Love Air Aviation Blog

Rosemary_Arnold

TWO LEFT FEET … anyone out there?

Dec 182011

On a Scale of TOO … or is it TWO? … odd story, this Xmas present to myself. Viewing my Blogs you could positively assume that I have an odd fashion statement, but with normal feet.

My Online Shopping experience is happy and vast but this story tops anything I’ve heard.

I fell in love with Red Sparkle UGG Boots but felt the price for original Aussie Sparkle UGGs was too high for me to splurge on something *”too, too, too” (*see last Blog) - and I really wanted three pairs – red, silver and gold. I shopped around and ordered from China; free shipping, but didn’t read their Returns Policy. Free shipping takes the slow boat from China so when ordered in winter they finally arrived into spring and well past my party-date. I thrust my sweaty toes into them, stood up and stumbled. Looking down I saw two left feet – shock and horror – but I did question could I manage to wear them? for they were absolutely beautiful and I had a party.

Decision to send them back! This started an email saga. Send one left boot back, we send you one right boot, you pay postage. Not our fault. No, you send two left boot back, we send two boot back, you pay postage. Not our fault. Shades of annoyance could be identified, intruding into the poor English (especially singular word boot); it certainly wasn’t any fault of mine. I definitely did not have two left feet, nor did I know two people with only one left foot who would welcome such a fashion item. Oh, and the size was odd too. The box stated one size, the stickers on heels stated another and on finding the obscure label inside, it read differently again. One thing of which I was certain was that the size fitted my left foot perfectly, the quality was fantastic and they were splendidly beautiful. Emails continued; I was now afraid I would get one or two right boots in exchange for two left boots; could I hope for a matching pair, correct size?

I was unhappy paying $40 shipping so thought I could consolidate by ordering another pair – this time SILVER (free shipping remember) and stipulating the same size as the RED ones. Never be so logical. Now the demands continued, to pay extra shipping in order to have the correct boots returned. I argued. Demands were made that I cancel any negative/neutral feedback, too. I would not get my 2 pairs of paid-for UGGs if I didn’t pay another shipping charge of $17 and write good feedback. Summer was approaching, hot and humid down-under, not weather for UGGs.

Yes, the RED and the SILVER pairs of UGG boots finally arrived … but they are different sizes, labelled 38 and 39 (should be both 39). More arguments via email until I couldn’t stand the threats and poor communication any longer. I am wearing the red UGGs happily, I have the silver UGGs hidden in my closet not yet brave enough to tell my husband the complete UGGly story and hoping to shave out some fur and get zippers fitted. Cinderella’s UGGly sisters – new version.

I’m now off to a Xmas BBQ at a rural aerodrome in NSW wearing my hot red sparkle UGGs which are totally too, too, too on a scale of TOO for this particular company, but because of my advanced years I can plead eccentricity or I forgot to take off my slippers??? My feet are so happy; both my left one and my right one – a matching pair. Remembering my last wedding, when I wore red, well I wore gorgeous red sparkle shoes. If I renew my vows on 29/2/12 (1^st anniversary) I should wear my red sparkle UGGs – like the marriage, now a matching pair, all bought Online?

When Online shopping at LOVE AIR you may imagine you have two left feet but you will find someone to match up your dream, as with my UGGs. It could be a little uncomfortable at first but it is worth the perseverance for a happy ending, believe me. I’m not sworn off Online Shopping nor am I sworn off marriage; I met my new husband Online - remember the longest blind date?

When weird stuff happens, it is up to the individual and circumstances as to whether you should work it through or give up quickly – relationships or UGGs. After a life-time of rash decisions and hurt pride I can now say that a little patience and a re-setting of the rules is preferable to a complete cut-off in a partnership, which had good times. It’s a bit like the difference in reaction to “You have a good day”. “Who are you to tell me to have a good day!” is one reaction. Preferably put the emphasis on GOOD, and go out and smile at the sky. Checked out LOVE AIR prospects today?

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

Email: RandD [at] longestblinddate [dot] com
Phone: Australia 0404 172 172
Costs:
$22/copy plus $5 shipping in OZ
$55 for 3copies plus $10 shipping in OZ (donate to your local schools)
$22/copy plus $15 shipping in UK/USA. (I can't get the shipping lower).

UPs & DOWNs … how hard is it to understand yourself?

Aviation Careers, Women in Aviation No Responses »

Dec 152011

The Aussie Pioneers in front of a Bell47J

When asked “how are you?” I often joke,“up and down”.

Most get the inference to helicopter flying!

I got to thinking - just how hard it is to understand the highs and lows in life.

