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number of balloon operators necessary for national defense. She was supported in her views by Sen. George E. Chamberlain, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs.
By 1916 flying had become almost commonplace for some women, especially for Mrs. Harry Christofferson, whose husband was an aircraft designer and manufacturer. On one occasion Mrs. Christofferson was some distance from home when she remembered she had invited several women in for dinner, and it was almost time for them to arrive. Her husband was making demonstration flights nearby, so she prevailed on him to fly her, their sixteen-month-old baby, and one of her guests to her home. She succeeded in arriving well before her guests.
In New York City an enterprising aviator named Al Welsh began an operation of flying women to afternoon teas in his airplane.
Although these women never piloted an aircraft themselves, they still played a vital role in the advancement of aviation. They showed that women did not have to learn to fly to enjoy the adventure of ascending into the air. But more importantly, their flights went a long way toward proving the pragmatic aspect of flight - using an aircraft to get form point A to