Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson (18 July 1903 – 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English aviator and author. Like many women of her generation, she enjoyed pushing the boundaries of her gender, beginning her aviation career in 1929 when she became the first female aviator to make a solo flight from London to Australia. Throughout the 1930s she broke numerous aviation records, receiving international recognition for her bravery and daring.

Before becoming an aviator, Johnson had worked as a secretary and studied economics at the University of Sheffield. She obtained her pilot's licence at the London Aeroplane Club in 1929, and soon set her sights on making a solo flight to Australia. Johnson made the 17,000-mile journey in a single engine De Havilland Gypsy Moth airplane, completing the task in 19 days with only five stops for fuel and maintenance. She achieved international fame for this feat, and was named “Queen of the Air” by the French press and awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire).

In 1932, Johnson was awarded the Harmon Trophy – an international award given for aviation achievement - and she continued to break aviation records. She became the first person to fly from London to Moscow, and set a record for a round the world flight in a light plane. She also made a number of overnight flights to Cape Town, South Africa. In 1936, she was the first woman to make a solo flight to India.

Johnson’s passion for aviation was keenly demonstrated in her writing. In 1936, she published her first book, Quest for a Horizon, in which she recounted her experiences as an aviator. She followed this with other works, such as The Wings of Pegasus (1938), which focused on her experience in making four international flights and The Cloud and the Flame (1940), which told the story of her round the world flight. Both documents received critical acclaim.

Tragically, Johnson’s life was cut short when she went missing at the age of 37 during a flight across the English Channel. Her plane - a De Havilland Dragon Rapide- was lost, and despite a large air and sea search, she was never seen again. Her body was never recovered, but her memory persisted, and she was immortalised with a blue plaque at the Mayfair Hotel in London, where she had stayed before making her solo flight to Australia.

Amy Johnson remains an inspiring figure in history, and her influence on women’s aviation is still evident today. Her legacy lives on in her published works, which provide an insight into the experiences of a female pilot in the 1930s, when aviation was in its infancy. Her courage and daring continue to inspire, and her story serves as an important reminder of how far we have come in terms of gender equality.