Woman Flier Resting

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30125, 8 May 1963, Page 15

Woman Flier Resting

<AZ Press Assn.—Copyright) CANTON ISLAND, Muy 6. Mrs Belty Miller, glad enough to have found this speck in the Pacific, rested today before continuing her solo flight from California to Australia, United Press International reported. Canton is a 4-square-mile .oral atoll, and the 36-year old Santa Monica. California housewife was concerned on hiving Honolulu yesterday about hei untested long-range radio antenna- Air control authorities in Honolulu said, however, her reports were “loud and clear"

She spent the rii<fht with a fajnily on the island and planned an early morning

take-off for Nadi Airport, Fiji. 1270 miles to the souto- ■>. est. Mrs Miller, who began hei jrurney on April 30, is the only woman ever to fly solo too,, east to west across the Pacific, though Amelia Earhart once flew solo in toe other direction from Honolulu to Oakland, California Mrs Miller made an uneventful, 2400-mile Bight from Oakland to Honolulu in 17 hours 3 minutes The shorter, 1700 mile journey yesterday was completed in just over 13 hours. From Nadi the freckle-face br nette will fly to Brisbane. Australia, to deliver the twin engine craft to its new owner Three months ago she hao no aspirations t< become the firs,-woman to make the solo flight. Then she received a telephone call from a ferry pilot. Max Conrad.,* veteran of 10 such trans-Pacific flights. He needed a pilot to

fly a twin-engine Piper Apache to a Brisbane buyer and offered to pay her if she would take toe job. “Max thought it was ,bout time a woman tried the flight,” Mrs Miller said She talked it over with her husband “Ee was excited about the idea, so I agreed ’’ That flight never happened for her. but the idea was not forgotten Australian authorities refused Mrs Miller permission to delivei the plane because she lacked an, Aus tralian navigator’s licence So Conrad made toe light himself He again approached her with toe idea when a plane registered to an American needed ferrying to Australia The plane was not subjectgto . ,stralian navigation regulations because of Its American registration She accepted the job. has established one aviation milestone and is on her way towards another-