The Paragon Agency

Books That Change American History

HomeAboutContactCatalogAuthors

-- Thank You For Choosing Paragon --

Buy Ebooks As Gifts
(click here to find out how)




Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

-- Refresh to update this page --


(Click to follow the route)
The World Flight of 1937

-- This Happening Right Now -- in 1937 --

-- A NEW PHOTO EVERY DAY --

DAY TWENTY
The date is June 9th and the time is 10:00am. Only it's 1937 and Earhart is in Dakar, Africa.

In Dakar, Amelia is finally is able to see the power she holds over the world. Though she has thus far traveled through Central America, South America and Africa -- no authorities had thought to so much as to even ask for her passport. To the American heroine this was an amazing testament of respect.


(Click image  to enlarge)
Aero Club, Dakar, French West Africa.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film


DAY NINETEEN

The date is June 8th and the time is 9:00am. Only it's 1937 and Earhart arrives at Dakar, Africa.

Amelia and Fred arrive in Dakar after only 40 minutes in the air. The Electra's engines need looking at again. According to Amelia the fuel flow meter has failed. But that was not the only failure -- according to Fred, the radio direction-finder was not functioning either. He had no radio bearings to use in his navigations. Unlike the engine problems, the radio is not fixed.


(Click image  to enlarge)
Dakar, French West Africa.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY EIGHTEEN
The date is June 7th and the time is 9:00am. Only it's 1937 and Earhart leaves for Africa.

Amelia and Fred are at the airport at three in the morning with flashlights in hand. Because of the current winds, they must take off from a short, grassy runway rather than the tarmac as originally planned. Once satisfied that their makeshift runway is safe, Amelia and Fred leave the ground. Today Amelia makes history once more -- she becomes the first woman to fly from South America to Africa across the southern Atlantic Ocean. Yet she flew beyond her stop at Dakar and on to St. Louis in French West Africa.


(Click image  to enlarge)

French West Africa.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY SEVENTEEN
The date is June 6th and the time is 7:00am. Only it's 1937 and Earhart leaves for Natal Brazil.

Today is perhaps one of Amelia's easiest flights on her journey -- certainly it is one of the shortest. She's only in the air for about two hours and five minutes, and her timing is so perfect that she lands in Natal mere minutes before the big storm hits. The rain suddenly comes down so hard that the airport mechanics end up pushing the Electra into the hanger with Amelia and Fred still inside the plane.


(Click image  to enlarge)

Natal Jungle Brazil.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY SIXTEEN
The date is June 5th and the time is 12 noon. Only it's 1937 and Earhart's Electra needs repair.

Amelia finds herself for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere and must stay for a day, allowing her plane to get needed repairs. Amelia and Fred spend today shopping -- but all work related of course -- among their purchases are work coveralls and sponge rubber to seal up leaks.


(Click image  to enlarge)

Fortaleza Brazil.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY FIFTEEN
The date is June 4th and the time is 5:00am. Only it's 1937 and Earhart's Electra is ready.

By now Amelia is used to early mornings but today is the first time she is told that it is too early to get the weather forecast in Paramaribo, Suriname. Amelia and Fred must truly venture out into the unknown as they fly over 1,300 miles to Fortaleza, Brazil. Not knowing what nature has in store for them is particularly worrisome as they had only yesterday been delayed by terrible weather.


(Click image  to enlarge)

Paramaribo, Suriname.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY FOURTEEN
The date is June 3rd and the time is 9:00am. Only it's 1937 and the rain has made the field muddy.
Earhart's Electra is pushed back into the hangar.

Only a couple days into her official world flight and Amelia finds herself already behind schedule. She arrived in Caripito, Venezuela yesterday and wanted to continue on right away -- but was delayed by strong headwinds and heavy rain showers.


(Click image  to enlarge)
Caripito Venezuela hangar.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY THIRTEEN
The date is June 2nd and the time is 6:00am. Only it's 1937 and the dawn is just starting to show over
the airstrip at Dorado, Puerto Rico.

It is still dark when Amelia awakes in Puerto Rico, but peaceful. Amelia and Fred stayed with their friend and fellow pilot Clara Livingstone in her San Juan Plantation -- a blessing, according to Fred, as Clara spared them from having to socialize with diplomats. Here they were able to get some much needed rest.


(Click image  to enlarge)

Dorado Airstrip of Clara Livingstone.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY TWELVE
The date is June 1st and the time is 5:40am. Only it's 1937 and the Pan Am mechanics are working on Earhart's Electra.

On this day in 1937 Amelia and Fred arrive at the airport shortly past four o'clock in the morning. As dawn approaches they prepare to leave for San Juan, Puerto Rico -- the next stop in their journey across the world. Michaelfelder hands Bob Thibert a new radio loop to install on the Electra. Photographers pile up next to the tarmac to get one last shot of the duo, and after an oil leak scare, Amelia and Fred finally leave the ground at 5:40 A.M. Around 15 minutes later Miami hears her first radio transmission:

"FLYING AT 3,500 FEET AND EVERYTHING OKAY"


(Click image  to enlarge)

Leaving Miami that morning.
The the starboard navigation window is skinned over but the Loop antenna is back on Earhart's Electra.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY ELEVEN
The date is May 31st and the time is 5:00pm. Only it's 1937 and the Pan Am mechanics are working on Earhart's Electra.

