Woman "Ferry" Pilot
a third is known to have THE first thing I would like to
make clear is that we women
selves as "heroines." We are do-
spectacular about it, because we
more of piloting an aeroplane thán
near
Tells
By John Hughes
Her
is to "collect."
Story
been severely damaged. members the British Air Trans- It means, virtually, that port Auxiliary do not regard our- Italy's hope of achieving ing what we hope is a useful job naval supremacy in the of work, but there is nothing Mediterranean is smash-are, all twenty of us, thoroughly the north and the R.A.F. station | shouldn't continue to look femin- `A.TA—to take on more work. In ed beyond repair; for hav- used to flying, and we think no in the west.
ine. Of course, when we're flying September last year Mr. Gerard In cither case a. journey of we have to wear regulation flying d'Erlanger, with the encourage- ing shirked the test of we do or driving a car.
several hundred miles is involved, suits and parachu es rather like ment of the Director-General of And I don't Civil Aviation, Sir Francis Shel- battle with six capital. That is not conceit: it is a plain and now that production is being bustles at the back.
statement of fact. Because you accelerated so greatly, the de-think anybody would claim that merdine, formed a pool of thirty ships, the venture now see, most of us, before the war mands made on the four ferry all this very necessary paraphern- | ferry-pilots-all men who were would be suicidal. It are growing saing, when we're not in the air, That was the beginning of a T
stations. - came along, were earning our liv-pools-ours and the three staffed | alia improves our beauty! All the attached to two lieves the Admiralty of a instructors. I was an instructor week, every day almost.
we do pride ourselves on our ap- We women were recruited in host of anxieties.
at an acrodrome
pearance? It myself,
December. There was only a hand- London. I learned to fly when I
those days, Pauline means, chiefly, that the was 17--that is, five years ago-
Once we have been given our ful of us in "chits" we lose no time in ge ting Gower, who was taught to fly by Navy has regained com- and when I was accepted last win-
away. These "chits are simply de-Amy Johnson, of England-to-Aus- pléte freedom of action up the original
ter as one of the eight who made WHEN the preliminary list is livery and receipt slips-one we tralia fame, and afterwards joined women's unit, I complete it will probably be leave with the contractor, and an acrial circus, going into loops, and may, without relax- had done about 600 hours solo. added to in the course of the day another we bring back to head-spins and rolls every day between ing its grip on the Medit- was 250 hours. Most of my col-second list, because the girls have charge of the R.A.F. acrodrome to ley who had had more than five The qualification for a ferry pilotour Ferry Officer has to get a quarters signed by the officer in lunch and dinner; Winifred Cross- erranean for one moment, leagues I was the youngest of got to get.to the factories as quick-which we have delivered the air-years' experience in the air, in-
them-had between 1000 and 2000 | ly as possible, and, very
cluding "stunting"; Mona Fried- release ships from the hours to their credit.
often, craft. brought back by air to headquar-
Several of us will pile into one lander, who was the first woman great concentrations at
"taxi" generally
to do Army cooperation flying and # "Pruss Moth" and very soon we're in is an ice-hockey international; the Alexandria, Crete and
the air on the way to the nearest daughter of Lord Runciman, who Hon. Mrs. Fairweather, eldest Gibraltar for service else-
factory where one of our number
used to be an instructor at Ren- where, as and when
the PERHAPS the best way to give ters as well when they have de- you an idea of our work is to livered their aircraft. Sometimes,
frew Airport for the Civil Air Guard before the war: Margaret need arises.
