Amazing Women in the Skies
Second of a series
By Rhodeza Mae S. Junio
2. The Mysterious Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
IN 1928, Mrs. Frederick Guest, American wife of an Air Ministry Official of Great Britain acquired a Fokker high-wing monoplane that can land or take off in water. She planned a trip from the U.S. to Great Britain, to strengthen the relations between the two nations. The plane was piloted by Wilmer Stultz and Mrs. Guest would go as passenger, while Louis Gordon was the mechanic. Due to fear because of dangers that lie ahead, she did not push through with her plan, instead, she chose American Amelia Earhart. She was chosen because Amelia was learning to fly and may help in case of an emergency. After about 20 hours and 3,860 kilometers, they reached the coast of Wales. They had overflew Ireland because their instruments and radio malfunctioned. After the flight, Amelia became an instant celebrity for being “The first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane.” Little did the people know that she was only a passenger.
Earhart was born on July 24, 1898. Daughter of a much-travelled railroad official, she was used to traveling at a young age. At age 20, she left college to help wounded servicemen who arrived from battlefields during World War I. Then she took up auto mechanic course and subsequently studied medicine. Despite obtaining good grades in exams, she left medical school because she thought this was not her world - aviation was her calling. Prior to her first trans-Atlantic flight, she learned to fly in 1920, and made her first solo flight in 1923. In 1930, Amelia established women’s international speed record over a 100-kilometer course. From May 21-22, 1932, she established record of being the first woman to fly the North Atlantic, solo, East to West. From 1933 to 1935, she established a series of transcontinental flight record in the U.S., Los Angeles to Mexico City, and Mexico City to New Jersey.
Yearning to ‘conquer the world,’ on May 20, 1937, Earhart took off from an airfield at Oakland, California with her airplane named Elektra, to begin her first solo, ‘round-the-world flight. The route that she took was Oakland, Tucson, New Orleans, Miami, San Juan, Caripito, Paramibo, Fortaleza, Natal, St. Louis, Dakar, Gao, Fort Lamy (now Ndjamena), El Fasher, Hartum, Massawa (now Mitsiwa), Assab,, Karachi, Calcutta, Akyab, Rangoon, Bangkok, Singapore, Bandoeng, Kupang, Port Darwin, and Lae.
After completing the course, on July 1, she took off from Lae, New Guinea heading for Honolulu, Hawaii, before taking off to home. On July 3, the U.S. coast guard cutter Itasca and the USS Swan assisted in giving direction to Amelia as there were no modern radar and modern communications yet during that time. Itasca received radio message from Amelia at 6:15 a.m., informing the crew that she cannot indicate her position in the Pacific Ocean, probably because of zero visibility and malfunctioned flight instruments. At 8:55 a.m., the Itasca received the last call – informing them where the aircraft was heading. After this, her radio became silent. The two ships tried desperately to communicate but they never received any answer from Amelia. Immediately, they conducted a search and rescue operation from several possible locations, but after a long period of search, the result was futile.
Until this day, American aviation officials, including the military cannot explain the mysterious disappearance of pilot Amelia Earhart. The wreckage of her plane was never found. Some assumed that she veered accidentally to the Atlantic Ocean and reached the treacherous ‘Bermuda Triangle’ and ‘claimed’ her, while others opined that she may have crashed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean due to engine trouble. Today, it was said that more than 50 ships and 20 airplanes have mysteriously disappeared in the ‘Bermuda Triangle.’ But despite efforts to document the same, science cannot prove this claim.
Whatever the real story behind the puzzling disappearance of Amelia, people around the world would during her time, admire her for her courage to take challenges at a time when ‘round-the-world-flying was extremely dangerous, especially for a woman, when aviation was still at its infancy. Amelia had opened the door for women to fly and explore the world!
Reference: Mondey, David, WOMEN OF THE AIR, Silver Burdett Co., Morristown, N.J., 1982