PenWomanShip

Featured Writer

Amelia Earhart
By Joanne Elliott

"One of my favorite phobias is that girls, especially those whose tastes aren't routine, often don't get a fair break... It has come down through the generations, an inheritance of age-old customs which produced the corollary that women are bred to timidity."

Amelia (Millie) Earhart was the first-born child of Amy Otis and Edwin Stanton, in Atchison, Kansas, July 24th 1897. It was her grandfather Alfred Otis, rather than her Father, who encouraged Amelia and her younger sister, to try new things. The girls were avid readers of books and poetry, and were also keen sportswomen, favouring basketball and tennis.

After working as a nurse during the war, Amelia became a social worker at Boston's Dennison House, teaching English to children. Although Ms. Earhart was happy in her work, a day trip to an "aerial meet" at Daugherty Field in Long Beach was to change her life. "As soon as we left the ground I knew I myself had to fly!"

Through odd jobs, and with her Mother's help, Amelia Earhart saved up the $1000 fee so that she could learn to fly. Amelia began lessons with pioneer aviatrix Anita "Neta" Snook at Kinner Field, near Long Beach. After several crashes Amelia accomplished her first solo flight on January 3rd, 1921, which was uneventful except for poor landing. Soon after Ms. Earhart had saved up enough money for her own plane.

In 1928 Captain H. Railey was so impressed with Amelia's tenacity that he gave her the opportunity to fly as a passenger with Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon from America to England. The 'Friendship' took off on June 17 1928, and the flight took 20 hours and 40 minutes in total. Having the official title of "commander" of the flight, the trip officially made Amelia Earhart the first woman to cross the Atlantic on a plane. But Amelia was distressed that reporters ignored Stultz and Gordon. It was the woman they had come to see...or rather "the girl" as they insisted on calling her. "I was a passenger on the journey...just a passenger. Everything that was done to bring us across was done by Wilmer Stultz and Slim Gordon. Any praise I can give them they ought to have...I do not believe that women lack the stamina to do a solo trip across the Atlantic, but it would be a matter of learning the arts of flying by instruments only, an art which few men pilots know perfectly now..."

But this frustration was not to last for long. By 1928, Amelia had achieved status as a regular aviation writer for Cosmopolitan and other publications, had written a book entitled "20 Hours 40 Minutes", and was lecturing in many cities across the country to promote women's flying. Later that year Amelia was elected as an official for the National Aeronautic Association, where she encouraged the Federation to establish separate speed, altitude and endurance records for women. And then within two years, Amelia had established, and broken several women's speed records in her Lockheed Vega aircraft.

Deep down, Amelia had always wanted to justify the monumental publicity which she had received in 1928. So in May 20-21 1932, Amelia Earhart successfully completed a solo flight across the Atlantic. She had broken several records on this flight...the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo and the only person to fly it twice, the longest non-stop distance flown by a woman, and a record for crossing in the shortest time. Amelia set a new flight time of 14 hrs and 56 minutes, for which she received a medal from President Herbert Hoover, and wrote a book entitled "For The Fun of It". "My ambition is to have this wonderful gift to produce practical results for the future of commercial flying and for the women who may want to fly tomorrow's planes…The most effective way to do it, is to do it."

In August 1932, Amelia set a woman's transcontinental speed record when she became the first woman to fly solo nonstop coast to coast. She flew 2,447.8 miles in 19 hours and 5 minutes; a record which she was to smash by just under two hours in 1935. Ms Earhart was voted Outstanding Woman of the Year, which she accepted on behalf of "all women". When the French press ended an article about Amelia's accomplishment with..."can she bake a cake?" Amelia replied; "So I accept these awards on behalf of the cake bakers and all of those other women who can do some things quite as important, if not more important, than flying, as well as in the name of women flying today." In the January of 1935, Amelia braved the treacherous trans-Pacific flight from Hawaii to California. Ten pilots had already lost their lives attempting this crossing, so Amelia's plane carried the first civilian two-way radio. When Amelia landed in California she was greeted with thousands of cheering fans, and President Roosevelt even sent his congratulations; "You have scored again...(and) shown even the "doubting Thomases" that aviation is a science which cannot be limited to men only."

Later in 1935, Amelia decided that not only did she want to be the first woman to fly around the world, but that she would travel the longest possible distance.

"I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system and I hope this trip is it. Anyway when I have finished this job, I mean to give up long-distance "stunt" flying."

But mechanical problems due to pilot error in take-off, March 17 1935, meant that Amelia's twin-engine Lockheed Electra would not depart from Los Angeles, California for Florida until May 21, 1937. Accompanied by navigator Fred Noonan, Amelia was to embark upon a monumental journey; Miami, Florida and South America, over the South Atlantic to Dakar, and then onwards to Africa. Next was the Sahara desert, Thailand, Singapore, and Java, followed by Australia. In addition to the round the world record attempt, Amelia's flight to Karachi was another first as nobody had ever flown non-stop from the Red Sea to India before. From Karachi the Electra flew to Calcutta on June 17... from there, on to Rangoon, Bangkok, Singapore and Bandoeng.

But then things started to go wrong for Amelia and Noonan. There were persistent problems with the aircraft's instruments, and both pilots were increasingly tired. When the Lockheed Electra touched down in Lae, New Guinea, Amelia was struck with a horrendous bout of dysentery which was to last for several days.

And then on July 2nd, 1937, Amelia took off for the last time. Her destination was Howland Island, but the aircraft was never to arrive. At 20:14 GMT the Itasca received the last voice; "KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you but cannot see you...gas is running low..."

There is no real evidence as to the precise track of the aircraft after Nukumanu, and no one saw or heard the plane fly over. It has been determined that the plane went down some 35-100 miles off the coast of Howland Island, yet no remains have ever been found to this day.

In 1939, Amelia's loving husband, George Putnam, published a tribute biography entitled "Soaring Wings", encompassed of her letters and writings over the years.

"Please know I am quite aware of the hazards...I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others." Amelia Earhart married George Putnam, 1935

Putnam then went on to publish a final book, entitled "Last Flight". On an end piece of the book there is a note from Amelia to George...

Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace,
The soul that knows it not, knows no release
From little things;
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear,
Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear
The sound of wings.
How can Life grant us boon of living, compensate
For dull grey ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul's dominion? Each time we make a choice, we pay
With courage to behold the restless day,
And count it fair.
Amelia Earhart.

For more information on Amelia Earhart, visit the official website at www.ameliaearhart.com.