describe a typical day's pro- of course, they can do another
Cunnison, another Scot, who won It is, perhaps, coincid-gramme.. We are attached to an delivery on the way back. Even
a bursary which enabled her to aerodrome not very far from Lon-Fo, a "taxi" as we call these inter- ence that announcement ac na we report for duty wach mediate machines which carry the You probably wonder what it learn to fly and piloted one of the
most brilliant pupils at the Scot-" of the creation of a new morning soon after nine o'clock. them up at X and take them on to time? Well, of course, there is al who has flown unconcernedly all ferry-pilets about, have got to pick feels like to fly alone in war, tish flying crews; Rosemary Rees, office in the Far East, that Some of us live in a hotel near they where they will pick up their ways the bare chance that one
aerodrome; others in London or in aircraft and go to Z. So you will may come across a German ma-ther by herself: Mrs. Patterson over Europe in all sorts of wea- of Commander-in-Chief, our homes on the outskirts. to co-ordinate the land, Pauline Gower, is arranging the will, on
understand the schedule of the chine and that does tend to keep whose corps of women pupils at By the time we arrive, our chief,day's flights, when it is complete, one on the watch all the time! But Romford, near London, was quite air and sea defence sys-day's schedule. She is one of the really means every day on which place and the chances of coming force, who hails from Aberdeen
a busy day-and that happily the sky is a very large famous last year: Mrs. R. Wilber- air women in tem in the Far East, in-most experienced
flying is possible at all-be a com-cross a Dornier or a Messersch- it's surprising how many Scots- the country, and has run our clusive of Burma, Malaya, section of A.T.A. most successfully
plicated one.
midt are very small-especially as women seem to make good pilots Hong Kong, Australia and since the beginning.
the R.A.F. keep such a good look and myself the "baby" of the Well, all these arrangements are out for visitors, Anyway, we've gang in those days. She has to ring up, or is rung and meantime the rest of us sit far, in fact New Zealand should have up by, various contractors all over
the business of the senior officers had no excitement of thet kind so we are not a little followed closely upon the Britain. They report that they and walt our call. There's a good proud that we have ferried several have certain aircraft waiting to deal of competition for our few [hundred aeroplanes so far with- heels of the shattering be "picked up" and taken to Royal Comfortable chairs. The unlucky out any trouble and strictly ac blow dealt at Italy at Air Force maintenance units or ones perch where they can, on a
cording to routine. somewhere there's no. Taranto, Perhaps it is may be in the south of England, luxury about our "rest-room" to training squadrons. The contractor
Mind you, there are certain FOUR of us had husbands in the forces, by the way., Well, since more than coincidence. the aircraft's destination is very put it mildly. We smoke and talk complications about flying in war- then we've grown considerably. likely to be somewhere in Scot-and knit--we've done quite a lot time. We have to keep away from Amy Johnson is one of those Be that as it may, the land." Or the factory may be in of knitting in such spare time as prohibited areas, where there are who've joined us. And it's not only one is certain to have tre-
we do get--until the moment balloon barrages and other de- mendous influence on the power at Taranto adds to "chits."
comes for us to go in and get our vices intended to...well, shall in numbers that we've increased, 1 say, make flying more difficult? but in duties. You see, early this other.
that polite hint the plain--
We have to fly in all weathers, year Mr. d'Erlanger was asked to It is disclosed that fur-est intimation that the
without the usual aids to naviga- set up pools of his own, which should be run,.not by the Royal {tion-meteorological reports, and ther reinforcements have naval situation has un-
Air Force but by himself and Bri- so on, and at, the best possible
tish Airways, one of whose war- recently reached the Far dergone a mighty change
OUR uniform, by the way,
is speed of which our aircraft are
time activities this is, and since Tather n smart one. It has capable. No dowdling in the sky! February the number of machines East. The announcement in Britain's favour.
been adapted from
And when we get to our destina which we carry every week in the uniform gives notice to Japan of The pilots of the Fleet to wear. It's dark bluc, and un
the pilots of British Airways usedtion we have to take certain steps A.T.A. has gone up Atteen Umes, to make sure that we are recos Before we used to ferry only from Britain's intention to de- Air Arm have gained a the breast there are tiny gold need as a friend before we touch the factory to the R.A.F. malutch- fend her Far East terri- victory as signal in its worked into the middle. First of- wings with the letters "AT.A."
Lance 'unit, because when an alr- craft leaves a factory it still has tories with all the forces consequences as that officers have three gold bars on the
to be fitted out inside, oven though at her disposal should their heroic comrades of and we wear skirts, not trousers.
It can be flown. Now we ferry not i only repaired aircraft but also ful- they be threatened. The the Royal Air Force in the Pauline Gower thinks that even THE Air Ministry is paying usa ly equipped aircraft from the crushing of Italy's naval Battle Over Britain. it women are doing a man's job high compliment by asking us maintenance units to the various of work, that's no reason why they both men and women in the squadron headquarters themselves.
•
table or
shoulder, second officers two, OhT
down.
·