Only seven years had passed since the Wright brothers' illustrious maiden flight, providing a fascinating view into the early aviation frenzy. Astonishingly, a teenage girl should be in it. There are various places in the novel when the author makes overt statements about how unfairly girls and women are treated, but these statements are subtly refuted. The author relies on ""feminine"" stereotypes by portraying Peggy as overly sentimental, ""naturally"" adept at nursing skills, and too quick to let her brother take credit for the things she'd done. This is even though Peggy is depicted as a budding suffragette who protests that women and girls should be given the same opportunities and prize money as men and boys in the air races. Despite the author's efforts to portray Peggy as the genuine ""new"" girl, Jess, Peggy's companion, exhibits a more persistent sense of independence.