DUCHESS OF BEDFORD ON FLYING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20870, 9 November 1929, Page 19

DUCHESS OF BEDFORD ON FLYING.

CITY MOTORING MORE RISKY. WOMEN AND AIR TRANSPORT. (From Opb Own Correspondent.) LONDON, September 12. i i 6 i *°) uni > the well-known women's club, has formed a flying group, which within two months has secured more than SO members. Lady Bailey, whose flying achievements are well known, is the president, and the Hon. Mrs Forbes-Semptll is the chairman of the Group Committee, whose members include Viscountess Elihanfc. Lady Apsley. and Mrs Geoffrey de Haviland. One of the objects of the group is to stimulate the development of air transport in Great Britain. Nof all the members are pilots, but special opportunities are afforded for them to take aerial trips. Sir Alan Cobham is to take a party of 10 by air to Hull nest month, when they will be received by the Mayor! the guest of honour at the inaugural dinner of the group on October 21 will be Lord Thomson (Air Minister). AN EXPERIENCED WOMAN AVIATOR. Particularly interesting was the Duchess of Bedford's broadcast account of her seven and a-half days' flight to Karachi and back with Captain Barnard and a mechanic. The duchess has just the right voice for a wireless talk, and her quiet enthusiasm for a ' l a ,? n "’as quite infectious. “ The nsks, she said, “are less than motoring down \vatling street, and the exhaustion almost nil." She felt called upon to put her interi lowers right, for several statements which she had not made were attributed to her. “ These errors prove what a hopeless person I must be to interview." she Pald - The first correction was the statement that the journey to Karachi had " eea _ boring. ’ This was far from being 80 - Besides, if one did tire of having nothing to do, one could always read and write in comfort while in flight. Another point that had to bo corrected was the widely-published statement that “ I go to study-birds in my aeroplane. I certainly do not. I do not choose an express train for the purpose, and an aeroplane goes faster. Further, birds do not usually fly higher than 1000 feet, whereas the aeroplane travels *BOOO feet up.” The duchess gave a very graphic account of the beauty of much of the scenery. Mountams.and rivers and lovely colouring were all visible. u “ Throughout the trip,” she continued, we never had more than three and a-haif hours sleep a night, but with none of the responsibilities of navigation on my shoulders I never felt in the least exhausted _ and could well have done the whole flight again. Meal times were irregnlar and informal, and I remember the vivid contrast of eating the drumstick of a chicken with my fingers at luncheon 3 , . dining at Government House, Karachi, hi state in the evening.” This journey would soon be ancient history and non-stop flights would he the order or the day, but no one need fear to undertake the trip as a passenger.