On this day in aviation history, 93 years ago (August 24, 1932), famed aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to complete a non-stop transcontinental flight across the United States. This achievement came just three months after her historic solo Atlantic crossing, which made her the first woman—and the second pilot after Charles Lindbergh—to fly solo across the Atlantic. Earhart departed from Los Angeles on the afternoon of August 24, setting a course for Newark Airport in her Lockheed Vega 5B.
Earhart had attempted the transcontinental flight once before, on July 13, 1932, but her journey was cut short due to a faulty fuel pump. Even so, she managed to set a record for her partial flight. After repairing the fuel pump, she pressed on to complete the crossing, finishing in 19 hours, 15 minutes, and 35 seconds, surpassing the previous record held by pilot Ruth Nichols by more than 10 hours. On her second attempt, Earhart would finally succeed in her goal.
She arrived in Newark, New Jersey, on August 25, 1932, greeted by a crowd of 150 enthusiastic aviation fans. Though modest in number, the United Press reported that “they made up for in enthusiasm what they lacked in numbers.” When Amelia landed, the crowd rushed past the police barriers to surround her plane, celebrating the historic achievement. She had completed the 2,477-mile journey in 19 hours and 5 minutes, maintaining an average airspeed of 128 mph at 10,000 feet. Reflecting on the flight, Earhart noted, “It was a beautiful trip. If I had the weather I had on my first attempt, I would have broken the (speed) record.” Later that same year, she would indeed break the record, completing a solo transcontinental flight in just 17 hours and 7 minutes.
