The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-04-26
MRS. C. P. ROGERS
IN AVIATION AS
A PROFESSION
Dangerous Game Fascinates WI
dow of Trans.C Continental Flyer
is A BENNINGTON GIRL
Daughter of Fred o. Graves Tells
How Sea Gull Caused Husbands
Fatal Accident.

sensation so thrilling, no sport so
fascinating" said Mrs. Calbraith
Perry Rodgers when interviewed by
a representative of the Banner this
morning. Mrs. Rodgers, whose nus
band was famous the world over for
his daring flights and for his won
derful transcontinental trip, from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, is visiting her
father, Fred o. Graves here. Mrs.
Rodgers came here from Florida,
where with her manager, G. Living
ston Virgins, she has been flying
considerably during the winter. to at
tend the wedding of her sister and
where she is to remain until the first
of the month. BY May first it will
be necessary for her to rejoin Nj,
Virgins at Atlanta, Ga.
Mrs. Rodgers stated today that af-
ter she returned to Atlanta she would
probably make arrangements TO
bring the two aviators in the com
pany, with her trio of machines, to
this section for exhibitions at some
of the fairs this summer. Her pet
gins uses. is a special racing ma
chine, Model EX Wright, and small
Ter than the average biplane-the
second smallest in the world, she
said. The machine is the same in
which Gal" Rodgers made his cross
continent flight and with which he
met his death on the Pacific coast on
April 3. 1912.
The Rodgers Aviation company,
which in reality Mrs. Rodgers. owns
three machines, the Wright biplane,
which Rodgers used in his long flight
across the continent and which Wig
gins now uses: A Curtis machine
employed by Beryl Williams, her 9th
er aviator and Wright which is
used for passenger-carrying.
Mrs. Rodgers this morning was en-
thusiastic about the work of Virgins
who is southener, having lived in
Atlanta, Ca, until just before he be
came attached to the Rodgers camp.
He assisted Calbraith P. Rogers with
his machine and the two often made
flights together.
Mrs. Rodgers, herself, flies fire.
quently, she said, but she chooses
the passenger carrying Wright rather
than the racer which figured in tn.
fatal fall of her husband. But she
loves to go up with her aviators. 81
would not give up flying for any
thing" she said today.
With Mrs. Rodgers as his passen-
ger, 81 year old Virgins steered his
Wright racer in a flight over the en-.
tire city OF Atlanta this winter, circl-
ing nearly 5000 feet above the bust
ness center. In this trip a new rec
ord was made for carrying a passen-
ger in a racer, and Mrs. Rodgers was
the first woman to ever make flign.
in the Model EX Wright.
The Rodgers company have Offices
at Chicago and at Atlanta. Mrs.
Rodgers said today that already dur.
ing her short stay at her home here,
her manager had informed her of
more than fifty contracts, which
were received in one day, for her to
sign for the trio to make exhibition
flights, and that she had told him to
act for her in booking about thirty OF
them.
Virgins has spent much of his
time this spring in supervising the
construction of three new machines
for which he has wonderful ability
He has already built several new ma.
chimes which have done excellent
work.
His new machines are to include
g military tractor biplane, a flying
bout and a special machine in which
he intends to cross the Atlantic this
summer.
Mrs. Rogers said that Virgins was
so far the only aviator who has sue.
cessfully raced for many miles on a
stretch over the head of a motorcy.
clist, stunt which he performed sew.
eral times curing the winter at Tam,
pa He has such control of his ma.
chine and such unfailing nerve that
he can keep ~ the air within only a
few feet from the ground or fly over
a city Just above the top of the build
ngs or in between buildings a few
feet from the sidewalk.
Few people have ever heard the
correct story of the incident that led
to the fatal fall OF the famous aviator
Calbraith p. Rodgers. who was killed
at Long Beach. Cali in April. after he
had completed his fstaous iransconti
mental trip through the air ia his aer
Upiane. A seagull was the innocent
cause of the disaster.
This morning Mrs. Rodgers told