to the rank of Wing Commander. She even led a special RAAF unit called No. 85 Wing. She left the RAAF in 2003 and later earned a doctorate degree. As of 2021, she was a professor at Macquarie University.

Becoming a Pilot

Early Dreams

Robyn Clay-Williams, whose original name was Robyn Williams, grew up in Sydney, Australia. From the age of 10, she really wanted to become a pilot. She was inspired by Deborah Lawrie. Deborah had fought against a rule that stopped women from becoming airline pilots. Deborah won her case and became the first female pilot for a major Australian airline in 1980.

After finishing school, Robyn tried to join the RAAF as a pilot trainee. But she was told no, because women were not allowed to be pilots in the air force at that time. Even so, she joined the RAAF in 1979. Her goal was to study electrical engineering. She hoped this would help her become a military pilot in the future.

Breaking Barriers

Robyn trained as a radio engineer and finished her course in 1982. Back then, women in the Australian military were not allowed to carry weapons during parades. The men in her course showed their support for Robyn. They decided not to carry their ceremonial swords during their graduation parade.

Robyn and another woman officer complained about this unfair rule. They felt it made female officers seem less important. Their complaints were not accepted at first. The rules finally changed in the 1990s. Robyn worked with C-130 Hercules and Boeing 707 aircraft. She later worked at the Australian Defence Force Academy.

First Female Pilots

In October 1986, the RAAF changed its rules. They started looking for women who wanted to train as pilots. Robyn, who was a Flight Lieutenant at the time, was one of the first four women chosen.

On June 30, 1988, Robyn and Officer Cadet Deborah Hicks made history. They became the first women to complete pilot training in the RAAF. Robyn did incredibly well in her course. She got the highest marks of all the students. She even won an award for being the top student.

Robyn hoped to fly fighter jets, but women were not allowed in combat roles yet. She and Deborah were only offered non-combat flying jobs. Robyn chose to work at the School of Air Navigation.

The RAAF's first C-130J Hercules in 2015. Robyn Clay-Williams was the pilot for this aircraft's first flight in February 1997.

Becoming a Test Pilot

From January to December 1993, Flight Lieutenant Williams trained at the International Test Pilots School in the United Kingdom. She was again the top student in her course. After graduating, Robyn became the RAAF's first female test pilot. She worked at the Aircraft Research and Development Unit.

She helped the RAAF get twelve new Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. She knew a lot about these planes. Because of this, she was sent to the United States in 1995. Her job was to be the test pilot who made sure the RAAF accepted these new aircraft.

This job was supposed to last one year, but it ended up being five years. There were some problems with the aircraft's design. Robyn helped test the changes needed to fix them. For example, she found that the C-130J's head-up display was too high for most female pilots, including herself. Fixing this meant changing parts of the cockpit and control systems. She helped test these changes.

While in the United States, she met her husband, David Clay. She was seven months pregnant when she signed the papers to accept the RAAF's last C-130J aircraft.

Later Military Career

Robyn Clay-Williams returned to Australia in 2000. Soon after, she was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander. She continued to work on the C-130J aircraft project. Later, she became the commanding officer of No. 85 Wing. She left the RAAF in 2003.

A historian named Alan Stephens said that Clay-Williams had a "brilliant career" with the RAAF. In 2021, the Air Force celebrated its 100th birthday. Robyn Clay-Williams was one of 10 RAAF members whose stories were shared as part of the celebrations.

Academic Work

After leaving the RAAF, Robyn Clay-Williams went back to school. She earned a doctorate degree. Her research focused on how to improve training in healthcare. She used ideas from how flight crews work together.

As of 2021, she was an associate professor at Macquarie University. She works at the Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science. She has written many research papers. Robyn Clay-Williams is interested in how teams work, how people make decisions, and how to make medical devices safer and easier to use.