Becoming a pilot wasn't generally Amelia's dream. At 20 years old, going to see her sister in Toronto, Canada, during World War I. In the wake of seeing injured servicemen in the …show more content…
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean a passenger aboard a Fokker tri-motor aircraft that was piloted by Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon. In 1928, Amelia Earhart received a phone call that would change her life. She was invited to become the first woman passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a plane. "The idea of just going as 'extra weight' did not appeal to me at all," she said, but she accepted the offer nonetheless. On June 17, after several delays due to awful weather, Amelia Earhart flew in a plane named Friendship with co-pilots Wilmer "Bill" Stultz and Louis "Slim" Gordon. The plane landed at Burry Port, South Wales, with just a small amount of fuel left. How long was Earhart's flight? Earhart's first trip across the Atlantic took more than 20 hours! After that flight Earhart became a media sensation. Earhart composed a book about her first flight across the Atlantic, called 20 Hrs., 40 Min. She continued to break records. She also polished her skills as a speaker and writer, always advocating women's achievements, especially in aviation. She decided that her next trip and second big accomplishment would be to fly around the world. In March 1937, she flew to Hawaii with fellow pilot Paul Mantz to begin this flight. Earhart lost control of the plane on departure, however, and the plane had to be sent to the production line for repairs. In June, she went to Miami to again start a flight the world over, this time with Fred Noonan as her navigator. No one knows why, but she left behind imperative communication and navigation instruments. Perhaps it was to make room for additional fuel for the long flight. The pair made it to New Guinea in 21 days, despite the fact that Earhart was drained and sick. During the next leg of the trip, they departed New Guinea for Howland Island, a tiny island in the middle of the