Born: 1897
Died: Unknown
(declared dead on 5 Jan 1939)
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24,
1897.
Amelia and her sister Grace loved to play outdoors and the girls kept worms, moths, katydids, tree toads and a number of other creatures.
They were the typical
“tomboys” girls.
Amelia Earhart
In 1920, Amelia and her family moved to California.
Earhart had her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921 at
Kinner Field near Long Beach.
Her teacher as Anita “Neta”
Snook, a pioneer female aviator. (see picture)
Snook
Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Six months later, Amelia purchased a second-had bright yellow Kinner Airster biplane which she nicknamed
“The Canary”.
On October 22, 1922 she flew the Airster to an altitude of
14,000 feel setting a new record for female pilots.
On May 15, Earhart became the 16th woman to be issued a pilot license.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia, at the age of 34, became the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic.
She flew in a single engine Lockheed Vega 5b.
The flight lasted 14 hours and 56 minutes.
As a result of this flight, Earhart received the Distinguished
Flying Cross from Congress, the Cross of Knight of the
Legion of Honor from the French Government and the Gold
Medal of the National Geographic Society from President
Herbert Hoover.
Amelia Earhart
Lockheed Vega 5b
Amelia
Earhart
Between 1930 - 1935,
Amelia had set seven women’s speed and distance aviation records. Amelia got a new airplane in 1937. It was a Lockheed L-10E
Electra.
Amelia would use this airplane to try to circumnavigate the globe. Amelia’s flight plan for trip around the globe
Amelia Earhart
On June 1, 1937, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan, departed Miami.
After numerous stops in
South America, Africa, the
Indian subcontinent and
Southeast Asia, they arrived in Lae, New Guinea on June
29, 1937.
They had traveled 22,000 miles and had 7,000 miles to go
Amelia Earhart
On July 2, 1937, Earhart and Noonan took off from Lae.
Their destination was
Howland Island, 2,500 miles away.
The United States Coast Guard cutter Itasca was on station at Howland, assigned to help guide them to the island once they arrived in the vicinity.
Amelia Earhart
At 07:20 GMT Amelia provided a position report placing them on course at some 20 miles
