Titled English Woman, Son Killed in War, Teaches Aviation— Dressed in Overalls, Makes Mechanical Repairs on Own Machine

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 857, 8 November 1916, Page 3

Titled English Woman, Son Killed in War, Teaches Aviation— Dressed in Overalls, Makes Mechanical Repairs on Own Machine

Says Flying iV Cure for Unsteady Nerves and Describes 'Sixth Sense, ' Which Aids Aviators in Dangerous

F you are suffering /rom nerves, from ennui or from lark of adventure step into a hydro-aero-plane, rise gently from the ground and soar into the azure, over land and sea, descending upon either as the impulse moves you.

restier Walker. Sir Edmund Fremnntle and Lady Frcmaiuie. "In ilHti I,ord Auckland bought Gravenhurst. a lovely pla e in Sussex, where I built a chapel and installed, by special permission, my own chaplain, the Rev. Father Hopper. "Alas! All these delights were destined to be of short duration. 1 had a fearful shock when I discovered that my husband had lost money on the Stock Exchange—all our moneys that were not iu trust. "Gravenhurst had to be sold, and with it many of

Lady- Auckland, whose rank

may Im obtained from any of the ______ books dealing with the British peerage, recommends aviation as a sport and as a cure. During the last season she, with her son. condueled a school for aviation In Palm Beach, nox merely lending her name to the enterprise ns a passing fad. but going into it in the most practical manner. One rubbed one's eyes to see her at one moment, modlKhly dressed, on the promenade with other fashionable visitors, and the next 4" workwoman's shirt and overalls making mechanical repairs on her fly-

lop machine. The transition from London society to nn Amen ran workshop and business enterprise is interesting. Lady Auckland told me the story.

She is the daughter of Colonel George M. I-lutton, C. 8., a great land owner of Lincoln and a noted military man. Her mother was a granddaughter of Arkwright, the inventor, and on both sides of her family she is descended from distinguished forebears.

"My early youth was spent at the old Abbey of Knaith. on "the banks of the River Trent," she said. "It. was a beautiful old black and white house of the Stuart period, built on the site of the Cistercian Monastery razed by Henry VIII. •'I had a very unhappy childhood, as my mother never forgnVc me for being born a girl, not even up to the Cine of my marriage. My father was a close friend of the old Marquis of Salisbury, Lord Bandon, the Keresfords and other leading men of his day. This brought me in contact with the political lights of the eighties and early nineties. Was Good judge of Stock.

its world famed r.:L treasures, including gifts from Marie Antoinette to the Lord Auckland of that time, who was Ambassador to France.

"When my grandfather died, in ISTB. and my father succeeded to the large estates of Gate Burton, in the county of Lincoln, I became familiar with all the activities of country life. 1 was considered a first class judge of stock, shorthorns. Jerseys, sheep and pigs. At the age of thirteen I broke my young horses myself.

"I found that unless I worked we could not keep our eldest son at Eton, and to take him from there at that time would have ruined his career. "I went to work as designer to a large electrical firm and remained with them until I got a better position with a well known firm of metal workers in London.

"1 married when 1 was only nineteen years old, but my married life was not a happy one. I dad luxuries ami all the advantages that social position can give, but my home life was not happy. My two hoys Were born nearly three years apart and I became completely absorbed in them, giving up all social activity except entertaining, in our own home. "The family place of Kdenthorpe, near Doncaster, ■was sold to the Earl of Fitzwilliam, and we leased a beautiful place in South Devon, where we lived until 1004. At Plymouth and Devonport 1 saw much of the military and naval men who are now before the public, among others Sir Percy Scott, Sir Francis For-

"By this means I succeeded in keeping my oldest boy at Eton until he left in the ordinary course for the crammers for tiie army. Wanted Her Own Business. "About this time I thought I might as well have a business of my own and I started one in the West End. It proved a great success, as I always had an instinct for antiques, having lived amoffg them all my life. I took up decoration as well and did some beautiful rooms iu town and country houses. "Unfortunately, my health broke down. I had a slight stroke of paralysis from overwork, which laid

me up for nearly a year, and I had to make up my mind to take things quietly; not an easy task for a restless person. "About this time our dear o'.d aunts died, and we were once again comfortably off, and bought a heavenly place in* the Isle of Wight. This house formerly belonged to Dickens, and here Ire wrote many of his works. The house was low, with a velvet lawn sloping to the edge of the steep cliff overlooking the Channel. From this place we saw the Olympic pass and the ill-fated Titanic on her fatal voyage. Here we lived some years, until Lord Auckland again lost money. "After years of sorrow there was a culmination. I was only second fiddle, so my son and I made up our minds to come to America. "My oldest son was killed at St. Eloi. near Ypres, on March 1. 1015, with two of his brother officers, while leading their detachment to take some trenches. Ho was a lieutenant in the Sixtieth Royal Rifles, having been appointed to that regiment by H. M. King George in l!)l>>, after he had passed through the Military College of Sandhurst. "Notwithstanding the fact that the Countess of

