Grand adventure

GREG HERRICK, CARLENE MENDIETA, AND AN AVRO AVIAN ARE RE-CREATING A FAMOUS 1928 FLIGHT UNDERTAKEN BY AMELIA EARHART

Not only did July 2001 see the anniversary ot the 104th birthday of Amelia Earhart, it also saw Tighar revealing information that might, they claim show Amelia's Lockheed 10 in the Pacific Ocean. The month of July also saw another Amelia-related bit of news - vintage aircraft collector Greg Herrick announced that his Historic Aviation company would be sponsoring the re-creation of another historic Amelia Earhart flight, albeit one not generally remembered.

Earhart is best remember for the around the world flight from which she never returned. However, the pioneering aviator made numerous successful record flights including the one that Historic Aviation will be honoring.

Earhart, born on 24 July 1897, became captivated with aviation but did not take her first flight until she was 23 years old. Famed pilot Frank Hawks took her aloft from an open lot off Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. From that point, she knew aviation was in her future.

Spending four years in southern California while in her mid-20s, Earhart was immersed in a hot-bed of aviation and she learned to fly with help from female instructor Neta Sook - making her first solo flight in 1921. Soon after, she purchased a Kinner Canary and became a regular feature at the many southern California airfields.

Returning to the east coast to complete college, Amelia became president of the local chapter of the National Aeronautic Association while being employed as a social worker at a settlement house. Whenever she could, Amelia would try to add more hours to her log book. To her surprise, Amelia received a phone call from a woman named Amy Guest. Guest was sponsoring a flight across the Atlantic and wanted a woman as a passenger - a passenger that would become the first female to cross the Atlantic by air.

Thus a deal was struck and although Amelia would not do any flying, she would serve as a goodwill ambassador and wrote that she could not possibley"refuse such a shining adventure." The aircraft for the journey was a Fokker tri-motor fitted with large floats and named Friendship. The flight was a success and the aircraft arrived in the United Kingdom 20 hours and 40 minutes after leaving North America.

Being the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air, Amelia received most of the publicity with the pilots being overlooked even though Amelia tried to direct press attention toward the aviators. She became much in demand for speeches and appearances while in England and enjoyed meeting many British pilots. One of the pilots was Lady Mary Heath who had recently completed a 8000-mile flight from Cape Town, South Africa, to Britain. A year earlier, she had set an altitude record in the same craft which was a small Avro Avian biplane.

On 6 June 1928, Amelia went to Croydon Aerodrome south of London where the Avian, carrying the British civil registration G-EBUG, was hangared. Lady Heath and Amelia went up for a two-hour flight and Amelia declared that the Avian was the best aircraft of its type. Lady Heath then made an offer to sell the plane to Amelia and she instantly accepted.

Returning to the United States by ship a few days later, Amelia made arrangements to have the Avian carefully crated and shipped home. The plane arrived at Curtiss Field, New York, at the end of July 1928 where it was assembled and test flown. The aircraft was given the US registration 7083. George Putnam, publicist and publisher, had been involved in the flight of the Friendship and, in order to have Amelia capitalize on the event, had her quickly writing an "instant book" titled 20 Hrs., 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship. The book was finished in a few weeks and Amelia decided she needed a vacation. She had been giving rides in the Avian and made the decision to fly the craft across the United States and then return - a grand adventure. This was a dream she had for some time and she felt the Avian would be an ideal form of transport.

The adventure started on 31 August 1928 from the polo grounds of Westchester Country Club near Rye, New York -- the Putnam home. "Clearly, it was time to get into the air again. For the moment all I wished to do in the world was to be a vagabond -- in the air." The trip would not have specific goals but she did want to be in Los Angeles for the National Air Races.

For the first two legs, she was accompanied by Putnam. From Rye, she flew to the airmail field at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Refueling she flew on to Pittsburgh and landed at Rogers Field but hit a hidden ditch. The Avian's weak landing gear collapsed and the plane went up on its nose. It took a major effort to get the craft repaired in just a day and a half. Putnam had leaked word of the flight to the press and reporters would follow her across the States.

On 2 September, the Avian departed Pittsburgh and arrived at Dayton where Amelia was given a tour of the Army's aircraft at Wright Field. At this point, Putnam departed the flight and took a train back to New York.