New Britain herald., 1928-03-14

grave Omlic Ocft.) Ruth Nicht and lower center, Geraldine Git New York, Mar. li. F'-- The bloom,r girl, mounted darinEly on q bicycle built for two, floutod Nic- torian ronveutjons and a.s'onishcd the sc1at" hrGb"rs who watched her carccn down Main street. but today her Eraudau-htcre have taken 10 the clouds and there is little com- ment on their antics.
 Nine women have been granted pilots licenses hy the dcpartm ent of commerce. 1@ hold students per nits, from onJ 10 dozen arc writ ing daily to find ont what they have to do to qualify. and all over the land scores @r" making parachute ! jumps. doing wing acrobatics and ! ioy-riling I'D and down tn" skies. Mrs. phoehc FairgraNo nulic. of | Memphis, T"nn., was the 1ly!5t woman to obtain a transport li- rcnsc. She began her air career in st Paul. llnn.. in 1920 as stunt performer and still holds the noman'a altitude parachute record. Convinced thr future of tlNlnS was in tho commercial "ud, sh" and her husband. Capt Y. C. Omli", began commercial work and now they are 1 officers in an incorporated air"ay travel organization a' Memphis
 During th" Mississippi flood, they helped carry mail from Little Rock ! to Memphis, carried medicine 70 the ! flooJod areas that otherwise would ! have been without help for weeks and transported He'd 'ross nurses | from place 10 place to direct trans portation work.
 "In the seven years ! have been | flying, l have found that the woman 1 plays a greater part ln aVlatlon than anyone suspects she faNS. Tn teaching and following avia- ton as closely as l can. ] find that the man whose mother. Wlic or sweetheart is his main obicctor IS the fellow who remains on me ground. A woman pilot can do more things 10 change this attitude than anyone else. Show to the women that they are capable to dong the same thing that man can do and you have sold that thing to the feminine sex
 Miss Ruth Nichols. of Rye, N. Y., the other woman holding q trans port license, is also the only woman holding an international Hydro Aero license. A member Of the Junior League, q graduate Of Wcl- leslv college and from a prominent Rye family, Miss Nichols has the distinction also of being the 1lrs' woman executive in q first line ar craft company in the country. She :; has flown in several parts oi 'h' world. and recently made non -stoi . flight from Rye to Florida. She 1s director of general aviation promo ton and sales representative or "' airplane manufacturing corpofauoii
 Miss Martha Helen 'ronnger, ft : hOlllHS, NY, Sd DIV t'tN'A 7 ,ion so much that she compelled , her family to give her an advanced coursc at a Cincinnati, O., flSln' school She still is training. hu
 she has had about 90 hours in 1h' air. She made her first solo f1lGh after 91a hours Of dual instruction She intends to find a. place in com mcrcial work when she flnlshe
 training.
 "I think women will be as goo
 fliers as men, she says. 'lhe ma iority of them are not fitted 10
 such work, llIst as the ma jority 0
 them are not excellent antomohll E drivers. But there are certain Glrl
 who have that mechanical sons
 that makes them as competent 3
 men in driving automobiles, or fly
 ing plancs. Some day we will hay
 nlontv Of commercial aviators.'
 The other women licensed pilot
 are: Ruth Elder. who failed 1n
 transatlantic hop; Miss Geraldln
 Grey, Buffalo, x. Y., who hopes
 fly across the Atlantic; katherln
 Schuyler Van Netchen, Cobra q
 Springs, Col, society girl; MarJor1 C, Stinson. Washington; MT!
 Frank II. Fredeman. Little Rocf
 Ark; and Viola Gentry. Martins
 vile. Va.
 Women students on the depart
 nent's roll are: Elizabeth Nllme
 Aver, Oakland. Calf; Nan o. Dun
 ham. Chicago, Ill.: Marian Greer St. Louis, Mo: Dorothy Hester. Mi
 waukee: Louise McPhetridge. Sa
 Francisco; Florence English Mac
 dock, Titusville, N. J.; Mabel ]
 Meade. Portland. Ore; Ruth Mon
 Atlanta. Ga: Lconida Eleanor Purf
 mas, Aurora. H.; Marie F. Shcl
 hammer, Madison. Wis: Peggy \
 Tackles, Chicago; and Elzabct
 Moves Warner. Washington.