Jean Burns This aviation pioneer joined the Junior Victorian Aero Club at the age of 14 and began taking flying lessons at Essendon Airport when she was 17. In 1937, Jean made history by obtaining her pilot’s license, becoming Australia’s youngest female pilot at that time. Her adventurous spirit didn’t stop there. In November 1937, Jean became the first woman to parachute from a plane at Essendon Aerodrome. After her first jump, the Department of Civil Aviation threatened to prosecute her if she attempted it again. However, they later allowed her to continue, provided she followed a set of rules. Jean questioned whether those rules had ever existed before or had been enforced on men, but she didn’t let that deter her, as she had broken yet another barrier for all women.