"JUST LOVELY!"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13293, 31 January 1914, Page 4

"JUST LOVELY!"

HOW IT FBtfLS TO BE 1800 ft. UP IN THE AIR. MISS ESMEE McLELLAN'S EX- . PERTENCa?. (Special to Herhld.) AUCKLAND, this day. What it feels* like tw;be''lßoolt up m the air was told to.a Star representative by Miss Esmee .McLellan, of the Royal Pantomime Company, who has the distinction of being the first woman to make a successful aeroplane : flight- m i New Zealand; On. Wednesday afternoon Miss McLellan. went up, with Lieut. Hammond m the Government aeroplane Britannia, nnd for nearly half an hour had the unique, experience*' of Soaring round above the city and Suburbs;\••"--- . "What was it like?" said Miss--Mc-Lellaii. "Well,, it was like just nothing I've every experienced before, 'and ao it s is quifo hard to ''■'tell'' a i'eal story about it. Mr Hainriiond is staying at the same hotel, and M 'had expressed a wish to go up if ever, he felt inclined to take a passenger. Tho aviator, was "riot quite siire ''about' the 'Britannia when it came to carrying a; ' p'ass-enger, however," and ho would make no promise. "On. Wednesday I. went out with others' of our party, after visiting the Exhibition, to 'see 'Ms* Hammond fly. I. was an absolute 'surprise -to' me .'-when -'Ik said. Til take a passenger — will yoi come?' I didn't wait to, be asked twice, and at once got into the passenger's seat. I honestly' didn't • feel the "least wee bit nervous. On the contrary thc feeling. I was most conscious of wus one j of pleasurable excitement, and do you •oib.w the" first 'feeling, once away, was ho\v: simple And "safe 'it all' Svas.' j "I'd somehow pictured-- aviators a' I having to be tied m or having to hole 1 pii tigfht. .On the Britannia. I nevei j eten thought about being frightened : br of beiiig anything r clse "biit comfort I able ahd pleased. -.The -.machine 'left Ah ' ground so easily, and we mounted- into ihe air so naturally,, that- it somehov. seemed to actually inspire confidence. It is surprisingly difficult' to analyse how what my? .sensations *Were. T only know that' I.w as wonderfully elated, and that I, just enjoyed every moment of it- From .your volcanic, cones I have often looked out over. Au_Mand / and thought' it ' the '■loveliest place ! in tnd wbrld , but' viewed from an aeroplane,' at a height of- iiearly 2000 feet, it was like a glimpse of something;^ The city itself ■Sbokeoi' br£" : enough, hut the hoiises and the people seemed -like thoso ' Gulliver must have -m^w'ith on his famous travels,*. -:■ . ;.- ' '. "Wo^'were travelling faster than 1 'Have travelled. m the fastest exprcss^train, but there was riot even' the .sightcst- ■•vibiatiph,' nbr.' was there ■' any -sensation ■ that was other , than entirely pleasant. When we can actually journey'from one place to another without the fatigue of train travelling or the 'drawbacks of a sea voyage, how delightful it is going to b?.* When we descended it was all just equally simple, and apparently equally easy. Coming 'down the water c'hute'at the Exhibition only two hours before, my friends had teased ms because I was actually ■scared. Coming down to earth froni the skies on the Britannia, never gave me one nervous thought. W 7 e landed as skilfully and as easily as wo went up. "I'm sorry I can't describe my experience m more graphic terms, but I'm a woman, and I can best.,express myself when I use a woman's phrase, and .simply say it was 'jin'st lovely.' T was more elated -while m 'the^iiir than I think J've ever been about any first night success at the theatre, and I really think I'm. more excited about it- now when it's all over' than I was while actually m the air."

The machine was m the air for about 20 minutes. In recognition of thc event Mi" ' McLellan (who is a member of thc Royal Pantomime Company at present appearing m Auckland) was- presented during an interval m, . the, performance that evening .with ti ' Handsome bouquet, 'and the goggles and cap which she Svore during the "flight with Lieutenant Hammond. \* :■'' y ■•■-. • . ■■__