But Wait A Second Amelia

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 Electra 10E on Ford Island