Jean Batten

Jean Gardner Batten CBE (15 September 1909–22 November 1982) was a New Zealand aviatrix.

Born in Rotorua, she became the best-known New Zealander of the 1930s, internationally. In 1934 she flew solo from England to Australia. For this achievement and for subsequent record-breaking flights, she was awarded the Harmon Trophy three times from 1935 through to 1937. in 1924 she was enrolled into a secretarial school and studied ballet and piano and at the age of 18 wanted to become a pilot.

Batten was created Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1936. In 1938, she was the first woman to be awarded the medal of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, aviation's highest honour. World War II was the end of her flying adventures, and she retired from public life. She became a recluse and died alone in a hotel on Majorca, from complications from a dog bite.

Because of her striking looks and her reclusive tendencies, she became known as the "Greta Garbo of the skies".

A house in Macleans College and Westlake Girls High School is named after her, as is a primary school in Mangere, Auckland, as with Batten (Blue) house from the house system at Orewa College, New Zealand. Five streets in New Zealand are named after her (in Auckland, Christchurch, Mount Maunganui,Wellington and her birthplace of Rotorua). The historic Jean Batten building on the Auckland street has been incorporated into the design of the new Bank of New Zealand head office. The Auckland Airport International Terminal is named after her. A bronze sculpture of Jean Batten is now located in the main terminal of the Rotorua Airport and a small park in the middle of the city is also named after her.

In October 2008 a musical Garbo of the Skies written by Paul Andersen-Gardiner and Rebekah Hornblow had its inaugural performance in Opunake by the Opunake Players at the Lakeside Playhouse. This was based on Ian Mackersey's biography.

Major flights

• 1934 – England - Australia (women's record) 10,500 miles in 14 days 22 hours 30 minutes, breaking Amy Johnson's record by six days.
• 1935 – Australia - England in 17 days 15 hours. First woman to make return flight.
• 1935 – England - Brazil: 5000 miles in 61 hours 15 minutes, setting world record for any type of aeroplane. Also fastest crossing South Atlantic Ocean, 13 1/4 hours, and first woman to make England - South America flight.
• 1936 – England - New Zealand. World record for any type. 14,224 miles in 11 days 45 minutes total elapsed time, including 2 1/2 days in Sydney.

External links

• NZEDGE.COM Jean Batten Hine-o-te-Rangi: Daughter of the skies
• Auckland International Airport NZ Aviators Jean Batten
• Hargrave: The Pioneers. Aviation and Aeromodeling – Interdependent Evolutions and Histories
• Monash page of Jean Batten quotes, photos and links

Bibliography

• Batten, Jean, Solo Flight, Jackson and O'Sullivan Ltd, 1934.
• Batten, Jean, Alone In The Sky, N.Z. Technical books, 1979 (an extended version of her book My Life, originally published in 1932).
• Batten Jean, My Life, George G. Harrap and Company Limited
• Mackersey, Ian, Jean Batten: The Garbo of the Skies, Warner Books, 1999, 466pp, ISBN 0-7515-3019-0