Yesterday was a particularly low-low for me, for I had dreamed my aviation history book would win a National History Prize (with lots of money and a gold medal). Well it didn’t; I felt flat and defeated. The price to pay for aiming high? I almost did the girly-thing and cried; the announcement had been a prolonged seven-months’ wait, during which time I had my shopping list planned? That was yesterday and “yesterday died last night, tomorrow has not yet come and all we have is today”. Today I have applied for another prize, which should be announced within the month with no stressful drag-out period. Previously, I became ineligible for a History Grant when it was delayed ten months; my book printing date had to go ahead.

Sir Winston Churchill said it well, “Success is going from failure to failure with great enthusiasm.” I have the image of him, booming this out to his listeners. It’s my encouragement.

Rosemary and a Hughes300

I believe the best thing we can do in life is to figure out why we do things, why we say things, why we set goals, why our partnerships flourish or fail. Are we too assertive, too possessive, too obsessive, too white-knuckled? What is this scale of “TOO”? In my parents’ and husbands’ opinion I was always “TOO” everything. In researching the “woman pilot firsts” for my book First Females Above Australia I tried to find a common thread and found that apart from determination and focus, most had an additional high achievement, completely unrelated to aviation. Phyllis Arnott first CPL, an opera singer; Connie Jordan Flying-boat LAME, a brilliant musician; Christine Davy, a ski Olympian; Wing Officer Doris Carter (flew Canberra Bomber & Vampire Jet), first Australian field Olympian 1936. I found this poem, From ‘Hazrat Inayat Khan’:

“A few meaningful words -
The secret of life is the desire to attain something; The absence of this makes life useless.

Hope is the sustenance of life; Hope comes from the desire of attaining something.

Therefore this desire is in itself a very great power. The object which a person wishes to attain may be small compared with the power he develops in the process of attainment.”

I enjoy the thought that people come into our lives for a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFE-TIME and it is interesting to sort them into these categories. Remember that life is too short to stay in uncomfortable situations, stunting our personal growth and blurring our horizon.

Rosemary and VH-THH

Aviation is a small world so people tend to remain for a life-time. We have reunions and catch-up is easy. A few years back I enjoyed the reunion for those in Australian rotary-wing, prior to 1970; I was the only female, having joined in 1965, finding life-time friends. Recently I met a new friend, Marianne at the Safe Skies Conference; she is CFI for her Helifly school at Albury NSW and operates a Hughes 300. I promised to renew my licence with her; I had learned on a Hughes 269A. This morning, sitting with my laptop in RV LUVAIR at a quiet country airport, Tocumwal NSW, I saw her Hughes VH KKJ arrive to refuel. It was Marianne’s business partner flying; he was spending the day shaking the rain drops off the cherry trees in the local orchards for it rained last night and harvesting is imminent. Blue skies, doors off, low flying – what a job? The urge for my favourite UPs & DOWNs became much stronger, so New Year’s Resolution - I must set that date and go flying.

As a Xmas gift to yourself, understand those emotional UPs & DOWNs. As for me, I’ll get back to waiting for a History Prize and maybe search for the next one, while waiting. Oh, I must tell you about my Xmas gift to myself … and it really is “TOO TOO TOO”. Later.

May your UPs last longer and keep looking for your prize at LOVE AIR; the place to be.

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

THIS DAY IN HISTORY … why are anniversaries important to us?

Aviation History, Women in Aviation No Responses »

Dec 072011

Qantas Sydney Airport panoramic windows show display material of the book's 100 women pilots.

Today is the first anniversary of my “First Females Above Australia” Book Launch at the Qantas Heritage Museum, Sydney Airport. It was a momentous occasion for me and the amazing one hundred supportive guests, who flew in from all States of Australia. Some were catching-up after eighteen years and it was truly a unique, aviation reunion. The venue was perfect for guests to fly-in-fly-out within a few hours, and without security checks. Taxiing past those Qantas panoramic windows was one of their brand new Airbus A380s, most likely the “Nancy-Bird Walton” namesake.

Nancy-Bird Walton has a permanent Qantas display in their Heritage Museum.

