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-7- BSS

At that time pilots were forbidden flights beyond the limits of the field. It was feared that they might have to make an emergency landing on rooftops and thus cause a panic.

Flying was a prime news source in those days and each of the New York City papers had a reporter at Mineola.

One day Blanche turned up to fly, feeling much out of sorts. She started the day with a verbal exchange with Captain Baldwin, then got into her plane. Instead of circling the field, on and on she went, eyes front. When her anger cooled she recognized she was over Central Islip, N.J. Back at Mineola, Captain Baldwin and the other fliers were sweating the situation. They began checking police stations to see if anyone had reported a plane crash. No one had. Blanche however, wasn't concerned. When she started out she'd been angry and didn't consider whether she had enough gas or where she was going nor how long the plane would stay in the air. The motor was humming, the plane was chewing up the miles gracefully and Blanche was regaining her shattered composure.

When she reached the field again she was amazed to see a crowd looking at the sky. She landed and was surrounded by reporters. They asked her how far she'd flown. Without thought she said she'd been over Central Islip. One of them said, "My God, do you realize that is 30 miles out and 30 miles back?"

"I don't care a hoot if it 50 miles out and 50 miles back. I needed to fly so I flew!" Blanche replied

Imagine her surprise when next morning her picture jumped at her from one of the New York papers with the headline screaming that she had been the first woman to make a long distance flight. Sixty miles WAS a long distance flight. However, as Blanche pointed out in 1969, that that concept of distance would probably leave the United States astronauts slightly hysterical with laughter.

Blanche next joined California plane builder Glenn Martin as a test pilot... still another female first. Martin would build a pusher