Flight Planning
The first attempt to fly around the world, departing Oakland on March 17, 1937, was from east to west. It ended badly on the second leg (March 20) when the plane groundlooped during the takeoff attempt. For the second attempt, Earhart and Noonan decided to fly from west to east. That gave them a lot more time over land to make sure that the repaired aircraft was functioning correctly. On May 20, 1937, Earhart and Noonan began the second attempt without fanfare. The plan to fly eastward around the world was not announced until May 30, when the flight had already reached Miami.