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Sunday. The weather closed in again on Monday. But on Tuesday April 16, 1912, at 5:30 a.m., Harriet took off from the heights of Dover. Gustav Hamel had been advising her, and he had been able to make a short flight in the aircraft prior to takeoff to make sure it ran smoothly.

Hamel had been skeptical from the beginning, however, about a woman's ability to pilot an aircraft across the Channel. He even went so far as to suggest that he himself dress up in Harriet's satin flying costume, pilot her plane across the Channel, and land at a deserted spot, where Harriet would be waiting to take the credit. Harriet of course refused his offer. So Hamel helped her as much as he could, instructing her on the use of a compass in flight, which was also new for Harriet, and he even tied a hot water bottle around her waist as protection from the wind's chill.

Almost immediately after takeoff Harriet found herself in thick clouds. She dropped from an altitude of 2000 feet to about 1000 feet, and though dazzled by the rising sun, could see the shores of France. Being unfamiliar with the French coast, Harriet could not find her goal, Calais. She descended onto a flat, sandy fishing beach and was immediately surrounded by