Amelia Earhart A Legend in Flight

Amelia Earhart A Legend in Flight

Introduction The airplane bounced among the clouds. Giant black storm clouds lay ahead. The year was 1932. The airplane carried Amelia Earhart. She had been the first woman to ride in an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean. Now, if she made it, she would be the first woman to fly an airplane over the Atlantic. And she would be the first person to have crossed the Atlantic in an airplane twice. But first she had to succeed, and the trip was dangerous. Airplanes in the 1930s were small, and they didn't have the instruments that today's pilots do. A pilot had to go by her sense of sight, keeping tight control of the airplane.

The black clouds ahead were too large to fly around, so Amelia pointed the little plane right into them. Ice froze the plane's controls, sending it into a tailspin. Amelia struggled to get control. Finally, the ice melted and Amelia was able to pull the plane out of its spin. Many hours later, Amelia set the plane down in Northern Ireland. She had crossed the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane she flew herself. She had already been famous. Now, she would be a legend. But Amelia Earhart would be most remembered for something else. While trying to fly around the world, she disappeared.

Winged Machines The world's first airplane flight happened in 1903. Two brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, successfully flew their winged machine in North Carolina. Many people thought the idea of flying was exciting. It was also dangerous. Planes were fragile and slow. They did not fly well in bad weather, and many pilots died in crashes. By 1937, airplanes had improved a lot. Engineers designed better airplanes, but accidents still happened.

Kansas Youth Anyone who knew Amelia as a child could hardly have been surprised by her later accomplishments. She was born in Kansas in 1897. She spent most of her time with her family and friends. They climbed around the banks of the Missouri River. Amelia made up games for the children to play. She and her sister were such active children that their mother made “ bloomers" for them to wear. Unlike dresses, bloomers allowed the girls to be as active as the boys. When Amelia was twenty-one, her family moved to California. One day she attended an air show. The airplanes dazzled her, flying in loops and doing stunts. She knew then that she wanted to fly. With her parents' help, Amelia took piloting lessons and saved enough money to buy an airplane. Before long, she was flying in air shows herself.

Time to Fly Amelia later moved to Boston and found a job at Denison House. It was a place where people who were poor, especially children, could receive help. She loved her work there, but then the chance of a lifetime presented itself. George Putnam, a publicist, searched for a woman to be the first to ride in an airplane over the Atlantic. It was a dangerous idea. Three women had died trying to cross the Atlantic the year before.