Amelia Earhart was a pilot who flew airplanes. She was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She took her first airplane ride in December 1920. She learned to fly by taking flying lessons. In 1923 she got her pilot's license. In 1928 she rode as a passenger on the Friendship. Two men flew the plane. She was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air.
In August 1929 she raced in the first air race across the United States for women. She finished third. In 1931 she was the first woman to fly an autogiro. She set an altitude record in it. Earhart set many flying records. She was the first president of the Ninety-Nines. This was a group of women pilots.
Some people think she was the first to fly alone across the Atlantic. She was not the first. In 1932 she became the first woman, and the second person, to do it. In May she flew a Lockheed Vega. She flew from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland. Ice formed on the wings of her Vega during the flight.
On January 11, 1935, she began a flight alone from Honolulu to Oakland. She flew over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California. In 1937 she tried to fly around the world. She flew a Lockheed Electra. The flight set off from Miami, Florida, on June 1, 1937. Fred Noonan was the navigator who flew with her on the world flight.
In July 1937 Earhart and Noonan left New Guinea. They were heading for tiny Howland Island. The Coast Guard cutter Itasca was waiting there. On July 2, 1937, radio contact with the Itasca was lost. After her plane went missing, ships and planes searched for her. The official U.S. search ran from July 2 to July 18, 1937.
Words to know
- passenger: a rider
- autogiro: flying machine
- navigator: a route finder
- cutter: Coast Guard ship
The short version
Amelia Earhart was a pilot who set many flying records. In 1932 she became the first woman, and the second person, to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1937 she tried to fly around the world, and her plane went missing in July 1937.
Quick facts
- Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas.
- In 1932 she became the first woman, and the second person, to fly alone across the Atlantic.
- On January 11, 1935, she began a flight alone from Honolulu to Oakland.
- The official U.S. search for Earhart and Noonan ran from July 2 to July 18, 1937.
What did Amelia Earhart do in 1932?
In May 1932 Earhart flew from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland across the Atlantic. She became the first woman, and the second person, to fly alone across the Atlantic. Ice formed on the wings of her Lockheed Vega during the flight.
What happened in July 1937?
In July 1937 Earhart and Noonan left New Guinea heading for tiny Howland Island. Radio contact between her plane and the Coast Guard cutter Itasca was lost on July 2, 1937. Ships and planes searched for her, and the official U.S. search ran from July 2 to July 18, 1937.