My book is dedicated to pioneer Nancy-Bird whose portrait (in her Qantas Museum Tribute Section), coincidentally was hanging behind the photos taken on that occasion, as if Nancy was watching over my shoulder in her pink and pearls. She was ever-present in my life for nearly 47 years. Nineteen-year-old Nancy-Bird was the youngest woman commercial pilot in the British Empire (1935) and with her Gipsy Moth first, soon replaced by her DH Leopard Moth, went on to establish the first aerial medical nursing service in outback Australia. She had been commissioned by the Children’s Far West Health Scheme to fly nursing sisters, patients and medical supplies to remote homesteads, landing in paddocks for airstrips were rare. Nancy was the first woman pilot to be employed in Australia, 1935. History-making and only 19! Nancy had her first flying lesson at age 17 with Charles Kingsford-Smith, at his brand new flying school on Mascot Aerodrome (now Sydney International). Nancy’s job was prompted after a young mother died during a difficult child-birth, being transported for hours on the back of a horse and dray from her outback home.

Book signing with middle daughter Vicki and husband David

This time last year I was exhausted yet relieved, that my book was published and looked so grand with its glossy cover, felt so splendid with its satin paper, yet my painstaking proofreading was found to be not so perfect. Today, one year later, I stand tall for as many as 1100 copies have been distributed (by me), hundreds of copies hand-delivered to remote schools throughout the Australian outback, on a 20,000km drive in my RV LUVAIR. I only have 400 copies left; the 2^nd Edition is planned, with those few corrections. I’m told only 2% of people publish a book and the anguish of a self-publisher is very real with the knit-pickers. I have set history in place and mostly I hear “it is so easy to read, nothing like other history books”. This was one of my aims, but books are of no use unopened and unread, especially in school libraries.

Nancy-Bird's portrait behind Rosemary

Anniversaries bring relived pleasure or grief, celebratory or sad. This first wedding anniversary on February 29, 2012 is rare for I’ve waited four years due to leap year. February 6, 2012 brings the 50^th anniversary of my first flying lesson, that started my unique career as Australia’s first woman helicopter pilot. My first solo was on my 28^th birthday – it should have been a great double anniversary celebration (April 18, 1962), but was dampened by my cranky first husband, from whom I had to hide my aviation theory books. September 25, 2012 will be 25 years since my only son disappeared off the West Australian coast, mysteriously, never found. Grant was on his way to live with me permanently, in the USA. Not all anniversaries are shared occasions, so I mostly salute my memories with a special celebration of life by myself. In Sausalito, where I lived on my boat The Airess for six years I would book a table-for-one at the posh waterfront restaurant The Spinnaker, order garlic prawns, steak and lobster followed by Cherries Jubilee Flambé – the waiter would say “but that is for two ma’am” I would reply “yes, I’ll eat both”. Grant would have loved it!

Treasure your anniversaries for they give your life importance. I hope your personal aviation memories of This Day In History can be treasured ones and that they can be made even more pleasurable by meeting special people at this great place, LOVE AIR, where we can feel totally safe and secure, sharing amongst our own.

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

The Names Change But The Sky Is The Same

Aviation History, Women in Aviation No Responses »

Dec 052011

Stearman Fly-in to the neighbours. Peg & Colin Kelman are on the left, with Maie and Dick Casey (later Lord & Lady Casey) right.

The British Empire changed to the British Commonwealth of Nations after WW2 (I believe there were 53 countries); it is suggested that the difference is not to be confused. But the sky remained the same – the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, India.

Early women pilots flying from England to Australia used the reliable Collins School Atlas, owned by every Australian school kid; there was not much more offering for navigation. I bought one recently at a rare books market, to remind myself of the British Empire’s extent. What an amazing navigational feat? *Lores Bonney first Australian woman to fly solo Brisbane to London 1933 in her open cockpit aircraft; Freda Thompson first Australian woman to fly solo England to Australia 1934 in her Gipsy Moth Major. In 1930, English pilot Amy Johnson set the solo record for a woman pilot, England to Australia in 19days 11hrs. Six women pilots flew out to meet Amy, arriving in Sydney. Then in 1934, New Zealander Jean Batten set the solo record for a woman, England to Australia in 14days 23hrs in a DH60 Moth.

Meg Skelton, Bobby Terry, Evelyn Follett, Mary Upfold, Phyllis Arnott, Freda Deaton (Courtesy Gibson Collection)

Peggy McKillop after marrying Colin Kelman in England flew their Monospar to their property in Moree NSW, in 1937. Peggy admitted “we followed the pink bits in the Atlas” – being the British Empire countries of 1937. Fly-ins to adjoining properties was the social thing to do, see photo. (Peg & Colin Kelman, left; Maie & Dick Casey, right)

• 1915: Australia sent their first airmen to the Middle East to fight in WW1. There were 4 pilots and 18 mechanics, who had not worked on aircraft engines.

• 1918: At the end of WW1 approximately 600 pilots returned to Australia along with now-trained mechanics and these were the beginning of the Australian aviation industry.

