![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/AE-Vega-Solo-HI-CA-flt-SmithsonianInstitution.jpg\")
Shortly after 4:00 P.M., Amelia, wearing a brown flying suit she\nhad designed, arrived at the Wheeler Field hangar with sandwiches, boiled eggs,\ntomato juice, hot cocoa, chocolate, and water for her flight. Paul continued to\nsupervise. A.E. donned a life vest. She climbed into the Vega\u2019s now small\ncockpit. After a few wise words of advice, Paul stepped back from the shiny,\nred monoplane. Amelia started up the engine which sprang to life. She checked\nher panel instruments and movable surfaces. After her \u201cthumbs-up,\u201d the wheel\nchocks were quickly removed. She carefully taxied out of the hangar. The grass\nbeyond the apron was still very wet and soggy. Amelia applied additional power\nto her very heavy plane. Wet mud and grass clogged the airplane tailskid. Mantz\nmotioned to Amelia to level off and quickly head into the wind to avoid getting\nbogged down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amelia nodded, signaling she understood. She taxied into position\non the runway without further complications. Once ready for take-off, intrepid\nAmelia pushed the throttle forward. Under the 6,500 pound load, her Vega slowly\nlifted off the runway. Without the media hype of her earlier record-setting\nattempts, few knew of this dangerous flight from Wheeler field to Oakland,\nCalifornia yet. Once airborne, her bright red plane quickly faded into the\novercast, gray sky toward Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as she had done with her solo Atlantic Ocean flight, she would use her\ncompass to navigate. Using the term \u201cdead reckoning\u201d sounds so ominous.\nHowever, in those relatively early years of aviation, the process of\ncalculating one’s position, especially at sea, by estimating the direction and\ndistance traveled rather than by using landmarks, astronomical observations, or\nelectronic navigation methods was the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earhart monitored her instruments religiously. Every half hour, she\ntransmitted position reports with her radio transmitter. By now, thanks to her\nhusband, George Putnam, a public relations guru, word had \u201cleaked\u201d out about\nthe brave Amelia and her very dangerous flight. The world tuned in. Those with\nshort wave radio sets in Hawaii heard her calm, feminine voice reporting from\nthe sky. \u201cThis is KHABQ. Everything is OK.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honolulu\u2019s KGU radio station broadcast her messages to listeners. Remember,\nno other pilot had successfully flown from the remote Hawaiian Islands across\nthe Pacific Ocean to the mainland of the United States. This was literally\nuncharted sky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With each passing half-hour report, more and more of the world tuned in to\nfollow the flight of the brave thirty-eight year old aviatrix. Amelia flew at\n8,000 feet most of the 2,000+ nautical mile flight. Amelia flew over several steamers\nwhich all quickly reported the sighting. She even circled over one to confirm that\nship\u2019s location on her very carefully charted route. Her navigation was right\non the mark. She was happy for the occasional cloud to keep her alert during\nthe long, long hours of boredom and sameness of ocean and sky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, after two false sightings of the West Coast through occasional fog banks, there it was. She saw land in front of her. A mix of joy and relief filled her entire body. She was so gleeful and ready to complete her record-setting feat. Amelia\u2019s trusty Vega, navigation skills, and careful planning brought her safely to the Oakland Airport. After 18+ hours of her epic flight and more than thirty-six radio reports during the very dangerous journey, Amelia Earhart became the first person in the world to accomplish the first solo, non-stop flight from the isolated Pacific Hawaiian islands connecting them to the United States mainland by air. Of course, there was no comparison between the small send-off crowd of mostly friends, mechanics, and U.S. Army personnel at Wheeler Field to the tumultuous reception for the woman who showed the world a new picture of female strength and skill when she landed at Oakland airport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/101-purple-letters-front-cover-edit.jpg\")