Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart is one of the most famous American pilots.
A record setting aviator, she was the second person to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic and the first woman to fly solo and nonstop across the United States, among other accomplishments.
Her flying feats spurred her into the international spotlight, where she lectured widely, wrote several books, and advocated for causes she cared about.
She tragically went missing while attempting to fly around the world.
Learning to Fly
While working as a Red Cross nurse’s aid in Toronto, Earhart attended her first flying exhibition in 1918. In 1920, she went up for her first flight in California in December 1920, with veteran flyer Frank Hawks. “As soon as I left the ground, I knew I myself had to fly," she declared.
Her first instructor was Anita "Neta" Snook who gave her lessons in a Curtiss Jenny. To pay for flight lessons, Earhart worked as a telephone company clerk and photographer.
Earhart soloed in 1921 and bought her first airplane, a Kinner Airster. Earhart began setting records before she earned her pilots license when she set the feminine altitude record of 14,000 feet in 1922.
In 1923, Earhart became the 16th woman to receive an official Fédération Aéronautique Internationale pilot license.
Earhart Set Altitude and Distance Records and Famous First Flights
1928: First Woman to Fly Across the Atlantic as a Passenger
Earhart rose to fame setting a first not as a pilot, but as a passenger. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger, in a flight piloted by Wilmer Stultz and Lou Gordon from Newfoundland to Wales.
She had been promised a chance to fly the plane over the Atlantic, but the men flew the whole way. Earhart did fly the plane on the final hop from Wales to England.
1932
Second Person to Fly Nonstop and Solo Across the Atlantic
Earhart left Newfoundland on May 20, 1932. When she landed in Northern Ireland 15 hours later on May 21st, she made history. She was:
- The second person (after Charles Lindbergh) to make the solo, nonstop trip
- The first woman to do so
- The first person to cross the Atlantic twice by air
The flight was not easy. Flames spewed out the side of the engine. Ice formed on the plane's wings forcing her to fly just above the waves.
Earhart learned how to fly an autogiro, a rotorcraft with rotating blades at the top and a propellor, after only 15 minutes. She went on to set an altitude record at 18,415 feet and fly an autogiro across country twice.
Just three months after her transatlantic flight, Earhart made the first solo, nonstop flight by a woman across the United States on August 24th into August 25th. She set a women’s distance record of 2,447 miles.
1935: First Person to Fly Nonstop and Solo from Hawaii to the U.S. Mainland
Earhart made this flight from January 11 to 12 in a Lockheed 5C Vega. It was a dangerous flight to attempt. It had already claimed several lives. While some have called it a publicity stunt for Earhart or Hawaiian sugar promoters, Earhart hoped it would pave the way for air travel to Hawaii.
More Records
1929: Feminine speed record
1930: Feminine speed record
1935: Speed record between Mexico City and Washington, D.C
1935: First person to fly solo from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey
Earhart's Plane
Amelia Earhart set two of her many aviation records in this bright red Lockheed 5B Vega. Amelia Earhart bought this 5B Vega in 1930 and called it her "Little Red Bus."
In the Collection
Earhart Used Her Fame as an Entrepreneur and Advocate
When Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger 1928, Earhart catapulted into international attention and the opportunity to earn a living in aviation. George Putnam supported this as her manager (and eventually husband).
Supporting Women Pilots
Earhart helped organize the All-Women’s Air Derby. Taking place in August 1929, it was the first transcontinental air race for women. The race was closely followed by press and the public. The women pilots proved that the could fly in rugged and competitive conditions. Earhart finished third.
After the race, many of the women who participated decided to form an organization to support women pilots. Female pilots were keenly aware of the lack of social and economic independence for all women and were determined to help one another. Out of 285 licensed U.S. female pilots at the time, 99 women became charter members. They named the organization the Ninety-Nines. Earhart became their first president.
An Advocate
Friends in High Places
Earhart and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once left a dinner at the White House to take a night fight. The women became friends. They shared a mutual love of flight and advocacy of women’s empowerment and social justice.
Lobbying Congress
Earhart was politically active. Earhart lobbied Congress for aviation legislation. She also lobbied for birth control rights, supported women in politics and business. She endorsed the draft for men, women, and even the elderly to promote equality and peace.
An Entrepreneur
She tirelessly lectured across the country on the subjects of aviation and women's issues.
She was also hired as a visiting professor at Purdue University. She lectured on aeronautics and advised women students.
She wrote for Cosmopolitan and various other magazines. She also wrote books about her flights and career 20 Hours and 40 Minutes, The Fun of It, and Last Flight, which was published after her disappearance.
Earhart designed a line of "functional" women's clothing, including dresses, blouses, pants, suits, and hats. She modeled her own designs for promotional spreads.
Earhart also designed a line of lightweight, canvas-covered plywood luggage sold by Orenstein Trunk of Newark, New Jersey. Earhart luggage was sold into the 1990s.
In the Collection
Earhart Attempts to Fly Around the World (and Disappears)
On May 21, 1937, Earhart and her navigator took off from Oakland, California on her second attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world.
On July 2, while still flying around the world, she and her navigator went missing near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. government conducted its largest ever search for a lost aircraft starting that day. After two weeks, the search ended with no trace of them.
Still Curious? Enjoy These Videos About Earhart
Perfect for the youngest learners this animated video tells Earhart's story.
Duration 2 minutes
Take a look at Amelia Earhart's achievements, her disappearance, the continuing efforts to find her, and the women she has inspired in this video perfect for middle school classrooms.
Duration 30 minutes
Explore the life and legacy of Amelia Earhart through a feminist lens with historian Susan Ware.
Duration: 60 minutes