This kind of lackadaisical planning seems to have been quite typical for her, and apparently none of her advisors pointed out what it meant– but how about FN?
Could a 1930s aerial navigator - even if he was one of the finest around - be so confident of being able to find a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific that he felt he could do without an experienced wireless operator?
Perhaps someone can help me understand this?
Thanks Christine. This is a fascinating subject. Understanding why people behave the way they do is hard enough in our day-to-day lives. Understanding the motivations of historical figures whom we've never met is far more difficult. Any opinion I have is unavoidably influenced by my own perceptions and prejudices.
With that caveat, I think we have to understand that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan, at the time of the second world flight attempt, were each desperately trying to rebuild their careers after a major fall from grace.
For Earhart, the accident in Hawaii that ended her first world flight attempt was a potentially career-ending catastrophe. The era of long-distance stunt flying upon which she had built her fame was coming to a close. The world flight was to be her crowning achievement, followed by a lucrative life of writing, personal appearances, and maybe even Hollywood. Luke Field changed everything. Now she was looking at a high-profile failure, massive debt, and mocking criticism in the press. Unless she could redeem her reputation she would retire a discredited has-been.
Noonan too, was trying to put his life back together. The glory days of the China Clipper had brought him international fame as Pan Am's star navigator, but the brutal schedule of the trans-Pacific route had led to excessive drinking, a failed marriage, and ultimately a bitter departure from the airline. The Earhart world flight was his shot at redemption. He had re-married, stopped drinking (maybe), and reportedly planned to open a navigation school. There is also some evidence that he was involved in a Hollywood film deal about the world flight. But the flight had to succeed.
What looks to us like a cavalier attitude toward preparations for the second world flight may, in fact, have been quite the reverse. Desperate, rushed people often fail to make good decisions.