• 1916: Sister Hilda McMaugh aged 32, volunteered to serve in WW1, leaving her home in Armidale NSW to nurse the wounded in Egypt at a Gaza Field Hospital.

Pilot Hilda McMaugh

• 1919: Hilda waited a month to catch a boat back home, so took flying lessons at the Central Aircraft Company’s flying school, Northolt Airfield. She attained her Pilot Licence No.7818. At the Wings Presentation Party there were 400 new male pilots and only Hilda, who was told there were three other women in England but she never found who and where they were. Back in Australia Hilda was refused an Australian Licence.

• 1910-1927: Women pilots were actively flying in 17 countries such as the UK, USA and Europe before 1927 when Australia had its “first”, Millicent Bryant, who attained Pilot’s Licence No.71. The flying club made Millicent wait a year before making the decision to allow females to fly. However women were not allowed to attend the Presentation Dinners so their trophies were accepted by males who handed them over outside. Freda Thompson won as many as 47 trophies and the male pilots asked that she not be allowed to compete so that they could have the chance of winning.

Pilot Hilda McMaugh and her licence

• 1925: Australian Gladys Sandford became the first woman pilot in New Zealand with NZ Licence No.18. Her flying lessons were given as a sign of respect for her war effort, by NZ Government at a NZ Airforce Base. Gladys had paid her own passage to work as a Voluntary Aid with the Red Cross, serving in WW1 driving ambulances at the frontline; she was the only woman to carry a Regimental Number of the NZ Expeditionary Forces. Back in Australia Gladys was refused an Australian Licence.

*• 1931: Lores Bonney set the long distant solo record of 1,524km in one flying day, 14.5hrs Brisbane to Wangaratta.

• 1932: Lores Bonney was the first Australian woman to fly solo around Australia, 12,800km in 95hrs 27mins.

• 1937: Lores Bonney was the first PILOT to fly solo, Australia to Capetown South Africa, more than 29,000km in 210hrs 45mins.

Interesting, eh? There’s more in my “First Females Above Australia” book.

British Empire – Commonwealth of Nations – aviation folk everywhere, LOVE AIR!

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

First Flights – everyone tells you their story.

Women in Aviation No Responses »

Dec 012011

FH1100 & Rosemary 1968

Aviation folk are fascinating. Others want to tell of their first flight, having shared the same sky that we occupy regularly. Almost 100% of my helicopter joyriders had never flown in a helicopter before and only a small percentage had taken a fixed-wing flight. This group insisted on relating their first flight stories, with timing not always convenient during my take-off checks or ATC clearances. I heard thousands of stories, but I believe none have matched my own.

December 1949: I was a cranky 15year old, forced to quit school and my parents were taking me to our new Sydney home, from Grafton. We boarded this flyingboat on the Clarence River. The takeoff was noisy and water splashing the windows was frightening but the handsome captain grabbed my attention as he strode down the aisle, greeting passengers. I leaned across my parents, speaking loudly to catch his attention in the noisy cabin,“can I go up to the cockpit?”

P.G.Taylor (Permission Sydney PowerHouse Museum)

Graciously he escorted me and I climbed the spiral staircase with the draught blowing my skirt above my embarrassed head. He invited me to sit in his captain’s seat. Mesmerised I sat there for the entire 2hour flight, even staying for the landing at Rose Bay Flyingboat Base. When I started to leave, there were no passengers or cabin crew left onboard, so I found my own way to the exit and the launch took me ashore to meet my anxious parents. They would have been far more anxious had they known, that 18years later I would become a commercial pilot. I found the Captain’s name was PG Taylor (later Sir Gordon) and he was flying a Trans Oceanic Airways’ Sunderland belonging to his close friend, Captain Bryan Monkton. PG Taylor went on to set many flying records.

Fifty-four years later my dear friend Nancy-Bird, who was always giving me jobs, said “my dear, I want you to help my friend Bryan publish his book”. So we took a long drive to meet Bryan and got his manuscript for me to typeset. We also met up with Trevor Dean, Curator of the aviation museum at Bankstown and during our visit a knock on the door found an unexpected visitor, Susie Arnott. Bryan Monkton was Susie’s godfather and she was PG’s daughter. Susie and I found that we had mutual friends in the country area of New South Wales, in which she lived.

Bryan Monkton's Painting

On the wall of Bryan Monkton’s home was the only oil painting he ever attempted; it was his Sunderland Flyingboat on which I had my first flight. Synchronicity? Bryan sadly died before his Book Launch but Trevor, Nancy-Bird and I gave it our best shot on behalf of this good friend.

