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BSS-8

biplane. After all checkout procedures had been made, Blanche would test fly it. Martin would study all the flight data then iron out any small problems on the ground, make adjustments then Blanche would take it up for another whirl as Martin studied the action via binoculars. On landing Martin questioned her in detail about every aspect of the plane's performance. If any design changes were indicated Martin made the adjustments then turned the project over to Charles H. Day, his engineer, to draw up construction blue prints.

In 1913, Blanche's long run of excellent flying luck gave out. She was flying for Ward Aircraft of Chicago. A broken throttle wire, during an exhibition at Madison, Wisconsin, sent her into a crash in a marsh adjacent to the flying field. Blanche insisted the crash was no accident but sabotage by a rival to get her out of the way. Blanche was thrown free of the wreckage but was seriously injured. Under heavy sedation she was loaded in a Pullman car and routed to a Chicago hospital where she spent some eight months hospitalized with multiple injuries.

This crash made Blanche stop and take stock of her career. She knew flying was a high risk endeavor but the money was excellent and she loved it. The hospital days convinced her. She stopped public flight activities, remarried and settled in New York. Here, she and her husband operated a movie production company. Blanche participated in silent flying epics as a heroine. At her husband's death she moved to Hollywood where she spent some 14 years writing screen comedy dialogue. Since her Hollywood days were not headline makers, research uncovers little about her away from the studio activities beyond the fact that she held herself aloof from the Hollywood good timers and enjoyed the quiet companionship of a selected group of friends.