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Jean Batten after her successful England to Australia flight, Mascot, Sydney, 1934 photo by Sam Hood –

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Jean Batten

Jean Gardner Batten was a record-breaking woman and an adventurer of the skies who was a successful New Zealand Aviator.

She made several record-breaking solo flights across the world, with such astounding achievement one would think she had at least a college degree, but what makes her journey amazing it she had zero background aviation knowledge and through sheer will and practice she became the first woman to fly from Australia to England in two weeks.

Here are the top 10 fascinating facts about Jean Batten.

1. Her father was a dentist

Jean was one of the greatest international aviators of the 1930s and unlike other influential figures, her upbringing was the opposite of the roots she took in her career choice.

She was the only daughter of Fredrick Batten, a dentist, and his wife Ellen nee Blackmore.

Jean was a frail baby but she enjoyed a special nurturing and was cuddled by the whole family and handled as a precious soul.

Jean’s mother was believed to have had an independent spirit; with a spark of a feminist nature, this is believed to have influenced the young Jean as her mother supported her in her dreams despite much protest from her father who wanted her to follow a traditional career like most of the ladies from the middle class.

Jean’s parent’s marriage life was a troubled one, ruled by financial worries and her father’s adultery and it came as no shock when the two divorced in 1920, the year she turned eleven.

2. She was aspiring to be a dancer

Famous_aviatrix_Jean_Batten photo by State Library of Queensland, Australia-

Jean began her education at a private school but was soon switched to a state school in 1917. Her father enlisted her in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

Her mother, who was her best supporter encouraged her to participate in activities considered to be masculine, going as far as taking her to Kohimarama to observe the flying boats of the flight school there.

According to her memoirs, these small visits sparked her interest and encouraged her to pursue flying.

Jean was sent to a lady’s college in Remuera where she finished her education in 1924. She later refused to continue and pursued studies in music and ballet with hopes of succeeding in one of them.

Around the mid of 1930s, her career shifted from dancing to aviation, a reality many women couldn’t fathom at that time.

She decided to bet on her cards of faith and leaped with much cheering from her mother and quite a resistance from her father who refused to pay for flying lessons.

In early 1930, her mother took her to the London Aeroplane club and by the end of 1932, she had her commercial and private license.

3. She was sponsored by her male admirers

Batten_with_McGregor,_1936 Unknown author-

Jean’s dream was admirable though unrealistic in the eyes of many in that era but her will was of solid iron, her finances on the other side were a mockery of her dreams.

Where there is a will there is a way Jean was believed to take advantage of her Male admirers and one such victim was Pilot Fred Truman.

Truman tutored Batten in navigation in 1932 while he focused on gaining a B license. Jean borrowed money from Truman and also formed a close relationship with Victor Doreen.

In the process of building a close friendship, she also acquired a lump sum of money to aid her course.

It was the belief of many that Jean took advantage of her Male admirers and like a vixen furthered her career.

In 1932 December, she gained a B license and detangled herself from Truman without paying the loan she owed and didn’t even acknowledge him in her memoirs.

4. She secured a prince’s former plane

To fuel her dreams, Jean required a plane of her own, she sold her piano to raise funds, and secured the remaining funds through her many male admirers.

She was first helped to acquire a Gispy Moth by a scion of a wealthy merchant family, whose original owner, Prince of Wales first flew it a decade earlier.

The Gispy moth was an affordable and reliable plane of the era more suited and used in several record-setting flights.

 5. She  has succeeded in the record of the first woman to do a solo flying

Jean_Batten_and_her_Percival_Gull photo by Archives New Zealand-

In May 1930, Johnson achieved the title of the first woman to fly from England to Australia, by completing a 10,500-mile trip in 20 days, making several stops for fueling along the way.

This was both an encouragement and a challenge to Jean who was still determined despite the several unsuccessful attempts that ended in disaster and financial ruin.

In 1933 April Jean set out for England and ventured across Europe but sadly her trip was cut short as a result of a sandstorm and was forced to make a quick landing in the Balochistan region of southwest Pakistan.

Many of her exploits were unsuccessful and this made her more resilient and persistent after her failed first try, she embarked on her second try.

She left for England on May 8, 1934, making her final landing in Darwin, a city at the northern tip of Australia on May 23, 1934.

Her plane clocked in a time of 14 days and 22 hours, this lifted her above the previous record of Johnson’s flight by four and half days.

Her success was celebrated by many and upon her return to her native country, where she arrived by boat, she was greeted by an amazed crowd who honored her adventure and journey.

She made a six-week tour of the country recounting and narrating her ordeals and success to rapt audiences.

6. She was the first woman to fly across the south Atlantic

Portrait of aviator Jean Batten photo by National Library of Australia-

Success much like honey, success can’t be left with one taste, Jean felt the need to seek a higher challenge and this made her embark on a spectacular solo flight.

She purchased a new cabin monoplane, Percival Gull 6 and in November 1935 she embarked on a journey across the sky flying from England heading to South America.

She achieved a remarkable record by making a 1900-mile trip from west Africa to Brazil with a distinct accuracy, achieving a world record for the ocean crossing and the overall flight. Jean became the first woman to pilot herself across the south Atlantic.

7. She was a driver during World War Two

Jean hoped to join the air force during World War two, which cut her adventurous journey short but this wasn’t possible instead she was told her name would be added to a pool of civilian pilots to be called upon by the RAF.

Declining the offer, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary unit concerned with the coordination of civil aviation for the war effort.

Bennet was believed to have desired a role with ATA that would only require her to fly her plane and this wasn’t realistic.

She became a driver for the Anglo-French Ambulance Corps, which sadly lasted for a few months and the role Jean took was to fundraise for vehicles.

8. Jamaica was her retreatment destination

Batten and her mother relocated to Jamaica in the post-war period in the hopes to live in a more hospitable environment. The aviator battled with bad health for most of the winters of the war years and she desired to give her body a break.

Jamaica was the most appealing to the duo as they had once visited it in 1939 and got attached to the serene land and its surrounding beauty.

They lived a low-key life and a few friends know about their whereabouts. Jean bought a plot on the coast and built a house to call home, and found an attachment to it naming it, ‘ blue Horizon’.

9. Her death was a result of a dog bite 

Jean suffered depression after the death of her beloved mother, in 1982 while staying at a hotel in Mallorca, she was beaten by a dog.

Batten refused to seek medical treatment and the wound became infected developing a pulmonary abscess.

Her life journey came to an end on November 22 1982 from complications from a dog bite.

She couldn’t be identified after her death and she wasn’t buried until 22 January 1983, when her remains were buried in a communal grave in Palma.

10. An international terminal was named in her honor

Jean Batten will be remembered as one of the greatest women pilots of the golden age of aviation. She showered New Zealand with many honors and inspired many to pursue their dreams.

Her legacy has not been forgotten and the international terminal at the Auckland international airport was named Jean Batten in her honor.