Before Amelia by Eileen F. Lebow Read Free Book Online

said, gave her the courage to accomplish it.
    Feeling more secure with each flight, Hélène made appearances at several meets in England, probably arranged for her by Henry Farman, whose machines were appearing throughout Europe. At Folkestone, Burton–on–Trent, and Doncaster, she made successful flights, sometimes with a passenger, when the weather permitted. At Burton she carried a passenger over the town to the delight and cheers of fourteen thousand people assembled in Bass’s meadows, a performance hailed by the English press as the “first woman’s flight with passenger.” The press loved articles hailing “firsts.”
Le Petit Journal
had it right when it observed: “Les aéroplanes montent et les records tombent.” (“The aeroplanes go up and the records fall.”) Back on the continent, Hélène appeared in Holland and Belgium, flying at Liége, Anvers, Braisne–le–Comte, and Menin with one or two passengers.
    In England, Hélène’s flights over towns raised concern in aviation circles. A notice in the
Daily Mail
stated that the Aero Club of England would penalize its members, or certified pilots, for flights over towns or populated areas because of the “present state of the science of aviation.” The club reasoned that such flights did not contribute to the development of aviation and could be hazardous to the public.
    Finally, in November, the Aero Club of France, recognizing Hélène’s proven ability, issued her a pilot’s license. The administrative debate was resolved; on November 25 she received license No. 27, the number given to her earlier by the Belgian Aero Club. Marthe Niel had won a license August 29, the second French woman to do so; Marie Marvingt was brevetted on November 8; and Jeanne Herveux would follow Hélène with a license on December 7. They were competent fliers and very competitive.
    In December, the newly brevetted pilot resolved to try for the recently established Coupe Fémina. On the 22nd, taking off from Étampes in midafternoon after last–minute advice from Farman, Hélène circled the airfield in a steady wind, showing remarkable skill in handling her aeroplane. The distance tabulated by Aero Club representatives was 60.8 kilometers flown in one hour and nine minutes. (The reporting on early fliers in the press was far from accurate. Distance and time often differed from the official records, and a “new record” was a familiar claim when flights lengthened almost daily.) Marie Marvingt was second to Hélène, with a distance of forty–two kilometers, flown in fifty–three minutes. Because her flight was made first, Marvingt mistakenly claimed she won the Coupe. Not so.
    In 1911, Hélène did not rest on her records. Most of the year was spent in competitions and appearances, and the press began to refer to her as
la femme épervier,
“the female sparrow hawk.” In May she competed at Florence in the speed race for the King of Italy Cup against fourteen men, including Emile Védrines, Maurice Tabuteau, Eugène Renaux, and Romulo Manissero, and won. Other meets found her in Spain, Belgium, and France.
    Flying at Le Mans in August, Hélène had a rare mishap. The day had gone well for all attending the meet, until near the end, when Charles Weymann’s machine, after winning a speed race, suddenly fell to the ground. Shortly after, Hélène took off in her Farman biplane with Léon Bollée, president of the Aero Club of the Sarthe. Newspaper accounts reported that as the aeroplane flew in front of the grandstand, one wing struck a post, and in the next instant, the machine toppled over, shattering into pieces among some of the spectators. Fortunately, both pilot and passenger jumped free without injury, but three spectators hit by flying debris were taken by ambulance to the hospital. Never mind the injured spectators, and