"Earhart's Lockheed Model 10-E"
by David Darbyshire
Amelia Earhart's name became a household word in 1932 when she became the first woman--and second person--to fly solo across the Atlantic, on the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's feat, flying a Lockheed Vega from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Ireland. That year, she received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government, and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Hoover.
In January, 1935, Earhart became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Oakland, California. Later that same year she also soloed from Los Angeles to Mexico City and back to Newark, N.J.
Stimulated by her Hawaii flight, Earhart set herself a new goal, to fly around the world at (or near) the Equator, something never before attempted. Purdue University provided $50,000 toward a fund for aeronautical research and the purchase of Amelia's plane, a Lockheed L-10 Electra, one of the most modern airplanes of its time. In preparation for the world flight, the passenger seats were removed and extra fuel tanks put in their place. With these changes the plane had a fuel capacity of 1204 gallons which gave it a range of 4,500 miles. Amelia referred to her Lockheed 10 Electra as a "flying laboratory" in which she would observe the effects of flying on the human body. The test plane was first flown on 22 July, 1936 and was then presented to Earhart on her 39th birthday. She announced her world trip at a press conference in New York in February, 1937.
Earhart's Electra at Oakland, just prior to start of flight, 17 March,
1937
With the new plane now ready, Amelia decided it was time to go for one of aviation's most difficult challenges: the flight around the world. A team was quickly put together to support Earhart on her flight. Paul Mantz, an experienced pilot, was hired as technical adviser. Captain Harry Manning and Commander Fred J. Noonan were selected as navigators. Clarence Williams prepared the maps and charts for the flight. It was decided to fly from east to west, so on March 17th, 1937, the Electra took off from Oakland, California heading for Hawaii (all but one member of the accompanying press corps was asleep).
The first leg of the trip went flawlessly and the plane arrived in Honolulu fifteen hours and fifty-two minutes later. The plane refueled and on March 20th it taxied out onto the runway to make the long trip to tiny Howland Island where the U.S. Navy had recently constructed a emergency landing strip. The plane, heavily loaded with fuel, responded sluggishly when Earhart applied the throttle. The plane lurched to the left then swung right. Earhart tried to compensate, but couldn't. The Electra ground looped, the gear collapsed and a wing was torn open. Fortunately, though fuel poured from ruptured tanks across the ground, there was no fire. Manning, Noonan and Earhart suffered no injuries, but the Electra had to be sent back to Lockheed's facility in Burbank for repairs. It took $50,000 and five weeks of work to repair the plane and to reschedule the flight. The cost was donated by a number of private individuals.
It was never clear exactly why the accident happened.
Some blamed a blown tire, while Earhart herself believed that the fuel had
not been distributed evenly throughout all the tanks causing a weight
imbalance.
Because of the delay, Earhart decided to reverse the original course of her
flight by flying from west to east to take advantage of changed weather
patterns and air currents. She also replaced the original navigator
with Fred Noonan. In less than two months the repairs to the plane
were completed and on 1 June, 1937, Earhart and her navigator took off from
Miami on what was to become one of the most famous flights of the 20th
century.
The rest is history...
Lockheed L-10 Electra
Restored Electra painted in Earhart's registration numbers
First flown in February 1934, the L-10 Electra was an all-metal low wing monoplane design with retractable undercarriage and 10-passenger capacity. It first served with Northwest Airlines in 1934, and in time flew with Pan American, Braniff, Continental, Mid-Continent and National in the United States, as well as with non-U.S. operators Trans-Canada, British Airways, Aeroput, LOT, Guinea Airways, and Ansett. One L-10 Electra remained on Australian register in 1999, and two L-12 Electra Juniors (a smaller six-passenger development built from 1936 to a market demand). In all, 148 were built, 101 being L-10As, 18 L-10B, 8 L-10C, 15 L-10E, one each of the US Coast Guard XR20-1 and XR30-1, and experimental pressurised XC-35; and 3 US Army Air Corps C-36s.
