1930: Amy Johnson

Posted By on Apr 26, 2011 |

Queen of the Skies

Born in England, Amy Johnson was one of the most courageous pilots of her time. She set many records, including being the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, in 1930.

Amy set many other records, both by herself and with her aviator husband Jim Mollison.

Here is some movie footage about Amy…

Amy Johnson and her Gypsy Moth aircraft
Amy Johnson and her Gypsy Moth aircraft, in India, 1930. She called her plane “Jason”.

This map shows her 1930 England-Australia flight. Each yellow dot is a landing for fuel.


(This map and heaps more about Amy can be found at the UK Science Museum website)

Amy Johnson

  • 1929: Pilot’s licence
  • 1929: Ground Engineer licence
    (first woman in UK)
  • 1930: England to Australia
    (first woman, solo)
  • 1931: London to Moscow(first in 1 day)
  • 1931: England to Japan(record)
  • 1932: London to Capetown, South Africa (solo record)
  • 1934: England to India (record, with JM)
  • 1936: England to South Africa (solo record)
  • 1939-41: Air Transport Command pilot incomplete

References

Amy Johnson (Wikipedia)
Amy Johnson (ninety-nines)
Amy Johnson (Science Museum)
YouTube

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Author: Roger Codger

Roger has plenty of stories to tell about the aviators of years gone by, and the golden age of aviation when anything was possible. We love hearing him talk about the heroes of the past, some famous and others not so -- courageous pioneers who made aviation what it is today.

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