My book First Females Above Australia is dedicated to Nancy-Bird, who pioneered the Australian sky in the 1930s; she was my close friend for more than 46 years. Among the 100 biographies of Australian women pilot FIRSTS in my book, is Florence (Bobby) Terry, the first to fly a seaplane on the canal next to Mascot Airport, in 1928; a Dornier Libelle Flyingboat. I first met Bobby in 1962.

Much more aviation history needs to be salvaged to inspire the younger generations. How fortunate I was to know so many of these historic personalities.

I’d love to hear your aviation stories, so hope we can hang-out again at LOVE AIR!

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

AVIATION JOBS – “does an Aviation Degree help?

Aviation Careers, Women in Aviation No Responses »

Nov 292011

WhirlyGirl and Pontiac Fiero

A frequently asked question but personally I got my Bachelor of Aviation degree at age 70, long past the employable years for most people. It didn’t seem to help get my part-time nanny job nor the Civil Marriage Celebrant one (just joking).

Seriously though, the uni graduates from whom I receive feedback seem to doubt if it helps them with job success. I believe that my degree was the best thing I ever did for I am more confident, reach higher and stand taller than I did as a High School drop-out. If I was employing I would expect most BofA graduates to be more industrious, studious, focused, reliable for they have proven themselves capable of a long, drawn out task.

If you haven’t graduated then you’ll forever wonder should I?

If you have then you’ll forever wonder was it worth it?

Sadly there are employment gender issues. Have any females failed the casting couch test like I did, having flown half way around the world for a job too good to be true and without a return ticket? There was another time too; I arrived in Malaysia for another definite job (this time they bought me the air ticket) to hear the crude sexist greeting “have those two guys got into your knickers yet?” My millionaire boss was referring to the two commercial pilots who had flown me from Singapore to Balikpapan and this first welcome was bellowed in front of at least twenty visitors staying at the Company’s compound. His girlfriend took one look and I lost that job, but stayed three weeks for compensation for the broken two-month contract. In Sydney I worked as a legal secretary and learned that Indonesian Law read, I could not be fired if I got to stand on Indonesian soil. Two big flying job disappointments, in my employable days in which synchronicity plus the Law of Karma played its hand.

*Yes, I stayed on in the USA, initially to try and shame the jerk into giving me my rightful pilot’s job, without strings. This didn’t happen so I set-up my own heli company, not a good idea for an alien (another story for my autobiography Hovering Matilda). Oh, and in Indonesia while I waited for my compensation cheque I bumped into another Sydney pilot who convinced me to take a job flying DC3s, logging 33hours, an opportunity that could never have happened to me (or any woman) in Australia. Back in Australia DCA refused me a DC3 endorsement “because the leg-loadings in asymmetric flight are too great for a woman”. They also refused me a Hughes500 endorsement as there was not one on the Australian Register and as for the FH1100 endorsement, well there were only three available and these were kept for DCA personnel.

From 1967, with two Commercial Pilot’s Licences (fixed & rotary-wing; later USA & French) employment was tough for a woman with four kids, even though I was only 33. Prejudice came unexpectedly from other women, too. Ready to start filming a TV commercial in a Hughes 300, I was told by the female assistant to the producer “who won’t do at all”. Overhearing this, the huggy-bear type producer interjected, “she’s perfect, let’s fly.”

Rosemary's RV. Registration LUVAIR

Prejudice irked me so much I started to flaunt hot pink as my theme. Positive-thinking is my philosophy and the colour hot pink vibrates this positivity. I have painted two cars, one restaurant, one boat, have a pink mink coat and hat, and so it goes. The cars both had ‘COPTERS’ registrations but my RV has ‘LUVAIR’.

It’s an interesting life for aviation folk; have you found that at LOVE AIR?

*the jerk withdrew my Green Card support but I discovered I could get an L1-Visa as a company transferee, having done the same work (in my own company) back in OZ

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

Santa Claus Arrives By Helicopter

Women in Aviation No Responses »

Nov 282011

Rosemary delivers Santa Claus

Aviation is full of opportunities. Deliver Santa Claus, by helicopter … why not?

Back in the 1970-80s I was trying to make my Charter Company break-even so Santa was most welcome. It was very popular for Santa to arrive by helicopter; “Santa drops” I called them and landed 39 successfully but missed one. Most pilots hated such charters, which were fraught with unusual safety issues.

