Amelia Earhart (3 page)

It was immediately arranged for Earhart to meet the pilot, Wilmer L. Stultz, and the mechanic, Louis E. Gordon. She got along well with both men and eagerly anticipated the forthcoming adventure. She learned, however, that she was only to be a passenger and that she would not be handling any of the airplane's controls. In the time leading up to the flight, Earhart studied books on navigation and nautical astronomy.

While preparations were being made, Putnam, accompanied by his wife, Dorothy, made several trips to Boston to meet with Earhart. The couple invited her out to dinner, concerts, and social gatherings and introduced her to famous and prominent people.

Byrd's Fokker trimotor seaplane was named
Friendship
, and the crossing was tagged “The Friendship Flight.” With Stultz, Gordon, and Earhart aboard, it lifted off from Boston Harbor near dawn on Sunday morning, June 3, 1928. The first stop was at Trepassey, Newfoundland, to refuel in preparation for the oceanic crossing. On arriving, however, weather conditions took a turn for the worse, and the scheduled takeoff for Europe was delayed for thirteen days.

While detained at Trepassey, Earhart discovered Stultz had a serious drinking problem. Already nervous and cautious because of her father's difficulties with drink, Earhart began to have concerns about Stultz's abilities to pilot the trimotor across the Atlantic.

Back home, Putnam was working overtime sending out press releases to the country's newspapers with the story of the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Photographs of the tall, slim, and attractive Earhart captivated the attention of readers, and she was being referred to by the publicity-minded Putnam as “Lady Lindy.”

On Sunday, June 17, the weather finally broke and was deemed suitable for takeoff. The seaplane lifted off at 11:00 a.m. bound for Europe. Twenty hours and forty minutes later, the plane landed at Burry Port, Wales. The crossing set a record, and Earhart went down in the history books as the first woman to have flown across the Atlantic Ocean. Though she never once assisted in flying the aircraft and was little more than a passenger, her life had been completely altered. Most of the publicity centered on her. From this day on, Amelia Earhart would forevermore be a celebrity.

A
melia Earhart was stunned to discover that, on her arrival in Europe, she was regarded as a celebrity. Disembarking from the
Friendship
with nothing but the clothes she was wearing and a small pack that contained little more than a comb and a toothbrush, she was pulled into a whirlwind of activity. Within the next few days, she would be feted, participate in a parade, meet Lady Nancy Astor and department store magnate H. Gordon Selfridge, sign a book contract, purchase an airplane, and be gifted several trunks filled with fine, expensive clothes. As a result of Putnam's publicity campaign, Earhart had become the center of attention.

Throughout all of the notice and recognition she was receiving, Earhart was constantly trying to point out that all of the credit for the successful flight was due to Stultz and Gordon. The press, however, was interested only in Earhart, and the articles featured extensive portraits of her, often to the complete omission of the pilot and mechanic. Earhart's charm, good looks, and charisma steamrolled the reporters to the point of obsession.

Ten days after landing in Wales, Earhart, Stultz, and Gordon were in Southampton, England, preparing to board the SS
President Roosevelt
for the return trip to New York. Stultz remained drunk throughout most of the cruise and locked himself in his cabin. Earhart attempted to talk with him, but he resisted her efforts. She decided she would never work with Bill Stultz again.

The ship arrived at New York Harbor on July 6. Waiting there to greet the successful Atlantic trio was New York mayor Jimmy Walker in his own yacht. The
Friendship
crew boarded the vessel and was greeted by the mayor, George Palmer Putnam, and assorted dignitaries. Following this was a tickertape parade down Broadway and a series of receptions that lasted well into the next morning. G. P. Putnam appeared to have orchestrated most of the celebrations. In Earhart, he saw the value of her contrived and publicized accomplishment and the attendant fame, all seasoned with a charming and magnetic personality. It is clear that by this time Putnam viewed Earhart from several different perspectives, and one of them was related to the notion that she was highly marketable. Publisher and publicist Putnam had visions of even greater fame for Earhart coupled with more money and prestige.

