What an amazing story this is. It's one of those "truth is stranger than fiction" tales. Jessie "Chubbie" Miller, an Australian housewife, travelled to London in the 1920s to escape a life she was bored with. There by chance she met Bill Lancaster, a (married) pilot who dreamed of being the first person to fly a light plane from Britain to Australia. Quickly surmising that Bill was more of a dreamer than a planner, she suggested a partnership - she would raise the money for the trip, and he would take her with him. Thus began their adventures together, first in a two seater Avro Avian biplane named the Red Rose, then is a series of other planes in America. Along the way they became lovers, encountered smugglers, snakes and media moguls. Chubbie competed in the first "Powder Puff Derby" for women pilots and Bill was tried for murder. Chubbie's courage, stamina, intelligence and sheer style was phenomenal. It's amazing that she seems to have been forgotten by history. She really was both a pioneer and a feminist to be proud of.
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