With just two days to go, we discover that Amelia Earhart's Lockheed
Electra -- which is supposed to take off from Oakland to fly east around
the world -- is in Burbank under repair. On the first leg of her first
attempt to fly around the world, Amelia left Oakland on March 17, 1937,
and headed west. Her departure from Hawaii to, yes, Howland Island,
was delayed three days because of problems with a propeller hub's
variable pitch mechanism. These repairs were done at the Navy's Luke
Field on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. When she could finally resume her
flight, a tire blew during take off and the right landing gear
collapsed. The Lockheed sustained significant damage and was shipped
back to the Lockheed facility in Burbank for repairs. Some blame the
damage on pilot error and others on mechanical failure. Whatever the
reason, here it is two days before departure and the Lockheed Electra is
still in Burbank!
"Flying may not be all plain
sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price." - Amelia Earhart
 |
| Amelia's Badly Damaged Lockheed sits on Luke Island |
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