Ben Kebil's Aviation Blog - sponsored by Benk Aviation

there are several things a busy traveler can do ahead of time to prepare to do battle with the symptoms of jet lag.

You increased your water intake so much that your bladder feels like the size of the pea under the Princess' stack of mattresses. You avoided the free mini cocktail bar. You tried melatonin. You set your watch ahead to the local time, which has only served as a reminder that you should be asleep when you’re not. You give up. Is there anything else to try?

If you have trouble falling asleep on your next midnight express flight, make sure you pack an Eye Mask, a CD player with headphones, and a Hemi-sync relaxation CD. What is unique about these items is that you can tailor your jet lag attire to suit your personal tastes, needs, and sense of fashion.

Choose an Eye Mask that is 100% light blocking. If you can see the flight attendant walking around the plane or other passengers getting up to go potty, then an eye mask will not be much use.

There is an enormous selection of eye masks available. Choices include handmade ones, lacey ones with risqué messages, simple patterns, and solid colors. Pick one that reflects your own personality.

Dream Essence has a large collection of Aromatherapy Eye Masks that come with a pocket so you can include your favorite relaxation scents such as lavender or chamomile. The Dream Essence Aromatherapy Eye Masks are under , and for the extremely fashion conscious, their cool unique designs include Asian Palm, Shoe Princess, Iridescent Butterfly, Cherry Ripe, tapestry prints, shabby chic prints, and also solid silk colors.

Wearing an eye mask is also an easy way to let the flight attendants and passengers seated around you know that you do not want to be disturbed for the duration of your flight.

You have your CD player handy, but now what exactly is a Hemi-sync CD? Why does it work?

Hemi-sync is a patented process based on 40 years of scientific research, which combines sounds in a highly unique way so that brain-wave activity can be influenced. A Hemi-sync CD is a nonverbal audio guidance system, which helps create the mental environment for improved human performance.

For individuals prone to jet lag, a Hemi-sync CD offers a helpful alternative.

When most people think about women in the history of aviation, they will immediately think of Amilia Earhart. Ms Earhart was the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic, and her disappearance in July 1937 somewhere near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean has caused speculation ever since. However, the story of women in flight history goes much further back than that.

In fact Lady Lindy, as Earhart became known by the media, was only 9 years old, when in 1906 women began to infiltrate the male citadel of aviation in the shape of E. Lillian Todd, who designed and built aircraft. Four years later, Blanche Stuart Scott had the honour of being the first woman to fly solo, and the following year, journalist Harriet Quimby became the first American woman not only to earn a pilots licence, but also to cross the English Channel. It was take another 10 years before Bessie Coleman made history, not only because she was a woman, but because she was African-American, the first African-American (of either gender) to receive a pilot’s licence. Although our culture is such that when we sit down on an aircraft, we expect to hear a male voice announcing itself as the Captain, in fact women have been piloting scheduled aircraft since 1934 when Helen Richey, employed by Central Airlines, became the first woman Airline Pilot.

Since those early days, women have gone from strength to strength across the skies. Not only in peacetime, but also in war. Although women were flying in Europe during WWI, it was not until 1942 that the Women's US Military Pilots (WASPs) were formed and women took to the air. Flying more than 60 million miles in every kind of US aircraft, and on very type of mission flown by the Army Air Force, except combat, 38 of these pioneers of women’s military aviation history lost their lives but were denied a military funeral. It was not until 1977 that the 1074 women who passed through training and earned their silver wings were acknowledged as having Veteran Status. After the WASPs were disbanded in 1944, it would be 29 years before US women once again were allowed the right to earn their wings. Today there are more than 300 pilots in US military service, but only a select few of those are able to fly in combat, even as we approach the new Millennium, women are being judged by gender rather than ability. In contrast to this, Dr. Sheila Widnall became the first woman Secretary of the Air Force in 1993, knocking down yet another barrier in the war against male supremacy in the military.

Not content to fly the earthly routes, women have also made their mark in space flight. Although it took until 1983 for an American woman to be allowed into space, this was 20 after the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, travelled beyond the earth's skies. Since then, however, NASA has become more gender friendly and in 1995, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle Discovery.

In 1928, Amelia Earhart is quoted to have said "Ours is the commencement of the flying age, and I am so happy to have popped into existence at a period so interesting". I wonder if she could ever have envisaged what aviation would become, and that women would be part of the history making process. I am sure that if her spirit is still soaring across the skies she loved, she would be well-pleased with the way women have progressed in flight over the past 80 years.

Ben Kebil warmly welcomes You to our Blog about Aviation.