Her parents named her “Amelia Earhart” so no one would forget her name. And if she succeeds in her attempt to circumnavigate the globe this month, no one ever will.
A Colorado woman named Amelia Rose Earhart is flying across the globe to honor her famous namesake and to complete the journey which ended in the original Earhart’s disappearance. After landing in Tanzania on Wednesday, Earhart, 31, is well on her way to becoming the youngest woman to fly a single-engine plane around the world.
Amelia Rose Earhart shares no blood relation to Amelia Mary Earhart, the aviator who disappeared 77 years ago. But she does share her namesake’s passion for adventure and aviation, first learning to fly over ten years ago.
Since high school, Earhart has dreamed of embarking on this historic trip, which, when completed, will include 17 stops around the globe and span approximately 24,300 nautical miles. She is accompanied on her trip by her friend and co-pilot, Shane Jordan.
A wonderful landing in Sao Tome! I think the headset looks good with the flowers! @BoseAviation @bose #flywithamelia pic.twitter.com/qsMPy1dKBL
— Amelia Earhart (@Amelia__Earhart) July 1, 2014
Earhart has been posting updates and pictures of her trip on her Facebook and Twitter page, taking advantage of social media outlets that didn’t exist when the original Earhart took off. A map tracking her progress can also be viewed on her website.
“Our first ever view of the Indian Ocean and the pink sunrise is pouring over the horizon. So thankful,” she tweeted Thursday.
An especially poignant tweet came on Wednesday, the anniversary of the original Earhart’s disappearance.
On this day in 1937 Amelia Earhart went missing. Her spirit of adventure lives on in many women around the world. #fl http://t.co/Ug783RX0wl
— Amelia Earhart (@Amelia__Earhart) July 2, 2014
To further honor the legacy of her namesake, Earhart will award flight-training scholarships to young women around the country during her trip. The scholarships will be awarded through the Fly with Amelia Earhart Foundation, a non-profit the younger Earhart founded to help women take to the skies.
Earhart is scheduled to complete her journey on July 12, about two weeks after she departed.
