AMY JOHNSON'S NERVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20841, 7 April 1931, Page 6

AMY JOHNSON'S NERVE.

AIRV/OMAN RISKS DEATH. DEFYING A FIERCE GALE. Miss Amy Johnson, the famous airwoman, risked death recently when, in a terrific gale, accompanied by torrential rain, she flew from Lympne aerodrome to Stag Lane, near London, after crossing the English Channel from the Continent. Her machine was almost blown to the ground as it rose in the teeth of the gale, and for a time she was at the mercy of terrific gusts of wind, estimated at 65 miles an hour. When disaster seemed imminent Miss Johnson succeeded in gaining control of the machine. It was dusk, visibility was reduced to a minimum and the authorities at Lympne were anxious for her safety. Her decision to resume the flight when she arrived from the Continent had caused considerable surprise. The air trip from Lympne to Stag Lane can be normally accomplished in 50 minutes, but it took Miss Johnson more than two hours to cover it on this occasion. She was reported " missing" at Stag Lane for more than an hour. Miss Johnson made her decision to defy the gaie against expert advice from the officials at Lympne. She was the coolest person at the aerodrome when she took off. The machine was rocking on the ground, and as the girl pilot opened the throttle the machine moved forward into the gale and the rain. It had no sooner gained height than it was struck a number of hammer-like blows by the wind, and it shivered momentarily. It lost speed and dropped many feet to a dangerous proximity to the ground. Many pilots in such circumstances would have faltered, but Miss Johnson handled the controls with rare skill, keeping the nose of her little airplane into the wind; and once having gained height it disappeared into the dusk.