We're always looking for fun, interesting and esoteric ways of celebrating aviation. Today, I
had the
idea of looking at this date in aviation history, and combining that with some of our latest
Academy of
Aviation social media posts.
Amy Johnson: English Pilot
On June 3, 1930, the British Empire granted Miss Amy Johnson as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her historic flight to Australia. With this flight, she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, flying a G-AAAH Jason. Johnson's life was thrilling but short, as wartime and early aviation was always dangerous and never predictable.
The original ‘Jason’ in the Science Museum’s Flight Hall, London. (image: Alan Wilson via Wikimedia)
Amy Johnson obtained the funds for her first aircraft from her father, who would always be one of her strongest supporters, and Lord Wakefield. She purchased a secondhand de Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth G-AAAH and named it Jason after her father's business trademark.
Amy Johnson achieved worldwide recognition when, in 1930, she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Flying G-AAAH Jason, she left Croydon Airport, Surrey, on 5 May and landed at Darwin, Northern Territory on 24 May 11,000 miles (18,000 km). Six days later she damaged her aircraft while landing downwind at Brisbane airport and flew to Sydney with Captain Frank Follett while her plane was repaired.
Read more at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Further reading from www.ninety-nines.org.
Read about the De Havilland DH60G Gipsy Moth
More photos and a description of Amy's personal airplane.
AOA's Pilots
As we've said in other blog posts, we are extremely proud of all of our students, CFIs and alumni. We are also glad that a good number of them, past and present, are women. Check out some of our Instagram posts featuring some of the women that keep our dream of flight alive!
