Amelia Earhart: Pioneering Aviator and Force for Women's Rights

Amelia Earhart: Pioneering Aviator and Force for Women's Rights — page 7
In Southampton reporters photographers officials and thousands of fans greeted the trio The only one of the fliers anyone cared about though was Amelia She became an overnight international celebrity because of the voyage It was genuinely surprising what a disproportion of attention was given to the woman member of the crew at the expense of the men Amelia wrote in her book The Fun of It It particularly surprised her because she hadn’t so much as touched the controls of the plane during the transatlantic flight Although Amelia was a licensed pilot she had no experience with this particular type of aircraft That meant she was unable to fly it She had merely been invited along for the ride and for the publicity a woman’s presence on the voyage would generate All the attention embarrassed Amelia She tried to set the record straight every chance she got I was just baggage like a sack of potatoes she told a reporter the day after the flight She quickly added Maybe someday I’ll try it alone Four years later Amelia did just that In 1932 she became the first woman and just the second person ever to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean Ever since my first crossing in the Friendship in 1928 when I was merely a passenger I have wanted to attempt a solo flight Amelia Earhart in The Fun of It 10