Adventures over Land and Sea
Just a few of her adventures as told in her books. Her book ‘Alone in the sky’ is a reprint of
her 1938 book ‘My life’ which can be borrowed from the New Zealand History and
Travel section on the 1st Floor, 629.13z BAT.
Solo flight by Jean Batten c.1934
April 9th 1933 Jean set off from England bound for Australia. It was to be her 1st unsuccessful
attempt. Her second attempt April 21st, 1934 also failed when she crash landed at Rome. Her 3rd attempt leaving Lympne on the 8th May 1934 was successful Arriving in Darwin on May 23rd 1934.
✈ On arrival
in Rome, Jean discovers that no-one is there to meet her or expect her to land
as it was Sunday. Jean writes “Aviators should be warned against
arriving at a European aerodromes on Sunday for things are very quiet on the
continent” she decided to fly on to Naples.
✈ Over the Aegean Sea “when I had been over the sea
for 2 hours, I experienced a terrible loneliness – my only company were the
four flames from the stubb-exhaust pipes of my engine… when nearing one of the
many islands, I perceived someone signalling to me in Morse code. I
wished with all my heart that I was more proficient at morse, and could read
the message…”
✈ On
approaching the mountains… “I experienced a series of small bumps… I was flying
at 5000 ft. and had only flown for a few minutes when encountering a sudden
down draft of great intensity, the plane dropped 2000 ft. in a few seconds.
✈ On arriving in Aleppo, some French Air Force
officers told her some interesting facts about the place, “one being
whereas in other countries people walk along the street with their dogs, in
Aleppo they lead lambs and sheep which they have dyed their favourite shade”
✈ Once in
Syria Jean experienced a sand storm, “I did not know at the time that sand
storms travel in circles and after flying through one into apparently clear
weather, a flyer is likely to meet the same storm again”
✈ After an
unscheduled stopover in Baluchistan, where she had more adventure than
bargained for, she arrived close to her next stop, Karachi only for her engine
to fail again and she crash landed on the ‘Drigh Rd’ wrecking the plane, but
surviving uninjured, thus ending her first attempt to fly solo from
England to Australia.
 |
| Jean Gardner Batten. New Zealand Free Lance Ref: 1/2-087791-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. /records/23235041 |
My Life by Jean Batten c.1938.
✈ At Ende she saw a volcano erupting so flew near the
mountain to get a better view “of this awe-inspiring sight, but when a cloud of
smoke and fine ash temporarily obscured my view I decided I had seen enough and
headed out to sea…”
✈
On landing in Rangoon “ I discovered the
disconcerting news that the monsoon was expected to break sooner than usual”
five hours out of Rangoon the next day “the rain thundered down on to the wings
of my aeroplane like millions of tiny pellets… very soon the cockpit almost
flooded, and my tropical flying suit wet through”
✈
Victoria Point: “after 35 minutes of
anxious cruising the curtain of rain lifted temporarily, disclosing the bases
of the mountains. I located a clearing in the jungle which was the aerodrome,
although it resembled a lake, and landed just as the rain closed in again.
Great sprays of water rose on each side of the machine as it taxied to where a
group of natives were sheltering under umbrellas and grass mats. A white clad
figure waded out to meet me… ‘Better take the plane over to the dry patch…only
a few inches deep, and I stepped out of the cockpit up to my ankles in water”
