Lilian Bland preparing for take off
Lively ladies sounds so much more alluring than likely lads, doesn’t it. Smacks of cancan and Toulouse Lautrec. But in this case it’s paint and engine oil.
Lively lady No.1 – Lilian Bland
Lilian comes courtesy of Grannymar, who tells a lovely story about the first woman to design, build and fly her own aeroplane. The pioneering aviatrix (1877-1972) was originally from the south east of England, but she spread her wings in, round and over Carnmoney in County Antrim in the north east of Ireland.
This excerpt from Grannymar’s post gives you a flavour of Lilian Bland’s character:
She was so keen to fly that she came over to England to pick up the engine and took it a back on the train with her. Once home in Ireland, there was no petrol tank so she used an empty whiskey bottle and her aunt’s ear trumpet Continue reading
Blackwatertown 