Putnam arranged a tour for Earhart, Stultz, and Gordon that went from New York to Boston and then on to Chicago. Earhart was prominently displayed before huge audiences, always in the forefront of the pilot and mechanic. When reporters asked questions, they addressed only Earhart. When the tour was completed, Earhart locked herself away for a time to work on the book she would title
20 Hrs. 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship
, the story of her trip across the Atlantic Ocean. When she finally came up for air and examined her accumulated mail, Earhart found she had received dozens of invitations for public appearances and lectures. Putnam kept her name in the newspapers, often accompanied by a photograph of her alongside some dignitary or celebrity.

Another major recognition had been bestowed on Earhart following the transatlantic flight. She was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first woman to receive that honor. The DFC is traditionally awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the armed forces who is distinguished as a result of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. In 1929, Congress passed special legislation that allowed the award to be presented to Orville and Wilbur Wright. Since then, in addition to Amelia Earhart, other civilians who have won that award include Wiley Post, Jacqueline Cochran, Eugene Ely, and Roscoe Turner. By September, Earhart had finished her book and decided it was time to start flying again.

The first thing Earhart did was to make a solo flight cross-country to California in her new airplane, an Avro Avian she had purchased from Lady Heath. It was the first Atlantic-to-Pacific coast flight ever by a woman. While in California, she attended the National Air Races. When she returned to New York on October 16, she went straight to work as a member of the
Cosmopolitan
magazine editorial staff.

On March 29, 1929, Earhart passed the tests for a transport pilot license from the Department of Commerce. She was now certified as a transport pilot, one of only seven women to have earned the ranking.

During the summer of 1929, Earhart was hired by Transcontinental Air Transport to use her celebrity to lobby for the notion that flying was safe for women. TAT, which would evolve into Trans World Airlines, had just opened up air service from New York to Los Angeles and was soliciting customers. On July 7, the first flight lifted off from New York. Earhart was among the passengers. The plane made a fuel stop in Phoenix, where it was greeted by Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne. The Lindberghs flew the rest of the way to Los Angeles in the company of the aviatrix.

Earhart eventually traded in her Avro Avian for a Lockheed Vega. The single-pilot plane boasted a nine-cylinder Pratt and Whitney engine. Earhart entered her aircraft in the first all-female air race at Clover Field in Santa Monica, California. Nineteen of the most well-known women pilots in America were entered. They took off on August 18 bound for Cleveland, Ohio. Earhart came in third.

At Cleveland, a meeting was held for the purpose of establishing an association of licensed women pilots. Invitations had been sent to 120 certified aviatrices, and ninety-nine showed up. Earhart was elected first president of the group, which named itself the Ninety-Nines.

On November 22, 1929, Earhart was in Los Angeles with her Lockheed Vega to attempt a new women's speed record. Her average speed was 184.17 mph. The principal purpose of the trip as designed by George Putnam, however, was to keep her face and activities in the news and in front of the public.

Earhart went on to set three world speed records in her Lockheed Vega on June 25 and July 5, 1930. Around this time, air travel was a young yet growing enterprise, and Earhart found herself in the middle of it. She partnered with Paul Collins and Eugene Vidal to establish a new airline. Collins and Vidal had been involved with the development of Transcontinental Air Transport. Earhart was to be vice president of public relations and was primarily associated with the promotion of an hourly shuttle connecting New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. On September 1, 1930, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington Airways opened for business. In a short time, NYPWA was renamed as the more manageable Ludington Line. Charles and Nicholas Ludington were the primary financial backers for the line. With her executive responsibilities with TAT, the Ludington Line, and her schedule of paid lectures and personal appearances, Earhart was traveling most of every week. She was also becoming one of the most recognizable and prominent women not only in the United States but in the world.

