Amelia Earhart's Reckless Final Flights

Summary

On the way from Burbank to Miami, Earhart made a refuelling stop in Tucson. But one of her plane’s engines caught fire, which occasioned an unplanned overnight stay (and the purchase of a new fire extinguisher). The next day, she dodged a sandstorm in El Paso and arrived in New Orleans, where she reconnected with the pilot Edna Gardner, who ran the New Orleans Air College. That night, Gardner, Earhart, Putnam, and Noonan went out to dinner. Gardner, never a fan of Putnam, found herself cringing throughout the evening. “He was so domineering and so pushy,” she later said. Earhart mentioned something about the plane’s radio, and Putnam snapped, “You had a chance to change. It’s too late now.” When Earhart looked downcast, he said, “Stop your snivelling!” Gardner subsequently recalled, “I wondered if she wouldn’t relish being off and away on the greatest adventure of her life.” She also said, “We all loved her and disliked seeing what he was doing to her.”At the same time, Gardner worried that continuing the flight was dangerous. She calculated that, without better preparation and equipment, Earhart had slim odds of survival.After a night in New Orleans, the Electra headed to Miami. Noonan guided them into the municipal airport, but Earhart’s landing was rough and bumpy, and it was witnessed by Jane Wood, a Miami Herald reporter. Wood gasped, but Earhart climbed out of the cockpit laughing. “I certainly smacked it down hard that time,” she joked, dusting herself off.Earhart confirmed to Wood that she was going to try again to circumnavigate the Earth, though she didn’t specify when. “Just what of scientific value do you expect to get out of your trip?” Wood asked.“Not much,” Earhart said. “I am going for the trip. I am going for fun. Can you think of any better reason?”Earhart was more candid with Allen, of the Herald Tribune. “I’m getting old and want to make way for the younger generation before I’m feeble,” she said. “I have a feeling that there is just one more goo...