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Portrait of Jim Mollison and the actress Dorothy Ward, who christened his Bellanca plane "Dorothy" at Croydon Aerodrome by MOLLISON, Jim

by MOLLISON, Jim

Portrait of Jim Mollison and the actress Dorothy Ward, who christened his Bellanca plane "Dorothy" at Croydon Aerodrome by MOLLISON, Jim

Portrait of Jim Mollison and the actress Dorothy Ward, who christened his Bellanca plane "Dorothy" at Croydon Aerodrome

by MOLLISON, Jim

  • Used
London, The Topical Press Agancy Ltd., 1936. Original photograph, silver print, 18,9 x 24,2 cm. James Allan ("Jim") Mollison (19 April 1905 - 30 October 1959) was a famous Scottish pioneer aviator who set many records during the rapid development of aviation in the 1930s. Born on 19 April 1905 in Glasgow, Scotland Mollison was attracted at an early age to flying. Obtaining his Royal Air Force (RAF) Short Commission at 18, he was the youngest officer in the service, and upon completion of training, was posted to Waziristan. - At the age of 22, Mollison became a flying instructor at Central Flying School (CFS), again setting the record for being the youngest in this role. Shortly after, he transferred to the RAF Reserve and devoted his time to civil aviation. In 1928-29, he served as an instructor with the South Australian Aero Club in Adelaide, leaving that position to become a pilot with Eyre Peninsular Airways and Australian National Airways. - Gaining an unenviable reputation as a playboy and dilettante, Mollison was a skilled pilot who took to record breaking as a means of "making his name." In July-August 1931, Mollison set a record time of eight days, 19 hours for a flight from Australia to England, and in March 1932, a record for flying from England to South Africa in four days, 17 hours. - Mollison had flown commercially for Charles Kingsford Smith's ill-fated Australian National Airways. During one of his commercial flights, he met the equally famous aviatrix Amy Johnson, whom he proposed to only eight hours after meeting her, and while still in the air. Johnson accepted; they married on July 1932, and she went off to break her husband's England to South Africa record. They were dubbed The Flying Sweethearts by the press and public. Mollison continued his record-breaking attempts and on 18 August 1932 was the first pilot to perform an East-to-West solo trans-Atlantic flight from Portmarnock, Dublin, Ireland to Pennfield, New Brunswick, Canada. In February 1933 Mollison flew from England to Brazil in three days 13 hours, using Africa as a stop-over continent, a record time and the first solo crossing. By then, he and his wife began to plan a record breaking flight across the world. On 22 July 1933, they took off from Wales, but their plane could not make it to Connecticut in the United States, crashing before landing there. He and his wife were injured, and the plane broken apart by souvenir seekers. - In October 1934 the Mollisons took part together in MacRobertson Air Race. Their de Havilland DH.88 Comet Black Magic led the competitors off the line and was leading at Baghdad, but they were forced to retire at Allahabad after being forced to use non-aviation fuel which damaged their engines. - The Mollisons' marriage became strained; they were rivals for the same aviation records and Mollison was a heavy drinker. They were divorced in 1938. She resumed her maiden name. - Both Amy Johnson and Mollison eventually served in the ATA Air Transport Auxiliary in the Second World War. Johnson was killed while ferrying an aircraft in 1941. A notable incident occurred when Mollison flew as a co-pilot with Diana Barnato Walker. Their Anson was intercepted and shot up by Luftwaffe fighters. Although the aircraft was hit, the 12 passengers and crew were unhurt. On landing, Jim's only concern was "how to get a cup of tea!" - The 1942 movie "They Flew Alone" (titled "Wings and the Woman" in the United States), was the story of Amy Johnson's life and dealt at some length with her marriage. - Mollison later settled in London and ran a public house. He married Maria Clasina Kamphis on 26 September 1949 at the Maidenhead Register Office. His drinking was a problem and in 1953, the Civil Aviation Authority Medical Board revoked his flying license. The couple separated but Maria bought the Carisbrooke Hotel in Surbiton for him - a temperance hotel. He died on 30 October 1959. Mollison Avenue, Mollison Way and Mollison Drive in Enfield, Croydon and Edgware are named after him. KEYWORDS:Bellanca/photo
Playboy of the Air

Playboy of the Air

by Jim Mollison

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
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1
Seller
Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, United Kingdom
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This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£16.13

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Description:
Michael Joseph Ltd., 1937. Hardcover. Acceptable. 1937. 2nd Impressions. 288 pages. No dust jacket. Red cloth with yellow lettering to spine. Pages are slightly tanned with visible foxing and dust staining throughout. Moderate stains and small tear to page 39-41. Text is not affected. Pencil mark to front free endpaper. Minor dust marks to pastedowns and endpapers. Binding remains firm. Boards have moderate shelf-wear with bumping to corners and rubbing to surface. Notable scratches and stains to boards with moderate sunning to edges. Visible sunning to spine, heavy crushing to spine ends with small loss to bottom one. Small split to rear joint. Book has slight forward lean.
Item Price
£16.13
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Playboy of the Air. IN FULL MOROCCO

by MOLLISON Jim

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Thakeham, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£325.00

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Description:
Michael Joseph,, [1937]. 8vo., First Edition, handsomely bound in blue full morocco, sides with gilt frame border, back with raised bands, second and fourth compartments lettered in gilt, all other compartments ruled and tooled in gilt, gilt top, hand-made endpapers, an elegant copy ideal as a gift or for presentation.
Item Price
£325.00