G
eorge Palmer Putnam II remained busy booking appearances for Earhart as well as making certain that her activities and accomplishments were being reported in the nation's major newspapers. In 1930, Putnam's uncle passed away, leaving his interest in G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishing Company to his son, Palmer C. Putnam. George II had been with the company for ten years. For several weeks, Palmer and George discussed the publishing business in general and the future of the family publishing company in particular. In the end, George sold Palmer his interest in the business. Some money exchanged hands. In addition, Palmer presented George with a promissory note for $100,000. George immediately went to work for another New York publishing company—Brewer and Warren.

While Putnam was busy promoting Earhart and spending much of his time with her in Los Angeles, his wife, Dorothy, was in Las Vegas filing for divorce. At the time, many were convinced Putnam had eyes only for Earhart and that it became quite obvious to his wife. The divorce was granted on December 19, 1929. Earhart and Putnam were married on February 7, 1931. She was thirty-three years old; he was forty-three. Many have argued that the marriage for these two intense, career-minded individuals was one of convenience and profit. Others have maintained the position that the two were, in fact, deeply in love and quite devoted to each other. Putnam was an adept manager and coordinator of publicity, both of which were vital to Earhart's expanding career. And for Putnam, Earhart was a valuable commodity, one that had the potential for many years of cash flow from books and personal appearances. It was said that the two made an agreement that if one or the other decided that their individual careers were not progressing as a result of the marriage, they would have it dissolved. Following the wedding, both Earhart and Putnam were so busy with their careers that they had little opportunity for a honeymoon. The newlyweds settled in at Putnam's home in Rye, New York.

Author Vincent Loomis wrote that Earhart's friends were convinced Putnam was not in love with Amelia nor she with him. The arrangement, says Loomis, “was one that cemented their future partnership in aviation. She wanted to fly; he wanted to promote her as the best flyer in the world.” Putnam's greatest skill was as a promoter, and with Earhart he saw a huge payoff. Putnam was also regarded by many as a master manipulator, and in truth he was proved to be such when he assumed responsibility for Earhart's career.

The fact is, despite all of the publicity and exposure, Amelia Earhart was an average pilot, no better or worse than a handful of other female aviatrices during that period. In head-to-head flying competitions, Earhart rarely won and at times placed last. Earhart, however, had several things going for her relative to her climb toward celebrity: she was attractive, she had a sense of style (women began to dress like her), she was an excellent writer, she had poise and charm, she was fearless, and most of all, she was married to an experienced and polished publicist. The public Amelia Earhart, in the end, was a product of marketing and publicity.

Shortly after her marriage, Earhart was introduced to a new kind of aircraft—the autogyro, a forerunner to the helicopter. The manufacturer of the autogyro employed Earhart to demonstrate the new invention. Following a relatively short instruction period, Earhart took off in the autogyro and climbed to 18,415 feet, a record height. Numerous headlines were generated by Putnam and filed across the country and the world relative to this accomplishment. Between May 29 and June 6, 1931, Earhart flew an autogyro from Newark, New Jersey, to Oakland, California, becoming the first woman to do so. Press releases followed.

So busy was Earhart that she was rarely seen with Putnam. Little time passed before she was once again in the nation's headlines, this time with new plans to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in her Lockheed Vega. Prior to the flight, Earhart steeped herself in learning how to pilot via instruments. Heretofore, Earhart flew using only maps and by sophisticated guesswork, the so-called seat-of-the-pants flying technique.

On May 20, 1932, Earhart took off from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland. Thirteen hours and thirty minutes later, she landed at Londonderry in Northern Ireland, the first woman to have flown solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Following her amazing performance was an extended tour of Europe, where she was feted almost daily. She was received by royalty and by the pope. During the tour, she was joined by Putnam. At one point, Earhart and Putnam found themselves in the company of Archbishop Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII, and a priest named James Francis Kelley. Though no one could have known at the time, Father Kelley would reappear thirteen years later to play an important role in Amelia Earhart's life.

When Earhart and her husband returned to New York, she was lauded as the “first lady of the air.” One newspaper proclaimed her the best-known woman in the world. Parades followed, and soon she was inundated with more invitations for public appearances. Life was busy for Amelia Earhart.