Amelia Earhart: Pioneer Female Aviator
By Jim Cornish
(1) When people hear the words “female aviator”, the first name that often comes to mind is Amelia Earhart.
Earhart’s Early Life
(2) Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897. She was considered a tomboy by many of her childhood friends because she dared to do things that girls at the turn of the century usually did not do, like climbing trees, "belly-slamming" her sled in the snow to start it downhill, and hunting rats with a rifle. As a young girl, she would often go to the local airport with her father to watch the planes land and take off. She vowed that one day she too would learn to fly. Her desires and successes, like those of many ordinary and famous people, came from her childhood dreams. (3) Earhart spent her teenage years in Chicago. In 1919, at the age of twenty-two, she began to prepare for a career in Medicine at a university in New York. During World War I, she served as a military nurse in Canada. Despite the demands of her career, she continued to develop her interests in flying. (4) Earhart’s first encounter with an airplane came on Christmas Day, 1920, when her father
took her to the official opening of a new airfield in Long Beach, California. It was here she had her first airplane ride. It was with a barnstormer, as stunt pilot were called then. "As soon as we left the ground," she later said, "I knew I, myself, had to fly."
Earhart Become a Pilot
(5) In January, 1921, Earhart began her one dollar per minute flying lessons at a California flight school. She wasn’t a “natural” at flying and struggled with taking off and landing the plane. Many landings resulted in accidents, even when she became an experienced pilot. By mid-1922, thanks to her persistent character, she received her pilot’s license. (6) Shortly after getting her license, Earhart bought her first airplane. This was a remarkable achievement in those days. Many considered flying a “man’s” job, and women were discouraged and rarely supported in their efforts to become pilots. But, in her new plane, she made her name known in aviation circles. She entered many and won numerous flying competitions and shows across the United States.
Earhart Sets Her First Record
(7) In 1927, an America air mail pilot named Charles Lindbergh, nicknamed Lindy, set a world’s record by becoming the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. It was an
achievement celebrated around the world. Within a year Earhart was invited to become the first woman to make the Atlantic crossing by air. A float plane named the Friendship, flew her and a crew from Trepassey, Newfoundland, to England. The flight through harsh weather, including snow squalls and freezing rain, last 20 hours 40 minutes. She instantly became famous, but she felt she did not deserve this recognition. After all, she reasoned, she was just a passenger and had not flown the plane
fuel tank. She felt she would not reach Paris as Lindbergh had done five years earlier. To avoid a crash, she made an emergency landing in an Irish cow pasture. Despite not reaching her destination, Earhart had completed the Atlantic crossing solo. In the process, she had set a new record of thirteen hours and thirty minutes. (10) Like Lindbergh, Earhart received many awards and lots of attention for her record flight. The press called her "Lady Lindy". She too was tall and slim, with short, wind-swept hair. In fact, she looked so much like Charles Lindbergh she could have passed for his sister. In writing about the flight, Earhart said she had made it to prove that "... women can do most things that a man can do. Not everything,” she added, “but certainly jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness, and will power." It was a lesson that would influence hundreds of young women, even up to today.
Earhart’s Solo Trans-Atlantic Flight
(8) As Earhart’s interests and abilities became wellknown across the United States, many people encouraged her to make the Atlantic crossing solo too. This achievement would secure her place in aviation history foorever. On May 20, 1932, the fifth anniversary of Lindbergh’s trip, Amelia began her attempt. She set out from a tiny airfield in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and headed towards the eastern horizon. Europe and a world’s record awaited her. (9) Earhart’s Atlantic crossing was difficult and dangerous. She flew her Lockheed Vega, now equipped with a large tank a radio and new navigation instruments, for the long trip. During the trip she flew through a lightning storm, and once almost crashed into the ocean. Blown off course and battling strong winds, she approached Ireland. After thirteen hours of non-stop flying, the exhaust pipes of her Vega were burned out and fuel was leaking from the
Earhart Inspires Many Young Women
(11) By the 1930's, Earhart had accomplished a lot for female pilots. In 1929 she helped found the “Ninety-Nines,” an international club of women pilots and served as its first president from 1930 to 1932. She used every opportunity to promote careers for women in aviation and to support the use of airplanes for the transportation of passengers. By 1931, there were about 300 licensed women pilots in
the United States, many of whom were inspired by Earhart.
