America’s first female pilot

Trailblazing American aviatrix Amelia Earhart became world famous in 1928 when, with chief pilot Wilmer Stultz and mechanic Louis Gordon, she made headlines as the first woman to fly nonstop across the Atlantic. She and her fellow travelers took off from Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland, on June 17, 1928, arriving in Burry Inlet, South Wales, the following day after a flight of 2400 miles. Described by newspapers as a “Boston society girl and social worker,” Miss Earhart began flying in 1918 and was the first woman to be granted a pilot’s license by the National Aeronautical Society.

Solo flight across Atlantic solidifies fame

Four years after her first Atlantic crossing, in May of 1932, Earhart followed up with an even greater feat, becoming the first woman to ever fly solo across the Atlantic. This time, she took off from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, on May 21, 1932. Though she planned to fly to Paris, she was forced to put down in a farmer’s field in Northern Ireland after experiencing mechanical difficulties and running low on fuel. The chivalrous farmer, Henry Gallagher, offered her tea but Ms. Earhart instead insisted upon motoring to the nearest town so that she could call her husband and tell him — and the world — that she had landed safely. For this achievement she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the U.S. Congress, another first for a woman.

‘Round the world pleasure trip is planned

In early 1937, Ms. Earhart announced plans for an around the world flight in her $80,000 “flying laboratory” Lockheed Electra. The 27,000 journey was to be made for her own pleasure and at her own pace. She planned to follow a trajectory that would girdle the world roughly along the line of the Equator. The first leg of the journey, from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii, was begun on March 17th. Though the trip was made in record time and without mishap, upon taking off from Honolulu on the second leg of the flight, on March 20, Earhart’s plane blew a tire on the runway, spun out of control and was badly damaged. Neither Ms. Earhart nor her two navigators, Capt. Harry Manning and Capt. Fred Noonan were injured, but the Lockheed had to be sent back to Los Angeles for extensive repairs.

Route is changed to include Miami

It wasn’t until over two months later, on May 21st, that Ms. Earhart returned to California to test her aircraft. The delay in her plans also caused the aviatrix to rethink her route. On May 23rd, Miamians were excited to learn that the famed flier, accompanied by her husband George Putnam, mechanic Bob McNeeley and navigator Capt. Fred Noonan, had arrived in the Magic City on a surprise visit and Ms. Earhart’s plane was being housed and serviced at Miami’s Municipal Airport. On May 29th, it was announced that Miami would be the new point of departure for Ms. Earhart’s round-the-world trip, in which she would be accompanied solely by her navigator, former Pan Am trans-Pacific pilot Fred Noonan. Among the reasons cited for the reversal of the route were weather conditions in the Caribbean and Africa, which were more favorable than they were expected to be in a few weeks. Ms. Earhart made it clear that she would make the trip in her own time and would “not rush.”

While in Miami, Ms. Earhart and her husband met with family and friends and were enthusiastic about the beautiful weather they were experiencing. Meanwhile, numerous tests were conducted on the Lockheed Electra “flying laboratory.” In addition to her own mechanic, Pan American Airways put its personnel at the aviatrix’s disposal. By May 31, Ms. Earhart was satisfied that the plane was ready and on June 1, she and navigator Noonan departed Miami for San Juan, Puerto Rico, just before 6:00 AM.

Best laid plans not enough to avert disaster

A little over a month later, on July 2, 1937, the world was stunned and shocked to hear that Ms. Earhart and navigator Noonan were missing over the Pacific. Their plane had failed to land on tiny Howland Island after leaving New Guinea. It was known that this leg of the journey — the second-to-last leg of the trip — was to be the most dangerous, with navigation only possible by dead reckoning. A U.S. Coast Guard cutter stationed at the island attempted to communicate with the plane but bad static conditions rendered communications impossible. Ms. Earhart’s last radio contact indicated that she and Noonan were nearly out of gas and could not sight land.

In the decades since, the world has never stopped looking for the lost plane. Its fate, and that of its two occupants, remains shrouded in mystery.

In 1947, Miami’s Municipal Airport was named “Amelia Earhart Field” in her honor. A nearby tract of land was named Amelia Earhart Park in honor of the aviatrix in 1980.