Well, with a bit of luck, and a good book, perhaps this will no longer be the case. To me, someone who inhabits the world of historic aviation, but who regularly wears blinkers out of necessity, Lores Bonney is one of the forgotten. Were they the less attention seeking perhaps? They might be remembered on a plaque somewhere or have had a book published, or written about them, that remains long out of print. Those who have achieved just as much, perhaps more, but have been almost lost to history. They have been extensively memorialised, their aircraft, or replicas thereof, reside in museums or attend airshows, books are still written about them and their likeness appears on currency. Those in the first group remain household names to some extent: Amelia Earhart, Amy Johnson, Jean Batten, Charles Kingsford Smith, Bert Hinkler, Charles Lindbergh, Wiley Post, Alcock and Brown etc. That said, it still took something incredible to be lauded as a pioneer. With the birth of aviation, everything was a challenge. Being the first to do something can’t be taken away. It is still an amazing effort to fly solo around Australia or fly to England in a Tiger Moth but, because of the airliners passing thousands of feet overhead, the mainstream don’t get it. Really, not a lot has changed since the early days of aviation. Destinations have to be carefully picked and diversions assessed for their suitability and safety. This is especially so when trying to follow the flight path of a pioneer. If anything, today’s political and security landscape makes long-distance solo flights harder to plan let alone fly. These flights remain remarkable achievements.
Some do it in modern aircraft, some do it in vintage aircraft with or without a support crew. Long distance flying is accepted if you want to see the world yet pilots of all ages still accept the challenge to tackle a route solo.
Aircraft cross six of the seven continents hourly and usually do so to reach another continent on the other side of a vast ocean. Aviation today doesn’t often make the headlines unless it’s bad news.
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