WELL-KNOWN AVIATRIX.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13163, 23 January 1936, Page 2

WELL-KNOWN AVIATRIX.

WRITES TO NEPHEW IN BUSH. AN INTERESTING TRIP. We publish extracts from a letter written by Lady Drummond May (.the distinguished co.rrespondent), to a. nephew of hers in this district, who had written to her asking advice on aviation matters, which will be of interest. It may be remembered that Eady Hay was the only female passenger in the Graf Zeppelin when it made its initial trip across the Atlantic, which so nearly ended in disaster. The letter was written from M.S. ‘‘Neuenfels ’ m the Red Sea, travelling from Suez to Djibuti. k ‘i sold my Waco before I left to Australia. As a matter of fact, 1 ciid not mean to sell it until the spring, but a small transport company in Australia offered me a very good price for it, and also took all the extra instruments, which means L can afford to buy new ones, so 1 thought it was best to let it go while there was such a good opportunity. It was a big wrench as you can imagine. But it leaves me free to buy another next year, and, like motor-ears, the year does make a difference. I mean, if 1 bought one now, it would be 1935, and if I wait another five weeks it will be 1936 model, and that makes all the difference when you come to sell them again. So I am waiting for the New Year.

“My Waco was 1933 model, and very lovely. But as I am scheduled to fly with the new big Zeppelin on its pioneer trip from Germany to New York (sometime in the spring 1 think) 1 will stay in the States a little and get the new Waco from Troy, Ohio, where it comes from. 1 have flown more than 50,000 miles on the old Graf Zeppelin and cannot believe that the new one will be half as friendly! ; 'Just now I am off to Abyssinia. If you look on a map, you will see that I am making a very interesting round trip. I left London and flew to Marseilles, France. Then to Rome, and from Rome to Tripoli in Libya, North Africa. There 1 stayed ten days, just w'hen the tension between Italy and Britain over the question of the Egyptian-Libyan border was most acute. Iheti 1 flew to Hen gh a si, staying at Sirte in the bay of Sirte. From Benghasi to Alexandria, Egypt. Stayed a week there, then three weeks in Cairo, where I have been going regularly for about 15 years, so I know everyone, and had a very interesting time there. From Cairo,” I went to Suez, which you will see at the south end of the* Canal. Stopped a whole day at Port Sudan, frightfully hot, and to-morrow will be in Djibuti, where I have been before. Here one begins to see the Fuzzy-Wuzzies of Somaliland, those natives with very fuzzy hair, in which they carry no” end of small personal belongings. Then 1 wdll go to Addis Ababa, in Abyssinia, and have letters of introduction to the Emperor and Imperial family. I believe they are very cultured and interesting. So you see, it is a most interesting round-up, though not exactly easy travelling after 1 leave Egypt. But i just love to travel, anywhere and anyhow. At th 0 _ moment J am on a cargo ship. 11,500 tons ship, carrying 11,000 tons of cargo for the various ports. She has a heavy oil motor of 3,900 h.p. and does 12 knots. There are seven passengers, all of whom w T ould interest you. There is the Belgian Consul going to Aden. Then a Turkish aviator-engineer going to the omen. Three Swedes, one a radio expert going to take charge of the radio station at, Addis Ababa, the next an aviator with his aeroplalie on board, going to fly medical supplies for the Red Cross. and the third is a blonde Swedish girl, who is the only woman parachute jumper in Sweden. I don't know what she is going to do—jump, perhaps! I hen there is a Dutchman who has been 10 years in Abyssinia, mining gold and platinum. H e looks like l the mining characters in books and novels! It js very interesting to be travelling with these people, and you really meet more interesting people on cargo boats than on passenger ships. Anil the fare is cheap, about one-tlnrd of the passenger ship Lire, hut of course it is not so comfortable, but I never mind that. I love travelling so much that I would go anyhow, and to any place mi earth, just for the fun, of "travelling. Of course 1 am going to Abyssinia to write articles.