Originally published in 1997
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Amelia Earhart, America’s premier woman aviator. The first woman to fly the Atlantic in an airplane -initially as a passenger in 1928 and then solo in 1932 -the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the United States, one of the organizers and the first president of The Ninety Nines, she was arguably among the most notable women of the 2oth century.
This March is the 60th anniversary of Earhart’s attempt to fly around the world, and Linda Finch of San Antonio, Texas, will take off from Oakland, California, in an AE-replica Lockheed 1 OE and attempt to complete the flight following the exact route flown by Earhart in 1937, spanning five continents and making more than 30 stops in 20 countries.