CENTENARY AIR RACE

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 June 1934, Page 9

CENTENARY AIR RACE

MRS. THADEN’S TRIUMPHS The recently-announced entry of Mrs Louisa Thaden in the Centenary Air Race brings into the contest one of the world's most daring women fliers, and one of the most interesting personalities in aviation. It was a woman of Airs. Thaden’s own country—the United States—who, in an article in 1928 in one of America's leading papers, suggested that the lield of aviation should be entirely cleared of the fair sex, because of a series of disasters involving the tragic fate of women fliers. She also ventured the opinion, with sad lack of prophetic vision, that it would not be long before, more stringent, laws in aeronautics would be passed, eliminating women fliers from competition with airmen. That it was a false prophecy was quickly demonstrated in the United States itself by Mrs Thaden, among a score or more of women fliers in that country, and by countless women in other countries. Miss Jean Batten is I he latest young woman to illuminate the great story of aerial endeavour.

I and to give to the world yet another Odyssey of the air. In the early days of aviation—and I it was this that, gave rise to criticism I of them —women set out on long and ' hazardous flights largely in a spirit I of adventure and in the "belief that all sorts of queer talismanic charms would help to pull them through. Not a few ' of them were not heard of again. Over the ill-fated lives of some of them the ' winds and the waters of the great Atlantic vailed a threnody. Women fliers to-day—long distance fliers of the type of Mrs Thaden —recognise that, if they are. going to engage successfully in a long, nervewracking battle with the. elements, over land and sett, they must depend, not upon the sorcery of mascots, but entirely upon themselves and their machines. It was Mrs Thaden who. some years ago, set an altitude record in the United States for women by climbing to a height of 20.270 feel —a record which was later eclipsed, but which, in all probability, she has since improved upon, since she is at present the holder of several world’s aviation records for women. Mrs Thaden was one of the first women fliers to win distinction in a long jliglil which was waged with the Eed-

■ eration Aeronautique Internationale I for recognition of women in awarding (aviation records. It was following this flight that women’s air records were 1 given official standing, regardless of how they compared with the records set by men. This official recognition 'was a triumph, for, among other wo'men fliers, Mrs Thaden was credited, with a then speed record of 156 miles an hour. Incidentally .it also set the 1 official seal upon the achievement of i another daring American woman flier. Mrs Phoebe Omlic, when she climbed to an altitude of 25,100 feet. Mrs , Omiie is credited with being the first woman to secure a United States commercial transport license.

Mrs Thaden. then in her twentyninth year, caused a stir in America a few years ago when she won the heavy 'plane division of the first crosscountry Air Derby for women in the United States. Over a course of 2350 miles, over rugged mountains and across the desert, she led, from start Ito finish, field of sixteen women conI test ants.

It is not surprising that Mrs Thaden, recognised as one of America's most, daring and successful fliers, should have been attracted by the Centenary Air Race.