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The Fruits of Flying

When thinking of early female aviatresses, the first name that springs to mind is the famous Amelia Earhart. But there were others of course. One such pioneer was Amy Johnson. She started her flying career in 1928 and became instantly famous in 1930 for being the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia. Upon her return to the U.K., she was celebrated enormously. Among other things she was presented by Sir William Morris with this brand-new MG Mk I Salonette with a very distinctive radiator mascot (click main pic!). But Lord Nuffield also expected of Amy to do something in return… like opening new Morris Garages all over the country.

Pubblicato:
giovedì luglio 7th, 2011
Sconosciuto
10 Luglio 2011, 19:43
"Aviatresses"? Where did that come from ?Surely,a female pilot is an" Aviatrix" so the plural must be " Aviatrices" as in Matrix/Matrices.
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Sconosciuto
08 Luglio 2011, 19:32
Amy Johnson drove a 328 BMW at Shelsley Walsh in 1938 and won the MAC Trophy. In 1938 she also drove a 4¼-litre Bemtley in the RAC Rally finishing in 60th place. In 1939 she turned to Ford and drove a V-8 with 76th place in the Monte and was unplaced in the RAC
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Sconosciuto
08 Luglio 2011, 18:38
At www.mascot-mania.co.uk, under:

Accessory Mascots -> Aeroplanes: -> 1920s Gipsy Moth Biplane

is this text:

"1920s British mascot of a Gipsy Moth biplane made by and marked to the rear of the base AEL. The plane itself was made by the De Havilland Company and one was flown by the British female pioneer aviator Amy Johnson.

Amy Johnson was born in 1903 in Hull. Her father was a prosperous fish merchant, who had taken over his family’s business. Amy was the eldest of three daughters, she gained her full pilots licence in July 1929.

Amy planned to undertake a long distance flight and chose Australia. On a wave of publicity her efforts to obtain support for the venture were rewarded, her family offered to buy an aeroplane, and Sir Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation at the Air Ministry, gave her an interview in March 1930. He then wrote to Lord Wakefield, head of the Wakefield-Castrol oil company, to bring Johnson’s ambitions to his notice.

On meeting Amy in April 1930, the oil magnate agreed to share the cost of an aeroplane, £600, with Amy's father. He also offered to arrange fuel supplies along the route to Australia. Preparations for the flight now began, less than a year after her first solo flight.

The aircraft for her epic flight was delivered only three weeks prior to her planned journey. Amy acquired a two-year old De Havilland Moth with a Gipsy engine which already had extra fuel tanks fitted, giving it a range of 13 hours flying time. She christened it Jason, the trademark of the Johnson family fish business, and had it painted bottle green with silver lettering.

On the 5th of May 1930 Amy took off from Croydon Airport and so began her long journey to Australia, her route covered some 11,000 miles. The final lap of her journey was completed on May 24th in the afternoon when she landed in Darwin, she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.

Amy Johnson died on the 5th of January 1941 after crashing over the Thames estuary after bailing out during a mission to deliver an Airspeed Oxford aeroplane, her body was never recovered, although her flying bag was found and is now in the Amy Johnson room at Sewerby Hall: http://www.eastriding.gov.uk/sewerby/hall/amy.html"

The picture at PWC is to blurry to confirm that this is the same mascot, but it would have to be, wouldn't it?
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Sconosciuto
08 Luglio 2011, 09:52
another flying lady: her lift is capured in a book: NINE LIVES PLUS. The Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce 1977. Autobiographical account of "Record Breaking on Land, Sea and In The Air" Mrs Bruce raced at Brooklands, won a Coupe de Dames in the Monte Carlo Rally, flew singlehanded to Japan, set powerboat records etc. etc. Exhausting to read!

See: http://www.peterrenn.co.uk/mmpics/mm1920.jpg
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