Amelia Earhart Facts for Kids | Early Life, Aviation Career, Disappearance

Amelia Earhart, born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, was a trailblazing American aviation pioneer.

Amelia Earhart’s Early Life and Career

Her early life was marked by several relocations due to her family’s financial struggles, making it challenging for her to form lasting friendships. Despite these difficulties, Earhart developed a keen interest in science and sports.

In 1915, Amelia and her mother moved to Chicago, where she attended Hyde Park High School. During World War I, she volunteered as a nurse’s aid for the Red Cross, which sparked her admiration for aviators. She began spending her free time observing the Royal Flying Corps’ practices.

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By 1919, she enrolled at Columbia University to study medicine but eventually decided to join her reunited parents in California. Her life took a pivotal turn when she attended an “aerial meet” in Long Beach and took her first flight with pilot Frank Hawks on December 28, 1920. She began taking flying lessons and acquired her first plane, a bright yellow Kinner Airster nicknamed “The Canary.”

Amelia Earhart’s Flying Career

In the world of aviation, Earhart made significant strides. In 1922, she set a women’s altitude record of 14,000 feet. She was the 16th woman to obtain a pilot’s license from The Federation Aeronautique. In 1927, she became the first woman to fly as a passenger across the Atlantic Ocean, followed by her solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, for which she received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Earhart continued to break records, flying solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City in 1935. Throughout the early 1930s, she set various distance aviation records, establishing herself as a prominent figure in the field. In 1937, she embarked on her famous attempt to circumnavigate the world along the equator.

Tragically, Amelia Earhart’s journey took an ominous turn when she disappeared on July 2, 1937, during her flight from Lae, New Guinea. Despite extensive search efforts, her plane’s wreckage was never found. Numerous theories and speculations have emerged regarding her disappearance, making it one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century.

Amelia Earhart’s legacy lives on as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. She played a pivotal role in promoting female pilots and co-founded the Ninety-Nines, an international organization for the advancement of women in aviation. Every year, on July 24th, her birthday is celebrated as Amelia Earhart Day.

In the realm of aviation, various terms are commonly used, including “Air Traffic Controller,” “Callsign,” and “Cockpit.” These terms are crucial for effective communication and safety in aviation. Pilots also utilize NATO phonetic alphabets to reduce the risk of miscommunication, especially when dealing with potential language barriers and challenging radio conditions. These standardized alphabets help ensure clear and accurate communication among aviation professionals.