Amelia Mary Earhart was an aviation pioneer—and international celebrity, and famed feminist—in an age when flying was anything but routine, especially for women. Her legacy inspired a generation of pilots and continues to fascinate anyone who’s ever thought about jumping into a cockpit.
Which, of course, is why her disappearance over Howland Island in June 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe was a jarring reminder that the skies weren’t yet ours.
Now, another Amelia Earhart—Amelia Rose Earhart—is attempting to bear out her predecessor’s legacy by completing the original flight plan. “As pilots, whenever we fly, we have a flight plan. We open that flight plan, and then when we return safely, we close that flight plan,” Amelia Rose, who isn’t related to history’s Earhart, told CNN. “I started thinking, ‘What if I could symbolically close Amelia’s flight plan for her?’”
Amelia Rose plans to take off from Oakland, California between June 23 and 26, returning two and a half weeks later; unlike Amelia Mary Earhart, you can track her progress online here. Godspeed.
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Write to Bijan Stephen at bijan.stephen@gmail.com