Pioneer of Aviation | Adventurer | Sportwoman
JEAN GARDNER BATTEN, Hine-o-te-Rangi (1909-1982)
Public attention in the 1930s took great interest in long-distance aviators, due to the mass appeal of aerial adventure and the awe inspiring individuals who pushed aviation technology to its limits. Many pilots embraced the challenge to fly unreliable aircraft, beyond their design, through difficult conditions, in an attempt to forge new records or break old ones. New Zealand's contribution to this golden era of aviation was the glamorous Jean Batten, who presented a public image of slender beauty and perfect poise.
During her childhood, Jean found her inspiration to fly from watching the flying boats at the New Zealand Flying School in Mission Bay and from the dramatic reports of Charles Lindberg's solo crossing of the Atlantic. Her desire to achieve celebrity solidified in 1928 after meeting Charles Kingsford-Smith.
Gaining her pilot's license in England in 1932, with a tiny number of hours in her logbook, Jean embarked on her long-distance adventures. Her first two failed attempts ended in crashes from which she was lucky to escape alive. Jean first hit the headlines in 1934 when, in an open cockpit Gipsy M Moth (G-AARB), she flew from England to Australia in 15 days, beating Amy Johnson's time by four days, returning in 1935 to become the first woman to fly the route in both directions.
The same year, in a Percival Gull 6 cabin plane (G-ADPR) Jean flew the South Atlantic, from England to Brazil faster than it had ever been done before, despite a magnetic storm alarmingly putting her compass out of action in mid-ocean. She made her most famous flight of all in 1936, the first from England to New Zealand. On the way, she broke the solo record from England to Australia and then reinforced her pre-eminence with her return Australia-England flight in 1937, by becoming the first person of either sex to hold the solo record in both directions.
Jean's most significant aviation achievements covered four golden years from 1934 to 1937. In this brief time she established herself as a skilled pilot, talented navigator, and demonstrated a stubborn determination to succeed. Her strong attention to detail, meticulous planning, organisation, and tenacity allowed Jean to set more long-distance achievements than her aviatrix contemporaries.
During the height of her fame, Jean met royalty and was hosted by the rich, the noble and the famous across Britain and Europe. Lecture tours during her years of fame earned her enough money to live on meagrely for the rest of her life. Although twice engaged she never married. Her flying years ended with World War II, during which time she became an ambulance driver for the Anglo-French Ambulance Corps. After the war, Jean disappeared into obscurity. However, in 1969 she surprised the aviation world by resurfacing to promote aviation causes and her own now long-forgotten flying exploits.
What made Jean Batten's achievements momentous was that she succeeded both as an aviator and as a determined individual with little means. She stubbornly followed her dream and consequently received enthusiastic recognition at a time when her beauty, dangerous adventure and celebrity had the greatest public impact.
