On this day in aviation history, 91 years ago (January 12, 1935), noted woman aviator Amelia Earhart became the first pilot to make a successful solo flight from Hawaii to the United States Mainland. The historic flight departed from Wheeler Field, on the island of Oahu, at 4:40 p.m. Earhart was flying her Lockheed Vega 5C Special NR965Y on this journey, which was destined for Oakland Municipal Airport in California. After 18 hours and 15 minutes of flying, Earhart arrived at Oakland Municipal, and the first solo crossing from Hawaii to the US had been made. Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega 5C was serial number 171. The aircraft’s construction was completed in March 1931. Earhart’s NX965Y flew under red and silver trimmed livery. Vega 5C s/n 171 was originally built for John Henry Mears, who ended up not taking delivery of the aircraft. The Vega was instead sold to Elinor Smith, and then sold twice more after that before Amelia Earhart acquired the aircraft in December of 1934.
Lockheed’s Vega 5C was powered by a 450-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1340C Wasp 9-cylinder radial engine. The 5C had one pilot and room for 6 passengers. A fuel capacity of 160 gallons gave the Vega 5C ample range for missions such as those Amelia Earhart flew frequently. Vega 5Cs would cruise at 165 mph, and could attain a maximum airspeed of 185. The Vega 5C had a range of 630 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 19,000 feet. When Amelia Earhart arrived at Oakland Municipal Airport, a crowd of approximately 10,000 people was on hand to celebrate her arrival. She managed to surprise the entire gathering of spectators by making a straight-in approach to land, rather than flying overhead as they all expected. Earhart made a smooth landing at 1:31 p.m. Pacific Time, adding another notch in her belt of aviation milestones.
