Jessie Maude "Chubbie" Miller (1902 – 1972, London, England) was a pioneering Australian aviator.

England to Australia

In 1927 while visiting London from her native Australia, Miller met, helped finance, and flew with R.A.F. officer

Bill Lancaster William Henry Lancaster (November 17, 1947 – January 4, 1997) was an American screenwriter and actor. Early life He was born November 17, 1947, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Burt Lancaster (1913–1994) and Norma Anderson (1917–198 ...

in his

Avro Avian The Avro Avian was a series of British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and its descendant ...

''Red Rose'', on an attempt to set a long distance flying record from England to Australia.
Love is in the Air
' – Times Online At the time it was one of the longest flights made in such a small aircraft, although they were overtaken ''en route'' by

Bert Hinkler Herbert John Louis Hinkler (8 December 1892 – 7 January 1933), better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator (dubbed "Australian Lone Eagle") and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person ...

in another Avian. Bad weather forced them down in Sumatra, but they continued on, and after 159 days she finally arrived as the first woman to complete an England-to-Australia flight. Although 24 hours late, a huge crowd greeted them on arrival in Darwin, and on their subsequent tour around Australia. In 1928 Lancaster and Miller moved to the United States on the promise of a Hollywood movie which was never made. Miller became an aviator in her own right, competing in the famous "

Powder Puff Derby The Women's Air Derby was the first official women-only air race in the United States, taking place during the 1929 National Air Races. Humorist Will Rogers referred to it as the Powder Puff Derby, the name by which the race is most commonly know ...

" of 1929. Three years after Miller's pioneering flight, the first solo England – Australia flight by a woman was made in 1930 by

Amy Johnson Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records du ...

Clarke murder

In 1932, Lancaster was in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

looking for work. At the same time, Haden Clarke, a male American writer, was living in Lancaster and Miller's Florida home in order to assist Miller in writing her autobiography. Clarke and Miller developed a relationship in Lancaster's absence, and Clarke convinced Miller to leave Lancaster and marry him instead. Upon receipt of this news, Lancaster returned promptly to Florida. On 20 April, Clarke was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Despite the facts that the gun was Lancaster's, and that he admitted forging

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depen ...

s found at the scene (one addressed to Lancaster and another to Miller), Lancaster was acquitted of murder.

Popular culture

''Verdict on a Lost Flyer'', a book on Bill Lancaster by Ralph Barker, was published by Harrap, London, in 1969. ''The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller: An Australian's true story of adventure, danger, romance and murder'', by Carol Baxter, was published by Allen & Unwin, Sydney, in 2017. ''The Lost Pilots, The spectacular rise and scandalous fall of aviation's golden couple'', a book on Miller and Bill Lancaster by Corey Mead, was published by Macmillan, London in 2018. A TV miniseries called '' The Lancaster Miller Affair'' was made in Australia in 1985, wherein Miller was portrayed by actress Kerry Mack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Jessie 1902 births 1972 deaths Australian aviators Women aviation pioneers Australian women aviators American aviators Australian emigrants to the United States