December in Sydney is hot, humid and busy. Santa(s) was in demand, as many as two per afternoon. The volunteer Santa usually primed himself with a couple of drinks to dress weirdly, fly with a woman in a helicopter and face screaming kids. Oversize gum boots, hot ill-fitting outfit and carrying a sack of “fake stuff” was the look. Once onboard facing delivery to his party, his boots would foul the dual rudder hubs (in H300); the wig and beard blocked his hearing; on departing the sack was always thrown over his shoulder, endangering the rotor blades despite repeated warnings.

In-flight, one Santa’s beard slipped half off and I couldn’t fix it, so I landed on a school playing field with a cricket game in progress, fixed the beard and made a quick get-away. One tricky plan for 2 Santas in an afternoon was to land the first on the golf course and while he was leading the throng away for their toys, a second Santa emerged from behind a tree, clambered onboard and was safely taken to the next party without the first party-guests seeing the change-over. Then came a delivery to a park on the edge of Sydney International Airport; all Control Zone clearances worked well, but while landing in a park I realised it was the wrong party for I couldn’t see my ground crew so whisked into the air again, told ATC my predicament and between us with two Street Directories “go 2 blocks, turn left, etc” Santa arrived correctly. I love Air Traffic Controllers … and always fly with street directories.

Rosemary delivers Santa Claus

Delivery of my own Santa to one rural area outside Sydney proved futile. The farmer’s instructions, “follow the dirt road, past the picket fence and red barn …” the area was scattered with such duplicate locations. I landed next to a farm shed, startled that farmer asking for better directions before taking off for another attempt.

While living in the USA I longed to be with family each Xmas so one year at the last minute I bought an air ticket to Sydney, a Santa outfit and turned up unannounced, when my three daughters were cooking the turkey for about thirty expected guests. Jet-lagged, I just walked into their kitchen at 8am saying “Ho, ho, ho” dressed in sunglasses, gloves, large boots and an ill-fitting Santa suit. No-one guessed it was Mother Hubbard but once the cat was out of the bag (or rather ME out of that hot Santa suit) Sydney took a long time for the shock to wear off.

Being single at Xmas is mostly difficult so after my first divorce I always entertained the children’s father and a group of single friends in the evening, once the traditional family Xmas Lunch was negotiated. I hope you have good plans for the Festive Season and please make sure you treat yourself to a gift you long to have, as a treat. I am asking Santa for a 20ft pontoon party boat called “Red Carpet on the River” to do weddings on the water.

Need a Xmas gift suggestion for a pilot friend? I found cute key-chains with an E6-B mini plastic computer attached; Google “pilot key-chain computer E6-B” for sellers. Nostalgic, for GPS is used these days, but it’s a great status symbol. If you’re out to date an aviation-type use one yourself, place your keys on the bar and wait for conversation.

Keep searching on LOVE AIR, for each day there are new contacts and remember synchronicity!

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

Howard Hughes, Synchronicity, and WhirlyGirl 99

Women in Aviation No Responses »

Nov 272011

Rosemary in Helistop Magazine 1969

I mentioned synchronicity. How was I thought to be Howard Hughes’ new girl friend?

Back in the 60s before photocopiers, form letters arrived in my letterbox. I mischievously replied, making the sender scratch his head – what letter did I write to her – who is she?

In 1965, when I attained my Australian private helicopter licence, I received a cable from Washington DC “welcome WhirlyGirl 99”. I had become the 99^th WhirlyGirl in the World, first in Australia and Southern Hemisphere. Then came a letter signed by Rea E Hopper, Senior Vice-President, Hughes Tool Company (HTC), enclosing a silver charm engraved Whirly Girl No.99. These were initially made for the first 100 in the World. My reply to this letter surprised Rea Hopper and started a warm friendship during which he said, “I should have married you”, my reply “Yes, you should have”. I pointed out that my maiden name was Hopper (had same REH initials; Rea sadly died on my 57^th birthday), and gave him our Family Tree, of which he showed great interest calling me his Australian Cousin. By 1969 I longed to attend the Helicopter Association America (HAA) conference in Florida (East coast) to meet up with rotary-wing people. I could afford an air-ticket to Los Angeles (West coast) but had little cash for accommodation and other travel. I wrote asking could I hitch a ride to the HAA conference with someone flying over? To my surprise I was met by HTC personnel, a personal limo driver, taken to dinner at the poshest Hollywood club where Rea Hopper showed me off to his friends and HTC picked up all my expenses for the month. Best of all I was allowed to fly the first Hughes 500 off the assembly line for commercial use in the World. There were two Hughes 500s, 2 company pilots, 1 engineer, 1 cameraman and we flew from Culver City CA to Florida, 20.5hrs flying time and then part way back, to Texas. I logged 33hrs. Later I was told, after years of friendship, that they thought I was Howard Hughes new girlfriend, for Rea Hopper was Howard’s close friend and Chief Designer of the Spruce Goose. They were so, so polite daring not to show interest in me, and guarding me like the family (HTC) jewel. It was wonderful!

