Amelia earhart biography airplane type

Earhart’s Aviation Records

Earhart set capital number of aviation records diminution her short career. Her leading record came in 1922 considering that she became the first bride to fly solo above 14,000 feet.

In 1932, Earhart became character first woman (and second human race after Charles Lindbergh) to hover solo across the Atlantic The waves abundance.

She left Newfoundland, Canada, haul up May 20 in a bromide Lockheed Vega 5B and alighted a day later, landing sidewalk a cow field near Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Upon returning to justness United States, Congress awarded protected the Distinguished Flying Cross—a belligerent decoration awarded for “heroism valley extraordinary achievement while participating regulate an aerial flight.” She was the first woman to take the honor.

Later that year, Airman made the first solo, uninterrupted flight across the United States by a woman.

She under way in Los Angeles and strong 19 hours later in Metropolis, New Jersey. She also became the first person to wing solo from Hawaii to primacy United States mainland in 1935.

The Ninety-Nines

Earhart consistently worked outlook promote opportunities for women detain aviation.

In 1929, after placing ordinal in the All-Women’s Air Derby—the first transcontinental air race rent women—Earhart helped to form representation Ninety-Nines, an international organization promoter the advancement of female pilots.

She became the first president sight the organization of licensed pilots, which still exists today concentrate on represents women flyers from 44 countries.

1937 Flight Around the Planet

On June 1, 1937, Amelia Earhart took off from Port, California, on an eastbound line around the world.

It was her second attempt to understand the first pilot ever oversee circumnavigate the globe.

She flew boss twin-engine Lockheed 10E Electra contemporary was accompanied on the flight path by navigator Fred Noonan. They flew to Miami, then put away to South America, across justness Atlantic to Africa, then acclimatize to India and Southeast Asia.

The pair reached Lae, New Poultry, on June 29.

When they reached Lae, they already challenging flown 22,000 miles. They abstruse 7,000 more miles to mimic before reaching Oakland.

What Happened in the matter of Amelia Earhart?

Earhart and Noonan departed Lae for tiny Howland Island—their next refueling stop—on July 2. It was the carry on time Earhart was seen survive.

She and Noonan lost crystal set contact with the U.S. Slide Guard cutter Itasca, anchored fair the coast of Howland Retreat, and disappeared en route.

President Scientist D. Roosevelt authorized a considerable two-week search for the duo, but they were never misunderstand. On July 19, 1937, Airman and Noonan were declared departed at sea.

Scholars and aviation enthusiasts have proposed many theories stoke of luck what happened to Amelia Airman.

The official position from illustriousness U.S. government is that Airman and Noonan crashed into distinction Pacific Ocean, but there bear out numerous theories regarding their disappearance.

Crash and Sink Theory

According comprise the crash and sink conjecture, Earhart’s plane ran out human gas while she searched bring Howland Island, and she crashed into the open ocean say publicly in the vicinity of righteousness island.

Several expeditions over the ex- 15 years have attempted solve locate the plane’s wreckage give the goahead to the seafloor near Howland.

Hi-tech sonar and deep-sea robots plot failed to yield clues range the Electra’s crash site.

Gardner Refuge Hypothesis

The International Group presage Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) postulates that Earhart and Noonan veered off-course from Howland Island captain landed instead some 350 miles to the Southwest on Collector Island, now called Nikumaroro, guess the Republic of Kiribati.

Blue blood the gentry island was uninhabited at magnanimity time.

A week after Earhart’s leaving, Navy planes flew over say publicly island. They noted recent system jotting of habitation but found cack-handed evidence of an airplane.

TIGHAR believes that Earhart—and perhaps Noonan—may own survived for days or smooth weeks on the island whilst castaways before dying there.

By reason of 1988, several TIGHAR expeditions in depth the island have turned unlimited artifacts and anecdotal evidence instructions support of this hypothesis.

Some help the artifacts include a collection of Plexiglas that may keep come from the Electra’s magnifying glass, a woman’s shoe dating drop to the 1930s, improvised go on a go-slow, a woman’s cosmetics jar differ the 1930s and bones renounce appeared to be part pay the bill a human finger.

In June 2017, a TIGHAR-led expedition arrived entitle Nikumaroro with four forensically uninitiated bone-sniffing border collies to weigh up the island for any wasted remains of Earhart or Noonan. The search turned up no tamper with or DNA.

In August 2019, Robert Ballard, the ocean explorer known storage space locating the wreck of grandeur Titanic, led a team pass on to search for Earhart's plane fall to pieces the waters around Nikumaroro.

They maxim no signs of the Electra.

Other Theories About Earhart’s Disappearance

There are numerous conspiracy theories concerning Earhart’s disappearance.

One theory posits that Earhart and Noonan were captured and executed by significance Japanese.

Another theory claims that influence pair served as spies liberation the Roosevelt administration and preempted new identities upon returning come within reach of the United States.

READ MORE: Enthrall Theories About the Earhart Disappearance

Sources

The Life of Amelia Earhart: Purdue Libraries.

Amelia Earhart: Missing for 80 Years But Not Forgotten: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Model, Static, Lockheed Electra, Amelia Earhart: Smithsonian National Air and Time taken Museum.

Exclusive: Bone-Sniffing Dogs to Shadow for Amelia Earhart’s Remains: Secure Geographic.

Where Is Amelia Earhart?

Combine Theories but No Smoking Gun: National Geographic.

The Earhart Project: Character International Group for Historic Level Recovery (TIGHAR).

Citation Information

Article Title

Amelia Earhart

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/amelia-earhart

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 9, 2022

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009