Tracey Curtis-Taylor completed her solo flight from England in a vintage open cockpit biplane.

Her mission was to emulate the pioneering British aviator Amy Johnson, who became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1930. Tracey set off in her 1942 Boeing Stearman from Farnborough, Hampshire, in October, with a support team of engineers in a separate aircraft, as well as a camera crew.

She retraced pioneer Amy Johnson's 1930 flight, at the age of 26 with little flying experience, flying over 23 countries and making some 50 refuelling stops.

“My own flight to Australia is the realisation of a burning desire to fly my beloved Boeing Stearman around the world following in their footsteps,” she has recreated the essence of Johnson’s era of flying, with an open cockpit, stick and rudder flying with basic period instruments and a short range between landing points.

She is not unfamiliar with this form of flying. She flew solo from Cape Town to the UK in 2013, recreating the 1928 flight of Lady Mary Heath.

She said that despite having just completed the exhausting trip, she still had the drive to make further expeditions. “What I would really like to do is get back in the airplane and fly up the east coast of Australia. I wish I could keep going, I never want to land as the experience is so profound, it’s addictive, I am still in expedition mode, but I need to relax and decompress.”

She said she would travel to New Zealand to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday before joining her aircraft in Seattle for a coast-to-coast expedition across the US. “Why not keep going? Life should be about big projects,” she said.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/09/i-need-a-drink-british-woman-lands-in-sydney-after-21000km-flight-in-vintage-biplane
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35271182
https://www.facebook.com/birdinabiplane/

 First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Jim Mollison husband of Amy Johnson, President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Amy and Jim had crash landed after running out of fuel in a transatlantic record bid, hence the bandages. Sadly the marriage didn't last; Mollison was a pretty reckless character and would have been delicately described in the day as a "ladies' man". Amy was killed ferrying an Oxford twin during the early days of the war. She had parachuted into the English Channel and was almost saved but heavy seas foiled her would be rescuers. (Thanks Tony for the info!)

Maurine Sweeney and Nancy Brown were the only competitors in their age category (the 65-69 and 70-74 year old) at the Cyclocross National Championships in Asheville, North Carolina

Maurine Sweeney (above) had a great race into the overall third spot ahead of the 60-64 bronze medalist. With that move she was besting riders in the age bracket below and she easily rode to the 65-69 title.

Nancy Brown is no stranger to the podium at national events. She’s a past Cyclocross National Champion having won the 65-69 race in 2008 and she holds two silver medals in Time Trial National Championships as well.

http://www.cxmagazine.com/master-women-60-64-65-69-70-74-and-75-cyclocross-national-championships-results-photos-video  via   https://www.facebook.com/bikegirls/?fref=nf

the early efforts to get women interested in buying cars, pivoting seats, and pink La Comtesse Chrysler

found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/321577158048111/?fref=nf

Preceding the 1956 Dodge LeFemme was the La Comtesse concept car of 1954.

La Comtesse was part of a pair of "His and Her" show cars - the Le Comte and the La Comtesse. It had an exotic, plastic top with two-tone paint, dusty rose leather with seat back inserts of platinum brocatelle fabric, continental tire mount, and chrome wire wheels.

After the 1955 show season, La Comtesse disappeared. In 2008 it was located after years of storage in Southern California. The show car has been purchased by the Chrysler Historical Foundation and will eventually appear in the museum.

https://www.facebook.com/bob.kauffman.79?fref=nf

the Gypsy Coeds and the Silver Streak, enjoying summer road trips from the mid 1930s until war rations on gas stopped cross country pleasure drives, in 1942

a 1926 Model T, the perseverance to road trip every summer from 1936 to 1942, and a gang of friends to share the trips with... very cool story just recently put into a book.

 Darlene organized summer vacations with girlfriends when her dad gave her this Model T instead of sending her to college, beginning with just a trip to a lake, but later through 44 states, Canada, and Mexico, even attending World’s Fairs in New York and San Francisco. The group changed and in total, 20 women were along and learning how to fix flats, or charm guys into doing minor repairs.

Don't bother trying to read them, get the book instead:

http://gypsycoeds.com/  has a ton of info, dozens of links to photo galleries, etc, surf it.

or you can listen to 1998 recordings of Regina talking about her experiences as a Gyspy Coed on the 1939 trip to the New York Worlds Fair.  http://gypsycoeds.com/home-2/listen-to-tails-from-the-1939-trip/

trips,
1935 - Devil's Lake Wisconsin,
1936 through Wisconsin and Michigan
1937 to Ontario
1938 to Detroit for Henry Ford's birthday
1939 New York Worlds Fair
1940 to San Diego California and Bonneville
1941 to New Orleans and up the East coast
1942 to Chicago

The car belonged to Darlene, who had wanted to go to college, but her father did not think that was necessary, didn’t want her to leave Bradford. Darlene worked as a hair dresser in the basement of the family home. It is believed that it was here that she and the girls would talk about and plan their trips. She organized the first camping trip and would become the ringleader for all the following seven the trips.

See the 5 minute video, at https://www.dropbox.com/s/nbtshuaov5gtho1/rc.v.2_GypsyCoeds.mov?dl=0  you don't have to download it, just move past the pop ups and press play. It's terrific, and tells the story really well