STUDY IN CONTRASTS BETWEEN AIRWOMEN

Northern Advocate, 7 January 1938, Page 5

STUDY IN CONTRASTS BETWEEN AIRWOMEN

The difference in temperament bereen two of the world’s greatest airomen was illustrated recently when iss Jean Batten and Miss Amy Johnn spoke of their flying experiences a dinner of the aviation section of ie Forum Club given in honour of iss Batten.

“I am duly too glad to be able to fer my humble congratulations to iss Batten,” Miss Johnson said. >erhaps my only qualification to do is that we are fellow conspirators in e same racket, and I have some xowledge of how much more there to making long distance flights than st being able to pilot an aeroplane.” Weary Months of Preparation. Weary months of preparation, eneaty, anxiety, planning and calculaig must precede any such flight, rilure after months of hard work ■ought almost unbearable disappointed, and even success had its trials, icre were always unpleasant anonyous letters and, above all, hordes of 11s, many from people who had given ivice free. It was things like this at led fliers Jo commercialise their ghts, however much they disliked ring so. Yet the public expected em never to be too obviously in ;ed of money. Speaking of her marriage and flights ith Mr Jim Mollison, Miss Johnson id: ‘T must say this for Jim—he ught me something. He’s just what } is—a very real person, who hates lam. He taught me to see through ppocrisy.” Never Felt “Tensed Up.” Miss Batten said that curiously lough she never felt “tensed up” here a flight. She felt no different string into her aeroplane on leaving arwin from getting into a motor-car i drive to town. She agreed that half the success of ly flight lay in the preliminary work, at the months of preparation did not eary her. She enjoyed every minute i them. She was afraid she went trough life with an idealistic outlook, jcause she always carried away leasant memories of the places she [sited and people she met. She felt that a woman had as much iance of making her way in aviation ! a man. In long distance flying, here novelty attached to the fact that ie was a woman, she might even have i advantage. She always asked, howler, that her flights be judged purely i their merits.