Today is a big day for Amelia. She finally gets to test fly her plane, and many changes have occurred in Miami. One such change is the covering of the navigation window on the starboard side. A strange choice considering the usefulness of this window to Fred as he navigates the world for her. The test flight takes a total of six hours and apparently the changes to the Electra are not complete -- when she returns from her test Amelia's plane no longer has a DF loop either.


Loop at cabin, Mast mid-wing, Dual-sense underbelly,
and  Trailing-ball below
 plus the rear window in place.  (top)

Rear window skinned over and DF loop missing. (bottom)


Electra rear window.

(Click any image  to enlarge)
The Loop Antenna is missing from Earhart's Electra and the starboard navigation window is skinned over.

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY TEN
The date is May 30th and the time is 4:00pm. Only it's 1937 and the Pan Am mechanics are working on Earhart's Electra.

On this day in 1937 Amelia finally test flies her Electra once more. Radio expert, Louis Michelfelder, has attempted a new but still unsatisfactory solution to the radio problem, and Amelia is sent back up into the air today to test it along with other adjustments made to her plane.

Amelia and Fred spend an hour and a half flying about half a dozen test courses. Upon landing they report that many of the fixes made to the Electra, have not been successful. The Mast antenna is moved forward.


Loop at cabin, Mast mid-wing, Dual-sense underbelly,
and  Trailing-ball below.
 (top)

Mast antenna moved forward. (bottom)


Earhart at the Cabin door

(Click any image  to enlarge)
Original Antennas (top) Modified mast antenna (bottom)
Amelia Earhart at her Electra's cabin door

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY NINE
The date is May 29th and the time is 8:00am. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart has been working with the mechanics on her Electra.

The entire day is dedicated primarily to Amelia's radios. One of the problems Amelia discovered during her journey to Miami concerned her communication ability. Flying over the Gulf of Mexico she found that her primary radio was extremely limited distance-wise. This was naturally a matter of great concern.

Radio expert Louis Michelfelder is sent to Amelia from the Pan American radio shop and he spends all of today in 1937 trying to get the radio's transmitter to appropriately tune to the antenna -- and fails. The Trailing-ball antenna is removed.


Loop at cabin, Mast mid-wing, Dual-sense underbelly,
and  Trailing-ball below.
 (top)

Trailing-ball removed. (bottom)


Dual-sense & Trailing-ball antennas

(Click any image  to enlarge)
Original Antennas (top) Modified Trailing-ball (bottom)
Amelia Earhart at her Electra's door

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY EIGHT
The date is May 28th and the time is 5:00pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart has been working with the mechanics on her Electra.

Despite her humor Amelia was extremely dedicated to her work - a trait that ultimately won her many admirers amongst the all-male mechanical crew. Reporter Allen writes:

"It was, undoubtedly, something of a shock to discover that the 'gal' with whom they had to deal not only was an exceptionally pleasant and reasonable human being ... but that she knew exactly what she wanted done and had sense enough to let them alone while they did it. There was an almost audible clatter of chips falling off skeptical masculine shoulders."


(Click to enlarge)

Miami Mechanic -- Adjusting the Tail Wheel

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY SEVEN
The date is May 27th and the time is 1:00pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart is taking a break from working on her Electra.

Amelia spends most of her time at the airport overseeing her plane, often frying her delicate skin as she sits in the blistering heat of her cockpit. Allen of the New York Herald-Tribune writes, "At times during her stay she protested plaintively that she wanted to take time out for a swim and a sun bath:"

'I want to soak up a little sunshine, not be fried by it.'


(Click to enlarge)
Miami Break --
Staged Shot

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY SIX
The date is May 26th and the time is, 5:00pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart has finished the day, working on her Electra.

That morning, it looked as though Amelia just might get one good day, a day of solutions, a day that passes smoothly. She arrived the airport to find progress being made -- her autopilot rudder has been worked on replaced in the plane, she helps install her new "G" meter, and is told that her radios tested well in the shop and reinstallation should be easy -- it appears that her fixes will be smoothly completed within a couple of days .


(Click to enlarge)
Electra Cabin Interior

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY FIVE
The date is May 25th and the time is, 2:00pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart talking with reporters in Miami, Florida.

Amelia can only dodge the curious press for so long. Now reporter Carl B. Allen of the New York Herald-Tribune arrives in Miami and Amelia finally relents and gives him a special announcement: she is indeed in the midst of her second attempt to circumvent the globe in her Electra -- she was careful to keep this from the press since leaving Oakland nearly one week ago. Now she finally lets them in on her secret.


