GIRL FLIER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21807, 23 May 1934, Page 11

GIRL FLIER

FURTHER PROGRESS DUE AT DARWIN TO-DAY TIMOR ISLAND REACHED ANXIETY RELIEVED MTSS BATTEN'S JOURNEY By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received May 22, 9.25 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 22 Miss Jean Batten, of Auckland, who is flying from London to Australia, arrived at Rambang, Java, on Monday at 5 p.m., local time. Miss Batten left for Koepang, Timor Island, at seven o'clock this morning, and reached there at 2.40 p.m., local time.

Before Miss Batten's arrival at Rambang was reported, the firm of C. C. Wakefield, Limited, which has charge of the ground organisation for the flight, advised that Miss Batten should have stopped at Sourabaya on Monday, but that no advice was received from the firm's agent there. The firm consequently became anxious and sent cablegrams to its agents at Rambang and other places seeking news of Miss Batten.

Jt is expected that Miss Batten will reach Darwin to-morrow. In this case she will equal the time of 15? days taken by the late Mr. Bert Hinkler on his solo flight from England to Australia.

THE LAST STAGE * CROSSING TIMOR SEA DETERMINATION REWARDED The news that Miss Batten had landed at Koepang on Timor Island was received by her father, Mr. F. H. Batten last evening, with considerable relief. Commenting on the flight, ho said that he thought the girl's determination to proceed after the crash and lucky escape at Rome was the pluckiest part of the whole adventure. He is naturally very anxious to see her land safely in Australia. The distance from Koepang to Darwin is about 500 miles across the Timor Sea, and Miss Batten should have no difficulty in reaching the Australian coast. She left England on May 8, and provided she reaches Darwin to-day, her time of 15 J- days is decidedly better than that taken by Miss Amy Johnson, now Mrs. J. A. Mollison. In May, 1930, the English girl took 19 days on her solo flight from England to Australia. Miss Batten was born at Rotorua and was educated at the Diocesan High School in Auckland and th.e Remuera Ladies' College. She had her first flight in an aeroplane with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in the Southern Cross in Sydney about four years ago. Later she went to England with her mother and took the opportunity of having flying lessons with Major Travers at the London Aero Club's aerodrome. She also took an engineering course. She qualified at Stag Lane aerodrome, London, and was the first Now Zealand girl to secure the British Air Ministry's A licence.

Miss Batten returned to New Zealand toward the end of 1931, and while in Auckland did a considerable amount of flying at Mangere. It was there, the day before she again left for England, that she obtained her A licence endorsement permitting her to take up passengers. She now holds a B certificate, which entitles her to engage in flying as a profession, and for some time she has been engaged in carrying on a private flying service at Tunbridge.

While in Auckland Miss Batten studied navigation at the Richmond School of Navigation, and on her return to England she took a course in aeroplane rigging and engineering at the works of the large aeroplane Manufacturing companies.

Miss Batten is very small and graceful, and i».a fine pianist and a talented dancer. Her brother, Mr. John Batten, is a film actor who has appeared with much success in a number of British films. Those who know Miss Batten say that her outstanding qualities as a flier arc grit, determination and air sense in a marked degree. Her mother is still in England.