Lyttou, the Duchess of Rutland, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Albany, the Countess of Crawford and the Countess of Balcarres were great helpers to me in my business, we left for America, where my son, Frederick Colvin George Eden, decided to take up aviation. "As 1 do not believe in interfering with the vocation of any human being, instead of trying to discourage my son, 1 joined him witli my heart and soul, and by so doing, after many years of trial, we are our own masters and free as the birds of the air. "Rather than all the luxuries of the world, 1 prefer peace and the freedom to pursue the duty of a true mother —that of bringing my boy into the right way of thinking and acting in this wonderful world. "Work has proved to me the only balm for misfortune. My advice to any one similarly placed is to emancipate herself and undertake productive work of her own choke, without hesitation. "Aviation is in its infancy, and there is still much work to be done, much to be taught, especially now that the present war is showing that the fate of a nation may hang in the air. Aeroplane in Commerce. "i see also a commercial value in aeroplane transportation that will greatly change our present social system. The speed of transportation, the total absence of hindrances and the difficulties of other means of transportation will make this world small by bringing in closer and more frequent contact with one another nations. States and cities. "The mechanical simplicity of this wonderful vehicle is becoming greater day by day, so the avor-

age man will soon ha-ve perfect control of it for transportation and other work. In my estimation it will he even more popular and serviceable than the automobile. In regard to sport, the fact that so many prominent Americans are taking it up speaks for itself in that field. Messrs. Astor, Fleischnian, Glendening, Thompson and Whitney are already skilled in the air sport.

•"Having seen much of the United States naval service, I am astonished to find how little the country concerns Itself with tins great means of defence. It is a device so easily handled, so inexpensive wheu compared with any other means of warfare, that the navy ought at least to have a sufficient number of hydro-aeroplanes for all purposes, not to speak of the number of land machines necessary for the defence of so great a nation as America.

"Flying, to me, is one of the greatest nerve restorers known. To take a flight—even one of short duration —is restful and invigorating, for it fills the innermost corners of the lungs with pure oxygen. It is a great relief, if not a cure, for those who suffer from asthma.

"There are no set rules for running a flying ma

chine, as in the case of an automobile, and that is why there is so much pleasure to be derived from it. One must apply his intelligence and mechanical ability to run as fancy and air conditions may require. "When I took my first trip as a passenger I became so fascinated with it that I immediately decided that 1 could soon become proficient and lc.nl a good hand to my son*in making a real business out of it. Developing a Sixth Sense. "After 1 gained a little more .experience in flying I discovered that the sixth sense becomes more acute and perceptible to the conditions in the air. For instance, when a puff of a wind is about to hi! the machine you will instinctively make the necessary corrections to meet it before it reaches you, and by so doing you will experience n delight that no other medium of transportation or sport will give you. "I prefer to fly against a strong, steady wind, rather than through a calm, as the machine under such conditions climbs faster and is more sensitive to control. Of course, all the different sensations at first experienced in flying gradually vanish, except when one is rising and falling abruptly in comparatively rough weather. "As to safety, flying over water is the safest. I had 1.2(H) ascensions in the last twelve mouths without accident. The reason of this is that there is more weight in the hydro-aeroplane and that the centre of gravity being so low makes the machine much more stable and less susceptible to rough conditions. This is neither luck nor presumption, for this particular type of Corliss flying boat has flown more than half a million miles without one serious accident to passenger or machine, being handled by hum

dreds of different pilots, of different capacities and degrees or knowledge. "Notwithstanding the fact that there are many difficult tilings to master before one can fly well, on the whole it becomes comparatively easy to learn Its mechanism. After some experience one will subconsciously pilot a machine as easily as a bicyclist guides his wheel. "The wonderful sights presented to one in the ail are unique. It to present them to the human eye in a better and more comprehensive form than they apiK?ar to a flying machine. You seem to be in control of the whole world. When in mists or clouds you do not know whether your machine is flying level upward or downward. Often the mist or cloud is so thick that one cannot see the instrument board, the indicator of directions. This gives a sensation of delight, mingled with expectation and a little unnecessary apprehension. Flying at 10,000 Feet.

"The highest altitude that I have ever reached on a land machine has been between nine and ten thousand feet. At this altitude I felt the effects of th« rarefied atmosphere. Breathing becomes short and

quick, the air is very cold, even on the hottest summer days. Once, at that altitude, while I was learning, I made a snapshot of a pilot, and thLs succeeded in showing the funny face that one makes at that altitude, with the mouth helping the nostrils for breath and the eyes half closed by the rush of tho wind, when goggles are removed Hoiv to Dress. "Dressing for flights? I think that leather coats are appropriate, and a cap of the same material should be made so that it covers the ears well. Goggles must be so constructed as to get the greatest possible amount of vision. "A good heavy sweater is better than a light one; short skirts than long ones; gloves, high boots instead of pumps; everything tightly fitting. Leather coats and trousers are more sensible than any of the combinations. The sleeves are fastened tightly round the wrists and the trousers fit closely likewise around the ankles, although this, of course, is a matter o£ taste and personal interpretation of comfort. "As flying does not require physical strength, wojaen are very likely to learn its secrets and enjoy the sport more than any other. "I came to this conclusion from observing my pupils of both sexes, and by the number of women passengers carried, which is larger than of men. "Women are generally more enthusiastic after tha first flight than men. Men feel almost satisfied after the curiosity has been blown out, but that is not the case with the fair sex. "As no contours can be noticed .from an altitude, a rough sea looks absolutely calm and harmless. The newspapers have been full of one of my latest experiences, each giving a different version of the occurrence. "I landed in the water to adjust a certain part of the motor. From the high altitude the ocean seemed perfectly calm. The roughness could not J>e discovered until it was absolutely too late to change our course. "The landing was very successful, but the rough waves soon found their way into the hull of the machine, gradually and rapidly filling it with the salty liquid, until the machine became so heavy that it could not rise again. ".Meanwhile the persisting and heartless waves injured one of the wings, and, as no bird can fly with one wing, neither could we. So we managed to beach the machine by applying certain skill and good work. The machine was safely brought to the hangar under its own power, and while it offers very little thrill or no thrill at all. from a sensational standpoint, I tell it because it may be of benefit to others caught iu the same trap. One may learn something in aviation every day."