Mildred Mary Petre Bruce
Mildred Mary Petre was born in 1895 and died on May 21, 1990. Early on, she was
aware of her desire for speed and when 15 years old, she first rode a motor bike. She had
married Victor Bruce and in June 1930 she purchased a British built, single engine,
open-cockpit, foldable bi-wing Bluebird airplane. It had been advertised "Ready to go
anywhere, fly it anywhere." She used the plane to get her British pilot's license and
with only 40 hours logged, she decided to follow the advertising suggestion and fly
round-the-world. When her round-the-world flight intentions became known, reporters asked her
for her itinerary. She politely refused their queries, and was amused when they dubbed her
flight plan the "mystery flight." She figured it this way, if she got lost no one would ever
know it.
She decided to fly east round-the-world and took off from Heston Aerodrome, England headed
southeast across Europe for the mid-east and Syria. Her Bluebird was outfitted sparingly with
only an extra fuel tank, some maps, essential clothes and her husband's pocket compass. She
continued east, flying across India to Bangkok, Hanoi and Japan. She boarded an ocean steamer
there for the trip to Canada. Crossing the US was highlighted when she dropped a weighted
flag over her Mom's home in New Albany, Indiana. In New York, she boarded another steamer for her
Atlantic crossing to Le Havre, France. She off-loaded her Bluebird and flew home to Croydon
making her quiet mark on history with her successful round-the-world flight.
Her round-the-world flight set several records, among them the first crossing of the Yellow
Sea, the first England-to-Japan flight and the first circumnavigation by a woman. Her chief
competitor was herself. She was living proof that a woman could pilot a plane, pilot it even
round-the-world. Mildred continued her life setting records on land, on the sea and in the air.
She never lost her love of speed. She said, "that going slow always made her tired."
Itinerary:
Departed Heston, England 09/25/30
Munich, Germany 09/26/30
Vienna, Austria 09/27/30
Budapest, Hungary
Belgrade, Yugoslavia 09/28/30
Constantinople, Turkey
Eskisehr, Turkey 10/01/30
Aleppo, Syria 10/04/30
Baghdad, Iraq
Basra, Iraq
Port Jask, Iran 10/24/30
Karachi, Pakistan 10/25/30
Jodhpur, India
New Delhi, India
Calcutta, India 10/30/30
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Rangoon, Burma
Bangkok, Thailand 11/01/30
Korat, Thailand
Hanoi, Indo-China 11/07/30
Hong Kong 11/11/30
Amoy (Xiamen), China
Shanghai, China 11/18/30
Seoul, Korea 11/20/30
Tokyo, Japan 12/05/30 Steamship,"Empress of Japan" across Pacific
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Seattle, WA 12/17/30
Medford, OR 12/24/30
San Francisco, CA 01/12/31
Burbank, CA 01/14/31
San Deigo, CA 01/15/31
Midland, TX
Saint Louis, MO
Chicago, IL
Indianapolis, IN
New Albany, IN
Baltimore, MD
New York City, NY 02/09/31 Steamship, "Ile de France" across Atlantic
La Harve, France 02/19/31
Cherbourg, France
Arrived: Croydon, England 02/20/31
