The scene a small town in Kansas,
America at the start of the 20th century.
Three children two girls, who were
sisters, and a boy were busily working on
an outdoor project. To look at them, one
would think that it was some school project, but he would be mistaken. It was an
ambitious game, conceived and
meticulously planned out by the leader of
the three the elder girl, whose name was
Amelia. They were constructing a roller-coaster!
The roof of an 8 feet-high tool-shed was
the ‘starting-point’. From here, the children
painstakingly constructed a ‘track’ from
wooden boards and greased it with lard.
When it was ready, Amelia made the trial
run in a ‘car’ fashioned from an empty
wooden crate.
The ride turned out to be much faster than any of them anticipated. As the car hurtled wildly down the track, there was a loud sound of splintering wood. At last, the car and its occupant finally tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap. Amelia’s frock was torn and her lip bruised. However, her eyes shone with delight as she jumped to her feet, crying joyfully, “Oh, it’s just like flying!”
The little girl who dreamt of flying was later to become the world’s best known aviatrix. She was Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1937), the intrepid woman pilot who dared to follow a dream that led her literally into the sky. As a child, Amelia was a tomboy who was very much interested in outdoor sports. In 1917, she was studying in a private intermediate school in preparation for college, when a visit to Canada changed her life. Canada was actively involved in World War I. Seeing the hospitals full of the war wounded, Amelia impulsively gave up her studies and joined the Red Cross as a volunteer. She was sent to work as a nurse’s aide in Spadina Military Hospital in Ontario.
While there, she met many
wounded pilots. In those days,
aviation was still an unexplored
field something new and very
exciting. Gradually, Amelia
became interested in flying.
After the war was over, she
learnt flying and eventually
bought a second-hand biplane.
Soon, she became famous for
breaking many aviation records.
Until then, no woman had ever
flown across the Atlantic Ocean. But in
1928, a socialite named Amy Guest and her
friend George Putnam, a
famous publisher, decided to
sponsor a woman to attempt
this feat. Their choice fell on
Amelia.
Amelia’s landmark flight took off from Newfoundland, on June 17, 1928, and arrived at Burry Port, Wales, approximately 21 hours later. She returned to the USA as a celebrity.
She was in great demand as a guest speaker and columnist, and did much to promote the cause of women’s aviation. Her flying accomplishments were an inspiration to pilots from all over the world, and to the women of her time.
In 1931, Amelia married George Putnam. A year later, she became the first woman, and second person after Lindbergh, to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was feted by heads of state and important personalities, and became the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. However, she had one dream left to be the first woman to fly across the world.
But that dream was not destined to come true. On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared while flying over the ocean. Despite an extensive search, its remains were never found and eventually, she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were declared ‘lost at sea’.
The ride turned out to be much faster than any of them anticipated. As the car hurtled wildly down the track, there was a loud sound of splintering wood. At last, the car and its occupant finally tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap. Amelia’s frock was torn and her lip bruised. However, her eyes shone with delight as she jumped to her feet, crying joyfully, “Oh, it’s just like flying!”
The little girl who dreamt of flying was later to become the world’s best known aviatrix. She was Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1937), the intrepid woman pilot who dared to follow a dream that led her literally into the sky. As a child, Amelia was a tomboy who was very much interested in outdoor sports. In 1917, she was studying in a private intermediate school in preparation for college, when a visit to Canada changed her life. Canada was actively involved in World War I. Seeing the hospitals full of the war wounded, Amelia impulsively gave up her studies and joined the Red Cross as a volunteer. She was sent to work as a nurse’s aide in Spadina Military Hospital in Ontario.
Amelia’s landmark flight took off from Newfoundland, on June 17, 1928, and arrived at Burry Port, Wales, approximately 21 hours later. She returned to the USA as a celebrity.
She was in great demand as a guest speaker and columnist, and did much to promote the cause of women’s aviation. Her flying accomplishments were an inspiration to pilots from all over the world, and to the women of her time.
In 1931, Amelia married George Putnam. A year later, she became the first woman, and second person after Lindbergh, to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was feted by heads of state and important personalities, and became the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. However, she had one dream left to be the first woman to fly across the world.
But that dream was not destined to come true. On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared while flying over the ocean. Despite an extensive search, its remains were never found and eventually, she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were declared ‘lost at sea’.
