The world's most famous female aviator disappeared in 1937, as she attempted to become the first woman to fly around the world.
With her navigator, Fred Noonan, her Lockheed Electra was last heard from about 100 miles from the tiny Pacific atoll, Howland Island, on July 2, 1937.
Time line of Her Aviation Achievements
October 22, 1922 - Set women's altitude record of 14,000 feet.
June 17-18, 1928 - First woman to fly across the Atlantic; 20 hrs 40 min (Fokker F7, Friendship).
August 1929 - Placed third in the First Women's Air Derby, aka the Powder Puff Derby; upgraded from her Avian to a Lockheed Vega.
Fall 1929- Elected as an official for National Aeronautic Association and encouraged the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) to establish separate world altitude, speed and endurance records for women
June 25, 1930 - Set women's speed record for 100 kilometers with no load, and with a load of 500 kg.
July 5, 1930 - Set speed record for of 181.18 mph.
April 8, 1931 - Set woman's autogiro altitude record with 18,415 feet (in a Pitcairn autogiro).
May 20-21, 1932 - First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; 14 hrs 56 min (it was also the 5th anniversary of Lindberg's Atlantic flight; awarded National Geographic Society's gold medal from President Herbert Hoover; Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross.
August 24-25, 1932 - First woman to fly solo non-stop coast to coast; set women's non-stop transcontinental speed record, flying 2,447.8 miles in 19 hrs 5 min.
Fall 1932 - Elected president of the Ninety Nines, a new women's aviation club which she helped to form.
July 7-8, 1933 - Broke her previous transcontinental speed record by making the same flight in 17 hrs 7 min.
January 11, 1935 - First person to solo the 2,408-mile distance across the Pacific between Hawaii and Oakland, California; also first flight where a civilian aircraft carried a two-way radio.
After an 18 hour flight she landed at Oakland.
May 8, 1935 - First person to fly solo non-stop from Mexico City to Newark in 14 h and 19 min.
On May 21, 1937 Erhart took off from Oakland, California, in the recently repaired Lockheed Electra, together with her navigator, Fred Noonan, on a flight around the world.
After flying around most of the planet, her destination was Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
They were to fly from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island, a 2200 miles flight, the longest over-water leg of the trip.
To aid in radio communications, the U.S. Coat Guard cutter Itasca was stationed off Howland Island.
The Lockheed Electra took off from Lae at 0:00 Greenwich Mean Time.
8 hours later she called in to Lae for the last time. At 19:30, Itasca had the last contact with the aircraft.
Source: http://www.acepilots.com/earhart2.html
Amelia Erhart and Fred Noonan (Wikipedia)
Amelia Erhart - Lockheed Electra.
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