East Riding MuseumsEvents
England-Australia solo flight
Historical
1930
Amy Johnson's nineteen and a half day flight from Croydon, England to Darwin, Australia (5th-24th May 1930) is one of the epic stories of early aviation. Though she narrowly failed to break Burt Hinkler's record time of 15 and a half days (due to a crash landing near Rangoon), Amy was the first woman to fly solo to Australia and became an inspiration for a generation of women who wanted lives and careers outside the accepted norms of the day. Her achievement is all the more impressive given that her longest previous flight had been from London to Hull and she had little flying experience with the aircraft she used for this 10,000 mile venture - a Gipsy moth, registration GAAAH, nicknamed "Jason", open topped and capable of only 80mph. Initially dismissive of the attempt, the media latched onto Amy as her progress grew and by the end, a star was in the making. A handful of people watched her departure from England, whilst it is estimated that one million lined the streets for her return. Financial and other rewards awaited her - a CBE, a cheque for £10,000 from the Daily Mail and a car amongst other things, but fame was to be more enduring than those.
1930
Amy Johnson's nineteen and a half day flight from Croydon, England to Darwin, Australia (5th-24th May 1930) is one of the epic stories of early aviation. Though she narrowly failed to break Burt Hinkler's record time of 15 and a half days (due to a crash landing near Rangoon), Amy was the first woman to fly solo to Australia and became an inspiration for a generation of women who wanted lives and careers outside the accepted norms of the day. Her achievement is all the more impressive given that her longest previous flight had been from London to Hull and she had little flying experience with the aircraft she used for this 10,000 mile venture - a Gipsy moth, registration GAAAH, nicknamed "Jason", open topped and capable of only 80mph. Initially dismissive of the attempt, the media latched onto Amy as her progress grew and by the end, a star was in the making. A handful of people watched her departure from England, whilst it is estimated that one million lined the streets for her return. Financial and other rewards awaited her - a CBE, a cheque for £10,000 from the Daily Mail and a car amongst other things, but fame was to be more enduring than those.