Hey readers,
Flipping through channels I found a movie playing “Amelia” based
on an extraordinary woman, Amelia Earhart, who had an extravagant dream to fly
round-the-globe and specifically known for being the first woman aviator to fly
solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared over the Pacific Ocean
with her plane Lockheed Model 10 Electra (funded by Purdue University
where she joined as a visiting faculty) along with her navigator, Fred Noonan,
on a 2nd June 78 years ago while she was living her dream
around-the-world-flight through the longest route ( following equatorial line).
Had she not vanished, she would have completed her flight journey round the
globe and be the first woman to do so. But something went wrong and the flight
along with her and Fred vanished into thin air.
Many thought her dream to fly is the trait of arrogance. Those who knew her said that she was very determined and was somewhat foolhardy. And hence suggesting that it's probably not a big leap to say arrogant. Despite knowing the fact that there might not be a return trip,
she ventured into an unexpected weather with her Electra. Howland Island,
a stop for refuel which if she missed would have no other way to refuel the
tank for another 2000 miles. Howland is a tiny island that was easy to be
missed while flying if not searching thoroughly for it- this is where Fred
Noonan came into the picture. He was hired to navigate the island which he
failed due to the severed communication of the radio navigation. Earhart and
Noonan had a poor understanding of the use of radio navigation, and to keep the
plane as light as possible, some equipments were left behind including Morse
code transmission which were used to communicate with Earhart as their radio
communication was impaired and conveying only one sided message to Itasca. The
frequencies Earhart was using were not well suited to direction finding and the
reception quality of her transmissions was poor. Two-way communication
proved impossible.
After almost eight decades of disappearance of Amelia Earhart,
there are many theories regarding her disappearance and still researchers are
working to know what exactly happened with the fearless pilot. But what I want
to point out is had she waited enough to have knowledge and proper training to
use the equipment that she carried with her or had hired someone expert in such
field, she would not have unloaded the Morse code transmission machine. Also the
Itasca's code message was being sent on 7500 kilocycles (they could not send
voice on 7500), Earhart was tuning her receiver to 3105 to listen on the half
hour. When the Itasca's transmission ended at 23:58 (11:28 for
Earhart as she was following Greenwich Time) she probably didn't even have her
headphones on. Not only was the weather being sent on the wrong frequency but
Earhart had repeatedly asked the Coast Guard to report in English, not code,
especially while she was flying. Plus there are theories saying that she
had wrong information regarding the adverse weather which might have resulted
in using more fuel than intended to and the tank would have been empty before
the expected time.
Amelia disappeared on her 2nd attempt to fly around the world.
Had she taken more precaution to understand the
technology and work out the communication with radio transmitters of different
places who were helping her navigate the places to refuel and stay on her route
of journey, we might have had a successful story and world would have seen Amelia
live a more full life with her husband as she had intended to after completing
her last flight around the world. But history has already painted her story
into its canvas and though it might bring some respite to the ardent lover of
hers to know what actually happened, there is nothing we can to do avoid such
loss of an ambitious person.
Even though she has vanished for whatever reason, she has been model for many aspiring
women pilots over the decades and also to any ambitious person out there who
has a thirst to fulfill their dreams. She might have been an amateur pilot but
she was fearless, determined, courageous, and fought for her independence to
dream high. And she also had a feminist face which we can quite get a feel about
in the following lines belonging to her: “Please know I am quite aware of
the hazards...I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do
things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge
to others.” -Earhart's letter to her husband George.
So find your way to your dreams friends and hop on its adventure.
Amelia nailed the expression perfectly: “Everyone has oceans to fly, if they
have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?”
Until next time…
Have a quirky wicked day, readers
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