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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Lady Heath's article in Scientific American by Mary Karmelek


"Ever since the first passenger was taken up in the air in 1908 safety has been a major concern of
those involved in flying, building and riding airplanes...
"In July 1929 Scientific American was lucky enough to have one of the most renowned pilots of the day write an article for the magazine, titled “Is Flying Safe?” The pilot was Lady Mary Heath of Ireland, the first woman to hold a commercial flying license in Britain, first woman to parachute from a plane and first pilot to fly a small open cockpit plane from Cape Town, South Africa, to London.
Waiting for Lady Mary to arrive
"An athlete her whole life, Heath was Britain’s first female javelin champion and was a delegate to the 1925 Olympic Council. She received her commercial pilot’s license in 1926 and was well known for her aviation accomplishments in Europe and America. At the time of the article, flying had become very popular. Heath stated that well-trained pilots and construction standards were, in her opinion, the most important factors of airline safety."
Read more at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anecdotes-from-the-archive/2013/07/24/safety-takes-flight-a-notable-aviatrix-on-preventing-airplane-accidents/
* We now have a copy of this magazine and its beautiful cover, thanks to to our friend Walt Peterson in St Louis. 

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