1969 Hughes 500 Flight

Late on the first night out, at El Centro, the only accommodation was a suite of rooms on the airport. Curiously the guys asked my approval to accept this. I was given the big double bedroom/bath, engineer George took the sofa and pilots Ralph and Clark bunked down somewhere and photographer Jamie was on the floor. I was a princess? Once in Florida I played hostess in the HTC hospitality suite to the likes of F-Lee Bailey (Enstrom/then OJ-lawyer), Bobby Suggs (PetroleumHelis, largest in the World), Sir Alan Bristow (BristowHelis) – the royalty of rotary-wing. Mini skirts they had not seen and I had many! Synchronicity, is this really happening?

This USA trip was my first International adventure. I took a BOAC flight on Sydney’s New Year’s Eve and only about six passengers were aboard. One was well-known ferry pilot Jim Hazelton, who I knew only by his famous reputation (he had missed his earlier flight). We changed seats to chat, drank French champagne, exchanged hangar talk of acquaintances and applied ice packs to a broken bone in my foot. We then slept, head to head, on the many spare seats of that BOAC airliner. When we awoke trickster Jim shocked me, saying, “can I tell everyone I slept with you?” Jim suggested I go with him to San Diego to see an Australian doctor about my fractured foot. After these couple of New Year Eves we were met by ferry-outfitter Dick Sawyer at LAX and driven to his home in San Diego. Blow me down, there was fellow pilot Robin Miller and RFDS Dr Harold Dicks. What an Aussie night celebrating another New Year’s Eve! Dr Dicks fixed my foot and Dick became a great friend. Aren’t flying people nice? That’s why I just had to write my aviation history book, to salute those amazing women pilots who set Australian records, including Robin. My autobiography is next, Hovering Matilda.

Bring on the good life for aviators, LOVE AIR! Xmas is coming with airborne Santas?

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

The ultimate joyride Ground Crew – daughters!

Women in Aviation No Responses »

Nov 242011

Vicki, Rosemary & Lyndall

Having three attractive daughters was a definite advantage when operating on a shoe string budget to pay off the old Bell 47J2A 4-seater helicopter. Registration VH-THH became well-known as the Triple Happy Helicopter, because it had three happy passenger seats, floral interior and a bright daisy paint job. Hot pink was my theme, for male pilots wore blue and most helicopters were white with blue. The wide doors of THH provided quick turnarounds with one daughter exiting three passengers while another buckled up three new ones through the other door. It’s about bums on seats in aviation anywhere plus dust, flies, heat and an instant AUW calculation as ground crew approached with over-weight passengers. Sometimes my head was shaking but a running take-off proved the answer.

Helping Hubbard (Mother Hubbard) had mutual benefits with the bevy of handsome helicopter pilots part of the air show scene, so I knew who my girls were going home with, when last light approached. I was left to fly home alone; actually it was with our Australian terrier, Deepha Dog. When I bought the 47J my instructor shouted instructions over my shoulder due to the seating configuration of a single pilot upfront. When I tried going solo the nose of the helicopter would rise out of control. I found I was 15lbs too light for the C-of-G arm. Deepha weighed 15lbs, loved flying so became flight-crew sitting up front, tethered on her absorbent mat (see ANRs re dogs).

Rosemary's THH, dog, and kids

The maximum PAX carried in one day was 276. Maximum landings in one 8-hour joyride day totalled 75, in very hot temperatures at a country air show where I did my own refuelling out of 44-gallon drums. Circuits were carefully planned for five minutes, just long enough to avoid passengers getting anxious or air-sick and I kept them occupied with a running commentary. Out of more than 5,000 carried in THH no-one got sick and only one was unable to overcome her fear of heights, so a quick landing was executed.

My joyride days would raise money for charities and I had quite a following of disabled people who loved the freedom of flying fast above the ground, scattering the many rabbits into burrows. Giving people the greatest experience of a lifetime was pure joy to me and I would greet every face with a smile that said, “you’ll be right mate”. The fence-sitters would say, “a woman pilot they’ll all be killed”.

