Early life of Amelia
Amelia Mary Earhart (Amelia) was the first born child to Edwin Earhart and Amy Earhart. Amelia was born on 24th July in 1897 in Kansas City, America. Her challenges in life started right from childhood. Her father was not responsible at all, he was a great drunkard and kept losing jobs and became a failure in his private practice but her mother took her to the grandparents in Atchison Kansas in order to study (Butler 189).
Amelia first saw the first airplane at Iowa State Fair in 1908 at the age of 10 years old. By now, her interests in aviation had not been awakened. To her, the plane was a mere connection of wires and wood. She underwent terrible days in her school life where she was nicknamed a brown girl who walks alone among other names due to her love of staying and walking alone. This did not hinder her from performing well in class in order to achieve her goal in life. Although her family finances were low Amelia was determined to join nursing in Toronto after she heard the plight of four wounded solders during the First World War. In 1918, while she was serving as volunteer in a military hospital in Canada she was infected with Spanish flu and was hospitalized for a year. She underwent many operations which were unsuccessful especially the persistent sinusitis which affected her flying career. She overcame this by covering a small drainage tube with a bandage especially when on airfield in order to fly. During her service in the military hospital Amelia learnt not to look the world war in terms of new uniforms and the brass bands but the desperate painful struggle which left men amputated, paralyzed and blind who were just wrecks in the society (Butler 254).
Aviation career
Amelia’s first flight lesson was in 1904, when she took to the roof of their house determined to fly a home-made ramp that she made with the help of his uncle. Although her first lesson in aviation ended with a bruised lip and torn clothes, she was happy at least she has flied she later developed a love of watching shows which aired airplane stunts. One fine day Amelia paid $10 for ten minutes real plane ride. These lessons build an urge to fly by her self. She managed to save $1000 from doing odd jobs like being a photographer, a truck driver among other odd jobs that were available near her place in order to pay school fees. She had to walk for six kilometers to reach her college but this challenge never deterred her from attaining her ambition. Her course work was marred with a lot of crashing but she did not lose hope. Her dream came true when she made her first solo flight in the year 1921 although the landing was poor she set the world record of flying 14,000 feet. Although challenged by finances she bought her own plane on May 1923 from savings she had made and the inheritance from her grand parents (Butler 374).
Being a woman was the biggest challenge Amelia faced as aviation was considered a male world, this did not stop her from perfecting in her work and she was granted license in piloting in the year 1928. She was among the crew who flew the plane which was called Friendship that flew from America to England on 17th June 1928 making her the first woman in history to fly across Atlantic(Butler 324). This gave her a lot of publicity and many saw her as a leader and a model although she was just a passenger in the plane. Her first solo trip across America came in late 1928 later on 20th may 1932. Amelia crossed the Atlantic on a record of thirteen and half hours on a solo flight setting the new record in transatlantic crossing. This was celebrated all around Europe and America and she received a lot of awards including the gold medal from then the president of America Herbert Hoover and greater publicity several years later she successfully completed a dangerous flight from Hawaii to California (Butler 374).She authored many books, many lectures and endorsing many company products which made her a model and a hero.
Amelia’s last flight
At 38 years old, Amelia challenged herself to fly across the world although this was criticized by many due to the danger involved and since she was a mere woman. Amelia insisted that she was aware of the hazards and insisted that she wanted to do it because she wants to do it. To her, women must try like men and they should not be looked as a lesser gender. She insisted that if women should fail it should be looked as a challenge to all (Butler 402). The Purdue research foundations designed and built a silver plane called Electra which was specially meant for her. She and her navigator Fred Noonan held their last on discussion on the route on 1st June, 1937.Before her flight took off Amelia told the audience about her feeling of one more good flight that was left in her system and hoped the trip she was going to take was the one she talked of obtaining peace through courageous acts. The first part of the journey seemed successful toward the completion of the journey in the year 1937, she lost direction and it was evident her plane was running low of Gas. Since then her whereabouts is not known and the plane has never been found (Butler 480).
Conclusion
Amelia displayed some great and valuable attributes that other models should posses. Among this are her loyalty to serve her country during the war time, sincerity and honesty which she portrayed well after being included in the crew that first flew through Atlantic by playing down publicity she was given and directing it to those who piloted the plane saying that she was just a passenger and never deserved the publicity, courageous ethics and moral character which are the theme of her life. She was always there for the depressed and the underdogs. Importantly her persistent in achieving what she wanted no matter what the hindrance this made her the model and leader o many. Education plays greater role in amplifying the characteristics of leaders and models as it seeks to create and expand new patterns of thinking to help them increase their capacity of thinking. Collective thinking has inspired people to continually see the whole together.
Works Cited
Butler, Susan. East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2009.