(Click to enlarge)
Amelia in Miami Florida

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY FOUR
The date is May 24th and the time is, 6:00pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart is at dinner with her husband, George Palmer Putnam in Miami, Florida.

Amelia's first priority was her Electra and she hurried to the airport to assess the damage. What she found is a surprise fatal flaw -- someone had scratched his initials into the landing gear. Who this mystery person could be, is unclear and how they gained access to Amelia's aircraft not known. The fact though is this: these tiny, frivolous scratches could have caused the gear to fail.

It wasn't just work for Amelia in Miami, socializing must be done as well. Amelia and her husband attend a dinner celebration for two men she openly tells reporters that she greatly admires: Dick Merrill and Jack Lambie, the two pilots who had just flown a round trip between New York and London in a Electra and left it at the Eastern Air Lines Terminal in Miami -- exactly like the one Amelia will be flying around the world.


(Click to enlarge)
Bo McNeely inspects the wheel strut on Earhart's Electra

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY THREE
The date is May 23rd and the time is, 3:50pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart just arrived in
Miami, Florida.

From New Orleans Amelia takes the Electra across the Gulf of Mexico on her way to her last North American stop - Miami, Florida. During this ride Amelia has the opportunity to test her new Western Electric transmitter and finds to her dismay that it is quite limited distance-wise.

The 450 mile flight from New Orleans to Miami over the Gulf of Mexico provided Navigator Fred Noonan the chance to show his talent. Arriving late that afternoon, he was but five miles south. Amelia landed at the Eastern Air Lines 36th Street Airport, then took off and flew north to Miami Municipal Airport.

Amelia's first words to the press waiting for her as she disembarked her plane:
"I certainly smacked it down hard that time."

Actually this was her second mishap. She broke a wheel strut upon landing. Yet, sitting at the Eastern Air Lines Terminal five miles south, is the only Lockheed Electra aircraft near identical to Earhart's in the entire world.


Miami Municipal Airport (top)

Eastern Air Lines (bottom)


Miami Airports 5 miles apart

(Click any image  to enlarge)
Miami Municipal Airport (top) Eastern Air Lines (bottom)
both five miles apart on the map in Miami, Florida

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

DAY TWO
The date is May 22nd and the time is, 4:55pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart just arrived in
New Orleans, Louisiana.

Amelia, Fred and George arise early the next morning. Flying a plane heavy with fuel in the hot desert is dangerous and even makes it more difficult to get the plane off the ground -- Amelia needs an early start to beat the heat and fly to El Paso. Here again she had to change plans, as intense surface winds blow dust storms through Texas and another possible mishap. She bypasses Texas completely and heads straight for New Orleans, Louisiana.


(Click to enlarge)
Shushan Airport in New Orleans Louisiana

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film



DAY ONE
The date is May 21st and the time is, 5:55pm. Only it's 1937 and Amelia Earhart just arrived in Tucson, Arizona.

At 2:25pm

Amelia Earhart left Burbank with her navigator Fred Noonan and her husband George Putnam. She took off from Union Air Terminal and made her first flight adjustment of the journey. Rather than head straight to El Paso, Texas as originally planned, Amelia decides to go only as far as Tucson, Arizona due to the later hour. After three and a half hours in the air, the group lands at Tucson Municipal Airport for the night. It is here that she confronts her first potentially dangerous mishap.


(Click to enlarge)
Tucson Municipal Airport in
Arizona

Taken from the forthcoming book: Last Flight of Amelia Earhart

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

 

MAY 20, 1937

In 1937 Amelia Earhart prepared to leave a second time on her Last Flight. A second photo shoot took place on May 20, 1937 just before she and her navigator Fred Noonan left -- and would disappear near 45 days later.


(Click to enlarge)
Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed 10 Electra

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

This portion of the story is detailed in:

Book Info
-- Click for more info --
 

Amelia Earhart's Last Photo Shoot
-- with Albert Bresnik --
her Photographer

By Nicole Swinford

5.5 x 8.5 Softcover Book
80 Pages - 90 Illustrations
The story of Amelia Earhart's last photo shoot taken from an unseen film of her last days in California -- before she leaves on her Last Flight.
Unpublished Photos from 1920
and the film that goes with it.
ISBN:  978-1891030-94-9

EBook + Film (download)

$10.00

Printed Book + EBook
+
Film
(download)

$20.00

-- Instant Book Buy * --

Now, go watch her last day in California:    Last Film

That's All Until Tomorrow on:

The Last Flight of Amelia Earhart
by Nicole Swinford

The Complete Day-To-Day Saga
from



More books by Nicole Swinford

Nicole Swinford

For more books on Amelia Earhart:

Amelia Earhart


Distributing books published by select publishers and
The Paragon Agency, Publishers
Orange, California

   TM  

All books are sent by US Priority Mail only -- except for local -- with no handling charges.

Home | About Us | Catalog | Contact Us | Authors

-- We use only Secure Sockets Layer Technology --
Copyright © 2021 The Paragon Agency™.  All rights reserved.