Earhart Sets Many New Records
(12) At a time when women were extremely rare in technical and scientific areas, Amelia Earhart became even more famous as she set many other records around the world. After her trans-Atlantic flight in 1932, Earhart continued to set new records and beat others set by other aviators, both male and female. In January 1935, for example, she outdid her Atlantic flight in distance by making a solo flight from Hawaii to California, the first pilot to successfully make the trip. Her numerous accomplishments during the 1930's earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first women to win the award. Many of her firsts were associated with new equipment such as two-way radio, new propeller controls and improvements in aircraft design.
unsolved mysteries of the 20th century. On the most difficult leg of the trip, Earhart and her navigator vanished near an island in the Pacific Ocean. Intense searching by both the American and Japanese armed forces found no trace of them or their plane. People began to speculate about her disappearance. Some argued that the flight was a spy mission to gather data on Japan prior to the United States entry into World War II. Some even believe she was the victim of an abduction by aliens. Most people, especially in aviation, firmly believed that Amelia Earhart, driven by her passion for flying, disappeared in an accident. This was supported by stories from the islanders of the area who tell of a downed flight. Recently, a metal fragment was recovered from one of the islands and positively matched to the type of metal used in her plane. But no wreckage or bodies have ever been recovered. (15) Although only a few facts are known about the July 2, 1937 disappearance in the central Pacific, one thing is certain: Amelia Earhart had made a unique and timeless contribution to aviation and to women in aviation which will go unchallenged for decades to come.
Earhart’s Attempt to Fly Round the World
(13) In July 1936, Amelia Earhart received a new plane. It was designed for a round-the-world flight. If she succeeded, it would not be an aviation first, but it would be the longest– nearly 48,000 kilmetres. It would be completed in stages and closely following the equator. (14) The round-the-world flight placed Amelia Earhart in the center of one of the greatest
Earhart Remembered in Gander
(16) To honour her accomplishments in aviation, one of the first streets in the new town of Gander was named Earhart Street and is located off Fraser Road, just down from our school.
Amerlia Earhart Activities
Vocabulary: Match the meanings to the underlined words in the paragraphs indicated in brackets. (2) common, not unusual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (3) job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (4) meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (5) not giving up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (5) a permit to operate a vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (6) a game where people compete for prizes (7) a person carried in a car or plane (7) done by one’s self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________
(8) once a year celebration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (9) a small landing site for airplanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (9) an unexpected event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (9) fumes from an engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________
(10) another name for newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (11) many different countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (12) many . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________
(13) a step at a time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (14) guess, judge without evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (14) remains of a downed plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (14) disappeared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________ (14) a small piece of something . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __________________
Write your own sentences using any four words from your answers in the vocabulary section ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________
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Identifying Topics:
What are the topics in this passage on Amelia Earhart? ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________
Which topics would likely contain information on each of the following?
a.
How Earhart spent some of here childhood time?
________________________________________________________________________________ b. What conditions Earhart faced on her solo trans-Atlantic flight?
________________________________________________________________________________ c. When Earhart got her pilot’s license?
________________________________________________________________________________ d. What happened to Earhart on her round-the-world flight?
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Finding Facts:
Scan the passage and find the information that complete the following.
Earhart’s birthday: ________________________________________________________________ Where Earhart landed in Europe: _____________________________________________________ The day Earhart disappeared: _____________________________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________
The name of the women’s pilot organization she founded: The date Earhart started her solo flight across the Atlantic: Where Earhart started her solo trans-Atlantic flight: The kind of pilot that gave Earhart her first ride: The kind of airplane Earhart use the fly the Atlantic:
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Reading Comprehension Questions
1. What connections did Amelia Earhart have to Canada and to Newfoundland?
________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Why was Earhart called a “tom-boy” by her friends?
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3.
What difficulties did Earhart have during her flight across the Atlantic?
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4.
Why was Earhart called “Lady Lindy”?
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Your opinion
1.
Do you think Earhart would be called a “tomboy” today? Why or Why not?
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2.
How was Earhart an inspiration to young women?
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3.
What kind of person must Earhart have been to accomplish her goals in aviation?
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