MISS BATTEN LANDS IN AUSTRALIA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19807, 24 May 1934, Page 9

MISS BATTEN LANDS IN AUSTRALIA

AMY JOHNSON’S FEAT ECLIPSED

PRESS TRIBUTES TO PLUCK OF AIRWOMAN United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 23, 7.0 p.m.) DARWIN. May 23. Miss Jean Batten, the New Zealand flyer, landed at 3 p.m. local time, thus completing her flight from England to Australia. Last Stages. Miss Jean Batten reached Timor Island on Tuesday, and was then only about 520 miles from Port Darwin, but 400 miles of that distance is over open sea. Miss Batten had a good chance of breaking Mrs Amy Mollison’s time of nineteen and a half days for the journey. The record for a solo England-Aus-tralia flight is 7 days 4 hours 47 minutes, set up by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. MOTHER’S CONFIDENCE. "CERTAIN SHE WOULD GET THROUGH.” United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 23. 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, May 23. “I was certain that she would get through,” said Mrs Batten. "I realised that there was danger, but Jean is a good enough flier to know when the weather does not permit taking off. She is doing just what I would like to do myself if I had the opportunity.” Mrs Batten revealed that when the project was first broached, the male members of the family opposed it. but the females supported the idea. Jean said after Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s flight in 192 a that “one day I shall do something like that.” She meant it, but her father, fearing for her safety, discouraged her. Thereupon Jean, who was completing her musical training in New Zealand, sold her piano, and her mother realised on some property and both came to London where Jean obtained her A and B licenses. They returned to Auckland in 1931 in the vain hope of persuading her father to finance the flight. They again visited New Zealand in 1932, and her father relented after seeing Jean loop the loop. He assisted in paying for her studies in navigation. Mrs Batten added: "Jean will probably tour the Commonwealth, and I will join her there or in New Zealand. Jean scribbled a letter from Karachi saying that she was enjoying every minute, even the sandstorms. Another message said that she had to go round Lebanon in approaching Damascus, because the down draughts were bad in crossing the mountains. Thunder storms and dust storms forced a landing at Rutbah Wells, where she dined and bathed.” “The Daily Mail” pays a tribute to Miss Batten’s feat as giving a- new impetus to air-mindedness. "The News Chronicle” dubbs Jean as the “try again” flyer. "The Evening News” employs the slogan "Fly, Fly, Fly Again.” "BEST SIGHT POSSIBLE” MISS BATTEN WELCOMED AT DARWIN United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 23, 10.20 p.m.) DARWIN, May 22. Miss Jean Batten, petite and selfpossessed, captured all at the aerodrome, when she stepped down from her tiny plane saying: "Thank heaven I’m here. Darwin is the best sight possible, after fighting side winds all day. I am tremendously pleased at breaking Amy Johnson’s time. .This is my third attempt. I am thrilled to be here. I do not intend to fly the Tasman to New Zealand. I shall ship the plane from Sydney.” Miss Batten refused to say more but “I’m famished.” A cup of tea and a wash were quickly provided. Miss Batten worked all yesterday afternoon and before daylight to-day on her engine at Koepang, being unable to get any mechanical assistance. Her clothes bore abundant evidence of the oily nature of her task. She was blown miles south of the course, but had no trouble in locating Darwin, where she side-slipped to a perfect landing and received the hearty congratulations of the crowd.

BOUND FOR SYDNEY

ESCORTING PLANE ACCEPTED United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 23, 11.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 23. Miss Batten is expected to reach Sydney on Saturday or Sunday. She gratefully accepts the services of the escorting plane sent to Darwin by the Quantas Airways of Brisbane, which arrived there this morning piloted by Ron Adair. It is expected that Miss Batten will desire a day’s rest before resuming.

DISTINCTION FOR NEW ZEALAND

MISS BATTEN INTERVIEWED United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 23, 11.45 p.m.) SYDNEY. May 23. Miss Jean Batten, in an interview, said: "It was filthy weather through-

out an adventurous trip, occupying 145 days.” Miss Batten is the first New Zealand girl to make the trip.

CONGRATULATIONS IN ENGLAND

AMY MOLLISON’S TRIBUTE. United Press Association —B.v Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 24, 12.30 a.m.) LONDON May 23. Although Mrs Batten intended to go to bed last night, the excitement proved too great and she waited all night with a telephone at her elbow till the news of arrival came. She declared "I feel the happiest and proudest woman in London.” She is receiving hundreds of congratulatory messages. Other Australian fliers are delighted at Miss Batten’s success. Mr and Mrs James Mollison are particularly complimentary. Amy said “I knew that she would do it. She is made of the right stuff. She put up a marvellous show.” Sir Allan Cobham said it was a magnificent achievement. "Only one who has made the flight,” he added, "can appreciate what anxiety must have been in her mind.”

DELIGHT IN AUCKLAND

PARENTAL AND CIVIC PRAISE By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, May 23. "Jean certainly has tenacity of purpose if nothing else, and she will deny herself in all ways to achieve her purpose,” said Mr Batten to-night. "Of course I am very pleased that she has reached her objective. I have always had every confidence in her. The only things I was afraid of were the weather, and whether the machine would stand up to the strain put upon it. I think it was rather plucky of her to go back to England and make a fresh start after she crashed in Italy. I have an idea, it may be unfounded, that the suggestion that the machine had to be returned to England for repairs was a little piece of camouflage to cover up the fact that she wanted to start off the scratch mark again. That seems to be to be plucky.” The Mayor of Auckland (Mr T. W. Hutchison) said to-night that Auckland was proud of Miss Batten’s achievement. The Auckland branch of the National Council of Women has sent her a message of congratulation on behalf of the women of Auckland.

Miss Jean Batten, who is the daughter of an Auckland dentist, made her first attempt to fly from England to Australia in April. 1933. She made good progress as far as Baluchistan, where she was forced to land in a very bad sandstorm. She chose the flattest piece of ground she could see, but it was marshy, and the machine, a Moth, tipped over and the propeller was broken. Friendly tribesmen took her to a British post, and from there she was taken to Karachi in a motor car. She took a new propeller back to the machine and left for Karachi, but when she was only three miles from the aerodrome engine trouble developed and she had to land in rough country, damaging the machine. She showed signs of nervous strain and was ordered back to England by a doctor. Miss Batten set out again from England last month, but on the second stage of her flight, from Marseilles to Rome, she ran out of petrol and was forced to land, damaging her machine. She borrowed a pair of lower wings and flew back to London. It was stated that her forced landing near Rome was a very fine piece of work, as the only available field was studded with trees and radio masts. Miss Batten said before she left England that she could not attempt to break the record, as her machine was not fast enough. She will, however, have handsomely beaten Miss Amy Johnson’s time of 19 days If she reaches Australia to-day.