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| New Britain Herald, 09-October-1922 |
100 years ago today, on 08-October-1922, Lillian Gatlin landed at Curtiss Field in Mineola, Long Island after a 27 hour and 11-minute flight from San Francisco. This made her the first woman to fly across the country. She was trying to raise interest in making March 2 a day to acknowledge aviators who "offered their lives on the altar of patriotism and progress."
Gatlin said that 02-March-1915 was the day that Lincoln Beachey died while performing aerobatics at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. I thought he died on the 14th:
The Pneumatic Rolling-Sphere Carrier Delusion: Lincoln Beachey Plunges a Mile Out of Sky to Death -- March 14, 2015 (cablecarguy.blogspot.com)
Mineola, L. I. Oct. 9. -- Lillian Gatlin, said to be the first woman to cross the continent by airplane, landed at 5:45 last evening at the United States Air Mall Service station at Curtiss field, completing the flight from San Francisco in the flying time of 27 hours and 11 minutes. She left San Francisco on Oct. 5.
Miss Gatlin, who Is the founder of the National Association of Aviation Gold Star Mothers, arrived as a "special delivery" package in one of the United States Post Office De Haviland mail planes equipped with a 400 horsepower Liberty motor. The trip was undertaken by Miss Gatlin for the purpose of creating interest in her movement to have the government set apart March 2 every year to commemorate the death of flyers who offered their lives on the altar of patriotism and progress.
Army officers here estimated that Miss Gatlin flew 2,680 miles in her flight. Her trip from Cleveland yesterday was the last leg of her journey and was made in 4 hours and 36 minutes, with Pilot Elmer G. Leonhard, an air service flyer, at the wheel.
The plane ran into rainstorms and fog on the last leg. Before coming to Mineola Leonhardt pushed the nose of his machine down the Hudson and to New York harbor, where he circled the statue of liberty several times in salute. At Curtiss field Miss Gatlin stepped smilingly from the plane to meet the congratulations of a group of men and women who had been apprised of her coming.
After a pat at her hair. Miss Gatlin drew from the folds of her flying suit a pair of baby shoes, her mascot.
"These were given to me by the mother of a dead aviator," she said as she stroked the white leather shoes. "No. I don't believe in a jinx. These are Lincoln Beachery's cuff buttons. He met his death in an airplane. So did Harold L. Coffey, whose goggles I am wearing. No, I am not superstitious. It is because I would preserve the memory of these men and many others like them who died as martyrs to aviation, whether in civil pursuits or in the cause of their country, that I wish to have a memorial service for dead aviators.
"I want the gold star mothers to feel that the memory of their sons shall endure. By setting apart one day of the year for fitting ceremonies in tribute to dead aviators, the nation will prove that it does not forget the men who have given their lives in the pursuit of a constructive ideal. The names of these men should be handed on to the coming generations and should serve as an inspiration to schoolboys as well as their parents so long as deeds of heroism shall have power to thrill."
WOMAN CROSSES
CONTINENT IN AIR
Lillian Gatlin Reaches Mineola
Field Safely
Mineola, L. I. Oct. 9. -- Lillian Gatlin, said to be the first woman to cross the continent by airplane, landed at 5:45 last evening at the United States Air Mall Service station at Curtiss field, completing the flight from San Francisco in the flying time of 27 hours and 11 minutes. She left San Francisco on Oct. 5.
Miss Gatlin, who Is the founder of the National Association of Aviation Gold Star Mothers, arrived as a "special delivery" package in one of the United States Post Office De Haviland mail planes equipped with a 400 horsepower Liberty motor. The trip was undertaken by Miss Gatlin for the purpose of creating interest in her movement to have the government set apart March 2 every year to commemorate the death of flyers who offered their lives on the altar of patriotism and progress.
Army officers here estimated that Miss Gatlin flew 2,680 miles in her flight. Her trip from Cleveland yesterday was the last leg of her journey and was made in 4 hours and 36 minutes, with Pilot Elmer G. Leonhard, an air service flyer, at the wheel.
The plane ran into rainstorms and fog on the last leg. Before coming to Mineola Leonhardt pushed the nose of his machine down the Hudson and to New York harbor, where he circled the statue of liberty several times in salute. At Curtiss field Miss Gatlin stepped smilingly from the plane to meet the congratulations of a group of men and women who had been apprised of her coming.
Wears Dead Aviator's Goggles.
After a pat at her hair. Miss Gatlin drew from the folds of her flying suit a pair of baby shoes, her mascot.
"These were given to me by the mother of a dead aviator," she said as she stroked the white leather shoes. "No. I don't believe in a jinx. These are Lincoln Beachery's cuff buttons. He met his death in an airplane. So did Harold L. Coffey, whose goggles I am wearing. No, I am not superstitious. It is because I would preserve the memory of these men and many others like them who died as martyrs to aviation, whether in civil pursuits or in the cause of their country, that I wish to have a memorial service for dead aviators.
"I want the gold star mothers to feel that the memory of their sons shall endure. By setting apart one day of the year for fitting ceremonies in tribute to dead aviators, the nation will prove that it does not forget the men who have given their lives in the pursuit of a constructive ideal. The names of these men should be handed on to the coming generations and should serve as an inspiration to schoolboys as well as their parents so long as deeds of heroism shall have power to thrill."
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