A photo of Amy Johnson at Mascot, New South Wales, in May 1930. She was some three weeks shy of her twenty-seventh birthday. As Johnson had flown only about 90 hours, and never solo for more than 200 miles, some called on the Government to stop her attempting the trip. When news of her arrival reached London, King George V (r. 1910-1936) released a statement: “The Queen and I are thankful and delighted to know of Miss Johnson’s safe arrival in Australia and heartily congratulate her upon her wonderful and courageous achievement.” The Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald (in office 1929-35), added his own message: “My heartiest congratulations on your wonderful achievement. We have followed your flight with the keenest interest and admiration. We are very proud of you.”
ONE can only marvel at the remarkable performance of Miss Amy Johnson.* Though she is a qualified ground engineer as well as a pilot,* she had had, up to a fortnight ago, very little experience of cross-country flying.
She made her first solo flight at the beginning of June last year, and took her ‘A’ licence at the end of the same month. Her longest cross-country flight, before she started on her present adventure, was one of 200 miles from London to her home town of Hull. This flight called for very little navigation, as England is well marked with railways, towns, and all the other features which simplify matters for an air navigator. She had, in all, been in the air for less than 90 hours.*
That such a young and inexperienced pilot* should have beaten all records for light aeroplane flights between England and India, and should at one time have looked like reaching Australia in less time than the very experienced and very skilful Bert Hinkler,* is a feat which we should not have believed possible if it had not happened.*
* See Johnson’s timings and comments at Amy Johnson’s Pilot Log Book 1928-1938.
* Spooner noted a week later that she was “the only British woman to hold a ground engineer’s certificate”.
* In his editorial on May 30th, with Johnson safely on the ground, Stanley Spooner (who was not inclined to make any concessions to sex) emphasised that what had impressed him was how little training Johnson seemed to need: the mere reckless daring of some young pilots unnerved him. “It is her ability even more than her courage which awakes our admiration, for, while adventurous pilots are many, those who have the skill to win through are still a minority.”
* Johnson calculated in her log book that she had clocked up another 142 hours and 15 minutes in the air flying from England to Australia.
* Herbert John Louis Hinkler (1892-1933), an Australian pilot who on February 22nd, 1928, became the first person to fly solo from England to Australia. It took him fifteen days.
* Johnson had taken only six days to reach India, but required another thirteen to get to Australia. She could not find the aerodrome at Rangoon, and damaged the plane’s chassis, propeller and wings in a field. An inferior replacement propeller slowed her speeds and guzzled gas as she battled through monsoon rains to Tjomal, Java, where a fuel leak forced her to land. She mended the wings, torn by bamboo poles, with sticky tape and limped to Sourabaya, Java, losing two days there to repairs. At Halilulik near Atambua on Timor Island she made another unscheduled landing; even the intrepid Amy was frightened when locals appeared brandishing spears and swords, but they welcomed her warmly and put her up for the night at the parish church.
Précis
On May 24th, 1930, Yorkshire’s Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. A series of mishaps prevented her from breaking Bert Tinkler’s record, but aviation journalist Stanley Spooner was deeply impressed that a pilot with only two weeks of solo experience, and barely 90 hours’ total flying time, should even finish the course. (57 / 60 words)
