Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-14

see among the sports APP
parel handsome leather fly
ing suits Of Nile green, deep violet and
Tose red destined for the aviatrlX.
Pick I'D the Sunday rotogravure Sec
ton and on its pages you VIII en-
counter adventurous looking young
women in flying helmets.
If you are both feminist and optlmlst,
YOU will say, "Ah. yes; women, too, are
(. the field of aviationi"
But cold imperSonal statistics COM
billed by Government officials eventually
will loom up to diSillusion you. They
show that as yet women really do not
count in aviation. These chic flying
quits remind experts of the fancy suits
of bathing beauties who only lounge
upon the beach, and the firm-looking
girls pictured in flying helmets suggest
diving girls who pose on the spring
board without ever taking real plunge.
The Department of Commerce license
Is the only recognized credential of the
true pilot. This treasured bit of paper
is a small certificate, not unlike the
automobile drivers license, but it is won
by rigorous practical and written
examinations that only a skillful, well
trained man or woman can pass. 1t
means that its owner understands the
theory Of flying, has flown a conSid-
cradle number Of hours solo and in the
opinion of conservative Department of
Commerce officials is competent to fly
for pleasure and to take friends who
care to experience the trip out for
Joy ride. Moreover, past performances
mean nothing to the Government in
Scectors. These licenses must be re-
newed regularly, SO that pilots who have
1oSt their skill or failed to keep in prac-
tice are disqualified.
Tl1aco 10 yrhn only
genuine aviatrices, live in widely Sepa-
rated sections of the United States
They have taken up flying for many
different reasons and their home back
grounds and business interests are
varied in character. Some of the group
had incomes more than adequate to
cover the cost of the expensive flying
lessons: others had to take the surplus
from their weekly pay envelopes to
meet the fees for instruction.
MANAGERS of flying schools are
given to shaking their heads with
hisapproval whenever woman student
appears on the field, but they are al
ways willing to recognize courage and
skill when they find it, regardless Of
the age or occupation of the student.
dubious reception was accorded
Mrs. Margaret Fezandre O'Mara when
first she appeared at CurtiSS Field,
Long Island But soon she displayed
such ability that the instructors be-
came convinced that even a woman
labeled housewife" can also become
a pilot-and Mrs. OMara justified
their faith, for she now holds one of
the coveted private licenses. More
over, she is the mother of two small
r1,i1Iror1 uhn frprl1pnt1y visited the
field with her.
Nor was youth a handicap to Elinor
Smith daughter of Tom Smith, vaude-
vile actor. At 16 years of age she has
the distinction of being not only the
newest recruit, but the youngest of the
woman pilots. Her flying career began
at the age of 8, when she began to visit
flying fields with her father. The pilots
who took her riding used to let her hold
the stick that guided the plane. Even
tually her father bought plane and
she flew with him, absorbing, rather
than studying, the principles of avia-
ton. AS result she was ready to take
her pilots test full year before she
was old enough to be licensed, for the
Department of Commerce will not grant
license to a person under Is years OF
age. Her only professional training
consisted of hours and As minutes In |
the air with an instructor, taken just |
before she took her examination this |
year.
But she has already had her share |
of perils and adventure, including three |
quite complete "crack-ups." One Of +,
them happened last Autumn, when she
was just learning to make landings at
dusk It was Sunday evening. Curtiss
Field was crowded with planes taking
of and landing, and thick fog of
dust hung over the part OF the field
where she proposed to come down. She
had picked out her landing spot and
was making for it when three planes
from other directions cut in front OF
her. She crashed into tree, ripping
the planes wings beyond repair and
acquiring numerous bruises for herself.
WAS I scared?" she said. mo, just
mad! If another pilot hadn't violated
traffic rules it wouldn't have happened.
When I tried TO climb down out Of the
tree, / found I was lame. Dad and
were due to open in vaudeville in Kan
sas City on Thursday. He had to go
out alone to fulfill our contracts because
I was definitely laid up for while. But
when got well got job OF my own
with Fred Stones company and toured
with them for 80 weeks. My dad had
abe ship fixed and sent it to me to use
on the road I flew between some of
Che cities instead of going with the
company on the train"
And as the 15-year-old pilot wasn't
an expert on aviation and was not al
ways accompanied by experts. her troup-
ing was interspersed with landings in
farms and cabbage patches.
Miss Smith now spends all her spare
time flying for pleasure, occasionally
teaching her little 13-year-old brother,
Joseph, to fly, although he really isn't
big enough to try to handle a ship
alone" and trying for records. Re-
Gently, dressed in woolens and fur
gloves she tried for an altitude record.
Her dashboard altimeter failed to re-
cord properly, but aviatorS who accom-
panied her in other planes turned back
at IL, 500 feet while she went higher and
stayed up until her last drop of gas
was gone.
1T was a comfort when was up high
to look down over the side and see the
boys flying with me-" she admitted.
"Some day may even go in for
commercial aviation-barnstorming or
stunning or selling planes" However,
she must wait another two years be-
fore even trying for a commercial
license. Meanwhile, she is perfecting
her technique, talking the jargon of
the flying field with an almost naive
assumption that everybody knows as
much about flying as she does, and
fi4a fheprU that