WOMEN IN THE AIR

Evening Star, Issue 20076, 17 January 1929, Page 15

WOMEN IN THE AIR

SEX EQUALITY QUESTION An interesting situation lias arisen in (lie relations between the Duchess of Bedford, “the Hying duchess,” and Captain C. D. Barnard, who taught her to fly, and who has often piloted her machine on her air trips. A few weeks ago Captain Barnard wrote an article for the ‘ Daily Express,’ in which he said that there could he no sex equably in the air. Women were inferior to men as fivers, lie said “ and the serious side ol aviation, the work of -aviation and hazard, these will fall to the lot of man to accomplish.” The Duchess of Bedford is in entire disagreement with her pilot, and in a .letter to the ‘ Daily Express ’ expresses her views with feminine incisimiess. She writes ; “1 am not in a position to dispuie the fact Hint women may be inferior air pilot- 1 to men, as 1 have never flown with any, but I warn under the impression that one of those whose photographs have boon used (Lady Heath) had mado an altitude record for light machines piloted by either a man or a woman, though Captain Barnard says that it is only a woman’s record.” The writer goes on to say: ‘‘Having obviously two women pilots in his mind who have made the flight alone between England and the Cape within the lastyear, Captain Barnard says that a trip from the North to the South Pole under fair conditions is no test of airworthiness, and' that probably DO per cent, of flic many thousands of men pilots in England to-day could do it. “ Possibly. But as two women pilots have already accomplished the above somewhat exacting flight out of the very small number who have as yet qualified, seems possible that tho percentage might be equally high in the caso of women pilots when they, too, arc niinibced by 1 many thousands.’ I am surprised to learn that lightness of touch is of no value, because when with him in (ho air I have always beer told by Captain Barnard that the less the control lover is moved the hetlcr. “ Finally, I learn from Ins article that when a woman has been interviewed by a newspaper reporter or has writter her account of some flight . . . old phrase crops np again and again ; ‘ I was not frightened at all, even ’ It is a. queer thing that one never sees that statement made by a man.” _ Continuing, the Duchess further quotes Captain Barnard us follows; “Fear is only the outcome of this gift (imagination), and it is a function its itself. It stimulates the mind to its highest pitch of efficiency in moments of danger. When a woman says that she was not frightened she might as well admit the absence of some other faculty, such as sight or hearing. She is deficient from a mental .standpoint.” In an article written by Captain Barnard for the ‘ Nows of the World ’ on his recent flight to India and back lie says: “ Had there not been a fail over (ho cliff of 500 ft on the other side I really do not think I could have averted a terrible crash. Strangely, but truthfully, I. can state that I was not in the least frightened, and the incident was quite forgotten once over the Channel.” Tho Duchess concludes as follows “ Tho fine distinction drawn by him between tho two sexes with regard to fear is difficult to understand. But I read that it is the mind that matters, and, a“ I am not a pilot, probably my photograph _was used to illustrate a mental deficient.'’