Amelia Earhart

• Amelia Mary Earhart was born 24 July 1897 in Atchison, Kansas.
• Lost 2 July 1937, in the vicinity of Howland Island.
• Declared dead 5 January 1939.

Highlights of Earhart's flying career

Source: Ric Gillespie, Earhart Biography.

Records highlighted in bold. Incidents and accidents highlighted in italics.

1921

3 January: First flying lesson. "Canuck," Curtiss JN4 "Jenny."

Summer: Kinner "Airster." Two minor crashes.

Soloed late in the year.

1922

October(?): altitude record for women of 14,000 feet.

1923

16 May: obtained a pilot's license from National Aeronautic Association, #6017.

1924

Briefly owned another Airster (Lovell, page 47)?

1928

First woman to cross the Atlantic by air; passenger of Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon.

Purchased British-built Avro Avian.

31 August--14 September: New York to California. En route, hit ditch, groundlooped, wrecked landing gear, shattered prop.

30 September: forced landing, nose-over, broken propeller.

1929

29 March: Department of Commerce Transport Pilot's License.

20 July: new logbook carried forward 559 hours and 46 minutes.

30 July: Purchased Lockheed Vega constructor's number (c/n) 10, registered NC6911 with 225 HP Wright J5A Whirlwind engine.

August: new Vega 1, c/n 36 registered NC31E.

18 August: Women's Air Derby / "Powder Puff Derby"

Yuma, Arizona: ran off the end of the runway on landing, upended the Vega, bent the propeller.

Third place: 23+ hours.

22 November: Used a Vega 5A Executive, NC538M (c/n 107), Pratt & Whitney Wasp, 425 HP, over 3 kilometer course to set a speed record of 184.17 mph. [Fact to be checked: women's record or an absolute record?]

1930

17 March: Bought 425 HP P&W-powered Vega 5 NC7952 (c/n 22).

June: borrowed the first metal-fuselage Vega DL-1 NC497H (c/n 135) and set three more speed records for women in various load categories for Lockheed.

25 September: wrecked NC7952 in a nose-over landing accident at Norfolk, Virginia which left the airplane flat on its back, fuselage broken.

19 December: soloed in 1930 Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro.

1931

Lockheed rebuilt NC7952 using fuselage of c/n 68 and upgraded it to a 5B with Pratt & Whitney Wasp C engine of 450 HP.

April 8: unofficial altitude record of 18,415 ft in the Pitcairn autogiro.

29 May--6 June: New Jersey to California in Beech-Nut Pitcairn PCA-2 NC10780.

On return trip to the east coast, crashed after a rotor-strike on takeoff at Abilene, Texas; reprimanded for negligence.

22 June: returned to New Jersey. 11,000 miles covered in 150 hours of flying.

September: Totaled the Pitcairn by dropping it in from 20 feet (stalled?).

1932

20-21 May: Solo transatlantic flight in NC7952 (P&W Wasp C engine of 450 hp)--first woman pilot and second person to fly solo across the Atlantic. Landed in Gallagher's field at Culmore near Londonderry in County Donegal. 2,026 miles in 15 hours and 18 minutes.

10 July: Attempted first woman's non-stop coast-to-coast flight. Landed in Columbus, Ohio, because of clogged fuel line.

24 August: First woman's non-stop coast-to-coast flight in 19 hours, 7 minutes and 56 seconds.

1933

National Air Race: finished six hours behind the men (hatch cover problems).

Return non-stop flight to east coast bettered her previous record by two hours.

1934

"Hi-Speed Special 5C" registered as NR965Y (c/n 171) with Wasp C from NC7952. Hamilton Standard adjustable-pitch propeller.

1935

11 January: NR965Y, Hawaii to Oakland (first ever west-to-east flight for that route? and solo). 18 hours and 16 minutes in the air.

19 April: Missed Burbank to Mexico City non-stop by 60 miles (got lost).

8 May: nonstop from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey in 14 hours and 18 minutes.

August: Bendix race with Paul Mantz. They placed fifth and won $500.

1936

21 July: First flight in X16020 (c/n 1055) with test pilot.

24 July: Took delivery of NR16020 on her birthday.

4 September: Bendix Trophy race. Earhart and Helen Richey finished fifth in 16:34:52. They won $500.

1937

17 March: Earhart, Mantz, Manning, and Noonan. Oakland to Honolulu in 15 hours and 47 minutes (a new record).

20 March: Groundloop at Luke Field.

20 May: Oakland to Tucson, Arizona. Beginning of second world flight.

2 July: Failed to complete flight from Lae to Howland Island.

Summary of records set vs. accidents/incidents

• 14 records.
• 8 accidents or incidents of varying severity.

Links

• Ric Gillespie: physical characteristics, education, accomplishments in aviation.
• Wikipedia.
• The Official Website of Amelia Earhart
• "Missing Woman: Amelia Earhart's flight," Judith Thurman (New Yorker, September 14, 2009).