A WOMAN OF THE AIR.

PLYING TO BE GIVEN UP. ALLEGED JEALOUSY OF MEN. '. Mrs Eliott Lynn, tlio famous pioneer English air-woman, has - taken, the drastic step of announcing her intention to give up flying; as a protest against the jealousy which she declares has made hor-life as an aviator intolerable. , "It is too painful to a person who' has any sensitiveness to be subject to continual bickering and leg-pulling," she. said.'. Mrs Elliott Lynn attributes all Tier < troubles to prejudices against-' women adopting aviation as a career, and oho niadc no attempt to conceal her distress as she ielated her story. "1 am terribly upset' that I should have to f give up flying' ; she said, "but I have been driven to it. Tor months I have had ito contend with a campaign of veiled innuendo and .'open maliciousness which has made my life unbearable. It has all been a question of jealousy, , because T have had too much publicity, land because _ there are'man who like i to scoff at the very idea of- a woman i'becoming a successful pilot. 1 have ■ beeu jeered at gehind'my back and ridiculed to my face." ,' v

Mrs Eliott Lynn was the secretary of the Ladies' Athcn'reum. Club' before she took up -flying, and her success as an aviator, nas, in. fact, boon phenomenal. She was the first Sir-woman to give exhibitions "stunt" flying- in Britain, and she is the only woman who has a pilot's "B'.' license, to obtain ■which a ■severe test, including night flying, has to bo passed. "I have been flying for ju»t a year,'' she said, "and I have been-in the air for 350 hours, and covered 40,000 miles. Twice this summer I -was refused permission to enter races. Then I offered a silver cup to be presented to the' best pupil of the year, but. this' was declined. It was afterwards accepted by another club. Frankly, I. have hoped fo" make my living out of aviation. I have spent £2OOO on it, and I own two aeroplanes—a baby Moth, a clear little thing, like a lunabout, and a fast fighting scout. i "I have proved aviation can be made a success!ftl..'carecr- for a woman by giving exhibition flights, but. every cheque I have had I ■ have paid for bitterly. !JjTow I have boon refused permission to act as instructress,' even in a voluntary capacity, because 'it is said that lam taking the bread out of the mouths of the men pilots. 1 had a telephone conversation with ;vu aviation official, who finally stud he wanted to have nothing more to do with nic. That was the last straw.--'