Air Lady

(British Commonwealth of Nations)

Lady Maud Hoare, wife of Air Minister Sir Samuel Hoare, superintended last week the packing of a small week-end bag. Into it went two nightgowns and three sets of undergarments, all of sheerest silk. Then a sheer afternoon gown. Finally a set of especially made featherweight aluminum toilet articles. . . .

Next morning Lady Hoare stood with her husband at the Croydon Airdrome, reading a telegram:

"The Queen and I wish you and Lady Maud bon voyage, a successful journey, and a safe return home."

(Signed) GEORGE R. I.

As the dawn waxed into day the new $100,000 biplane Hercules taxied from a hangar amid the roar of its three Jupiter engines. "Flying bores me," said Sir Samuel to e newsgatherer, "it is all the same after the first five minutes. I usually read or go to sleep."

"The worst of this trip," said Lady Maud, "is going to be that we shall have to get up so early every morning to catch the plane."

Thus, with true British matter-of-fact farewells, Sir Samuel and his Air Lady entered the Hercules which vanished into the zenith five minutes later. Courageous, nonchalant, they had set out to inaugurate the 6,000-mile commercial airway from the Empire Capital via Cairo to Delhi, the Indian Capital.

As dusk descended the Hercules coasted down through a light mist at Marseille, just beyond the Western extremity of the French Riviera, Next day, amid perfect weather, they flew East and South along the entire French and Italian Riviera to Naples--averaging 93 1/2 miles an hour. As morning dawned again the Hercules bellowed up through a driving rain to the clear skies above and flew 350 miles over sea to the British Island of Malta.

From Malta the Air Knight and Lady continued across the Mediterranean to Italian Tripoli upon the Afric shore. Thence across Libya to Egypt and Cairo, where Lady Maud donned her afternoon dress for tea at Shepherds Hotel. Next day the Hercules soared over the Holy Land, descending at Ziza in Palestine. Thence the 543-mile flight to Bagdad was taken in a single jump. Persia and "the road that leadeth to Isphan" loomed.