Kourtney Hudson
Mrs. Cauthen
Advanced English 11
22 May 2013
The Power of Aviation and Women: Amelia Earhart Walt Disney once said, “ All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Amelia Earhart was known as being one of the most courageous women in history. Most people know Amelia Earhart for her adventurous airplane trips around the world however that wasn’t her only aspiration. Amelia also strongly believed in the advancement of women and feminism (www.history.com). Achieving her dream wasn’t always effortless, society doubted her and money was often tight (Bigotries Story)(Ellen’s Place). With such success, she had to sacrifice a normal steady life(History.com).
The risk of flying was high in the 1920s and 1930s but still Amelia persevered(Ellen’s Place). At the age of ten, Amelia and her father went to the Iowa State Fair where Amelia saw her first airplane but she was not in the least bit interested (Ellen’s Place). When Amelia was 20 years old, she attended a stunt-flying exhibition and became seriously interested in aviation (CMG Worldwide Inc). On December 28,1920, Pilot Frank Hawks gave her a ride that would forever change her life (CMG Worldwide Inc). Amelia said after her flight, “By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly”, (CMG Worldwide Inc.). During World War I, Amelia volunteered for the Red Cross as a nursing aide and became very familiar with the aviators at war. She spent much of her time at an airfield watching the Royal Flying Corps (Bio. True Story). Hudson 2 In 1921, Amelia took flying lessons with the famous female pilot Anita “Neta” Snook. From the start, Amelia did more things to educate herself on aviation besides lessons. She spent much time at local airfields and read many books on flying (Bio. True Story). In 1921, Amelia purchased her first airplane known as “The Canary”. Amelia also infested time with a friend George Putnam. George believed in Amelia and wanted to help her achieve her dream and be the first woman to make the flight around the world (Ellen’s Place). In 1928, Captain Hilton H Railey asked Amelia over the phone if she would like to fly the Atlantic and her immediate response was yes! After many interviews, Amelia became the first woman on a transatlantic flight(Bio.True Story). When Amelia first began to pursue aviation, accidents were common and planes were very unreliable. Amelia once said, “Please know I am quite aware of the hazards… I want to do it because I want to do it”, (Ellen’s Place). Vice President Curtis referred to Amelia as someone who had “heroic courage and skill as a navigator at the risk of her own life,” (CMG Worldwide Inc.). One of the biggest challenges and sacrifices Amelia had to make was the financial aspect of her dream. At one point, Amelia had to put her dream on hold and sell her plane to be able to meet ends meet financially for her family (Bio. True Story). Amelia also was never able to settle down and put her career over having a family of her own. Amelia married George Putnam in 1931 but they didn’t have truly have anything more than just business partners.(History.com). According to Boston Globe, Amelia was “one of the best women pilots in the United States,” (Ellen’s Place). Amelia received multiple awards from the President and Congress including a gold medal from the National Geographic Society and the first
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Distinguished Flying Cross to a woman (CMG Worldwide Inc.). On October 22, 1922, Amelia broke the world altitude record for women at 14,000 feet. In 1928, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She also was the first person to ever fly over the Atlantic and Pacific (Bio. True Story.). In Cleveland, Amelia formed a famous women pilots organization called the “Ninety-Nines” and was the organization’s first president. The only person to fly the Atlantic ocean solo twice was