Evening star., 1934-12-24


or co-pilots."
Notwithstanding the inviolate rule
Of all airship companies, a young
woman who for the last two years
has acted as air hostess between New
York, Florida and all intermediate
points. along main airway lanes. Is
now the Washington bride Of Vir-
ginia pilot.
Her name is Alice West. Two
months ago, after the blond hostess
and her pilot smashed Rule l6 into
infinitesimal fractions she came down
to earth long enough to submit heI
resignation to Eastern Air Line ON
cals.
In her two years service with that
company, the former Miss West, now
the bride Of Foster Tompkins, chief
pilot of the Eastern Air Line, spent
5000 hours in the air. travelled more
than 100000 miles and supervised
the comfort, health. happiness and
jittery nerves of 4,573 persons. not
including four small babies. For those
4,573 persons she poured tea. The
air r-sick and wobbly ones bit sharply
and consolingly on the chewing gum
offered by her. Cigarettes were hand
ed to the nonchalant and more air
conditioned tourists. In one de luxe
cabin seat a passenger. apparently
trying to hold his ears down is sup
piled with raw cotton to stop that
buzzing sensation. Children are
taught to play entirely new games.
The fears OF first trippers" are al
layed by conversation and the calm
and soothing manner of the ofIiciai air
hostess.
With so many diversified duties
when or how Miss West found time
to more than salute her future hus-
band pilot is mystery.
Eight Hostesses at First.
When this courageous young person
first associated herself with the East
ern Air Transport Co. Qater the East
ern Air Line), she was one of eight
hostesses. Along came N. r. A. and
then there we're 18 women serving in
that capacity, five Of whom have mar
ried pilots or co-pilots. Flooey for
Rule 16l
The huge Condor planes in which
Miss West presided made regular trips
to Richmond, Atlanta and Florida
from New York and New Jersey fields,
and of course carried many celebrities.
Compass" as the pilots dubbed
Miss West because of her nautical
surname, was thrown continually with
men and women who had gone places
and done things-or been born things.
Her faithfully-kept scrap book Of her
days in the motorized fiying-trapeze
shows she made such friends as Mrs.
Theodore Roosevelt. ST.; Mrs. F. D.
Roosevelt. Ruth Bryan Owen, Will
Rogers, Helen Kane, Capt. Ricken-
backer, Graham McNamee. "Stran-
gler" Lewis, Chico Marks and Princess
Alexandra Kropotkin. descendant Of
the first Gar of Russia.
Princess Kropotkin afterward wrote
for a well known weekly magazine
story captioned "I Flew South"
story in which she refers to Alice
West. Said the Lady of Royalty: "It
was the first time I have travelled by
air in this country. 1t was great fun.
The hostess of the plane adds to your
enjoyment She sees that you don't
choke with heat or freeze with cold.
If you sre hungry she feeds you
bouillon, coffee and sandwiches. That
prim dolls house, 5000 feet below,
she tells you, Is Mount Vernon. Sits
calmly, knits calmly. And If that
doesn't make you feel safer-I
ask you'll"
This final sentence failed to make
Compass" feel safer" inasmuch as
she was breaking company rule
when knitting aboard ship, just rs
she later broke the unbreakable
"Rule Sixteen"
Met Clyde Pangborn.
In an informal interview the pres
ent Mrs. Foster Tompkins said she
first became interested in flying when,
eight years ago, she met Clyde Pang-
born, round-the- world flyer, marking
the beginning of close friendship
with him. Later, she longed to join
the ranks of q new phase Of woman
activities, that Of hostess Of airships.
tions very rigid and the standards
high.
The applicant must not be over 15.
must be single, . college graduate and
not over 125 pounds in weight: she
must possess personality, tact and .
neat appearance. And must faith
fully observe Rule Sixteen" she adds
(which is very dinicult to
do because all pilots are very hand
some and very snappy looking In their
blue, nautical uniforms"
Miss West might have added, but
did not, that q hostess must possess
an unusual amount Of courage and be
able to face unusual and complicated
situations as well as real danger.
She has had many interesting e.
periences and tells with rather Q
catch in her breath Of one passenger
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