One circuit was cut very short when a mentally disabled young adult landed a punch on my jaw, knocking off my headset in flight. His “handler” was not quick enough to prevent the jab, but no harm done, just a good lesson on passenger surveillance. One burly car salesman brought a six-pack of beer cans onboard, drank one after the other then threw the empties out the window, despite my protests. Fortunately it was over bushland. Sadly Triple Happy was sold to pay my second divorce costs.

Back in the *1930s, barnstorming was popular when Australian women pilots flew joyriders at country race days and one 17year old, Jean Burns, raised money for her flying lessons by doing parachute jumps. Jean was the first Australian woman to jump in 1937 aged 17. Later when Jean married, her husband used the emotional blackmail, “now you must promise me you won’t fly again and I’ll make sure you always have a nice car”. Those non-flying types, eh? I had to hide my aviation theory books when I first started lessons in 1962, for a married 27year old with 4 kids faced great disapproval and strong criticism. Jean is now 93 and regrets giving up her flying under such duress. It still happens today and so many in-the-air/on-the-ground partnerships crumble. I’m pleased you have found LOVE AIR aren’t you?

*it’s all in my “First Females Above Australia” book.

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...

DESTINY – dodge it if you dare?

Women in Aviation No Responses »

Nov 232011

Sausalito Home - The Airess

During my twelve months of GI platonic emailing I phoned my girlfriend in Melbourne suggesting she meet my pen-pal to see if she could be interested in him, for I certainly had no plans to take it further, emotionally. I am a real matchmaker and realised this man had qualities too good to waste on those he was dating. I had been single for more than twenty years and after 15 years in the USA was re-established in Sydney with a new business plus grandkids. I just love Sydney and its waterways, owned many boats and in Sausalito, California lived six years aboard (solo) The Airess. My largest boat was the 60ft tug Jason, on Sydney Harbour. Two years living aboard was illegal but WaterWays staff regularly tied-up alongside for coffee and chats; I believe they welcomed increased water security made possible by responsible live-aboards. My next is a pontoon boat for water weddings on the Moyne River, Port Fairy; calling it Red Carpet on the River. Romantic?

In Sydney I was single and happy with my Yorkie Annie. We did exactly what we wanted and didn’t do anything we didn’t want to do. We ate when and what we wanted and drank too. The single life was good with two TVs, Foxtel and one remote. When we nanny-napped the snoring bothered no-one.

Rosemary's Triple Happy Helicopter

Jenny met David for coffee but they spent the day together, for he repaired her table. Report: “yes, he is a delightful fellow but ‘no’ I’m not interested”. My email affair kept on going. I was tempted to visit Jenny to take a look for myself, but Jenny went interstate giving me no excuse to visit Melbourne. Ten months into the total twelve I found myself feeling jealous and rather possessive hearing the on-going saga of his many girlfriends. What was this new feeling? I didn’t want him, but I worried about his well-being. Weird and mystifying change of attitude. Was I falling for a platonic email affair? I recognise this is a similar feeling ex-wives experience towards the father of their children. You don’t want him but you don’t want anyone else to have him, either. We women are weird; no wonder guys get confused.

Accepting the blind date flight put thoughts into my head that a bit of hanky-panky was possible but what was there to lose. He could go back to his non-flying girlfriend and I could go back to Sydney? I liked training a new puppy but not new husbands. I was already considered a serial bride and my daughters’ friends would ask, “what colour is your mother wearing next time?” I would argue that I married at eleventeen, and served a 17 year apprenticeship; had a near-miss with a prominent citizen who forgot to tell me he was already married and that lying habit sent him to gaol 35 years later. Did destiny give me that escape? I remarried on the rebound to a charming conman taking five years for enlightenment; then for eleven months I was married to a 60-a-day-smoker before becoming allergic to nicotine. Colours I had worn? pink, yellow, cream - red was next – but there definitely wasn’t going to be a next time.

Annie & Rosemary

During my professional helicopter career I chose not to date within the aviation industry, thinking it was not a good image. I had made it on my own initiative, struggled to pay-off my aircraft working three jobs and not by sleeping to the top. But I found that dating outside the industry was wrought with hazards. It attracted Walter Mitty-types and my daughters would say, “mum there’s a sign out on the street that says SHE’S IN HERE”. While I was flying an eight hour day doing helicopter joyrides at Air Shows and Fetes the non-flying jerk would be on the ground, chatting up my long line of customers saying, “yes that’s my helicopter; I let her fly it”. Back on the ground he would brag to me about what technical rotary-wing advice he gave to his listeners. Embarrassment and angst.

Now, thank you Universe, we have LOVE AIR to save us from all this?

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To purchase my book FIRST FEMALES ABOVE AUSTRALIA please contact me at...