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BIG DREAMSIn 1903, the year I was born, the Wright Brothers flew the first powered fixed-wing aeroplane. Up until then, people had flown in balloons and airships.My family lived in Hull, England. I was the oldest of four sisters, and I had a happy childhood.I was working as a secretary in London when one Sunday I decided to take a bus to the Stag Lane Aerodrome. The notice said ‘Private,’ but I walked in. The members were surprised to see a woman, and even more so when I applied to join. But as soon as my lessons started, I knew I had found what I wanted to do.My first instructor told me that I would never become a pilot. But I remained optimistic and persevered. And although it took me twice as long as most of the trainees, in July 1929, I gained a private pilot’s licence. Then I became the first woman to get an engineer’s licence.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fe8493b1e120a47f8b47ae6fe4ff76ef4" alt="" style="width: 362.614px; height: 304px;">Engineering and flying were not seen as ‘ladylike’. But my father listened to my ideas. He and Lord Wakefield, an oil&nbsp;magnate, supported me in buying my first plane:&nbsp;Jason,&nbsp;a second-hand Gipsy Moth 60G with 100 horsepower.SETTING RECORDSIn May 1930, I set out on a solo flight to Australia. Many people warned me of the dangers, reminding me that I had only 75 hours of flying experience.I took off in a cramped, open cockpit with only some basic maps. I often flew for up to 22 hours a day, and after 19 days, I finally arrived in Darwin, Australia, on 24 May 1930. I had covered 11,000 miles, in all conditions: through&nbsp;monsoon&nbsp;rains and biting cold winds, even surviving a forced landing in a sandstorm. My route had tracked British colonial outposts in India and Singapore, where people were amazed to see a plane, and more so, a female pilot.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F38a38f5cb09a442c971b4c6f0fd27ac4" alt="" style="width: 399px; height: 310.394px;">Over the following weeks, I was treated like a superstar. Fan mail poured in, women asked their hairdressers to do their hair like mine, and at least ten songs were written about me. I was also awarded a&nbsp;CBE&nbsp;– the Commander of the Order of the British Empire!Having developed a taste for breaking records, in July 1931, my old engineering instructor Jack Humphreys and I set off on another adventure in a Puss Moth named ‘Jason II’. We became the first people to fly from London to Moscow in one day, completing the 1,760-mile journey in just 21 hours. From there, we continued across Siberia and on to Tokyo, setting a record time of 10 days to fly from Britain to Japan.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Ff2c7084cd64244ab95c7d664da6d37d3" alt="" style="width: 407.612px; height: 295px;"> Back home, I met Jim Mollison, another record-breaking aviator. We got married in July 1932 and we were known as the ‘Flying Sweethearts’.Jim and I flew together non-stop from South Wales to the USA, but we ran out of fuel before we could land. We were lucky to survive.We were given a&nbsp;ticker-tape parade in New York City, and we met President Franklin Roosevelt. It was quite an honour.FINAL FLIGHTSAlthough Jim and I achieved a lot together, we ended our six-year marriage in 1938. Then, with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, I knew I needed to rethink my public role: my country needed me.I became a first officer in the RAF, often flying in dangerous weather conditions. In January 1941, I was given a routine assignment flying from Blackpool to Oxford, which was no distance compared to my records. The Airspeed plane I was flying ran into trouble and I came down in the Thames Estuary.It was to be my last flight.Many celebrated my achievements. My goals were as high as the clouds I flew through, but I was determined to achieve them.&nbsp;GLOSSARYFixed-wing aeroplane – a kind of aircraft that has wings that use airspeed to create lift.Magnate&nbsp;– a wealthy and influential businessperson.Monsoon&nbsp;– seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and SE Asia, blowing from the south-west between May and September and bringing rain (wet monsoon), or from the north-east between October and April (dry monsoon).Ticker-tape parade&nbsp;– a parade or celebratory event in which ticker tape (paper strips from a telegraphic tape machine) is thrown from windows.LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Women were encouraged by Amy Johnson, putting pressure on flight clubs to let them become members. Many went on to become aviators during the 1930s and 1940s.</li><li>In recognition of her dedication and duty transporting aircraft during the Second World War, Amy Johnson was made First Officer by the Royal Air Force.</li><li>Her ‘Gipsy Moth’ aircraft is on display in the Science Museum in London, England.</li><li>Amy Johnson showed the world that women could be pilots just like men.</li><li>Amy Johnson became the first British woman to receive an aircraft ground engineer’s licence.</li><li>Amy Johnson never forgot her birthplace of Hull. With gold given to her by the children of Sydney, she purchased a gold cup, which she gave to the City of Hull. The Amy Johnson Cup for Courage is still awarded annually to recognise an act of bravery by a child in Hull.</li></ul><ul></ul><div style="text-align: center;">IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITS</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Amy Johnson repairing her plane, 1929</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Amy Johnson with her Gypsy Moth, "Jason"</div></div><div>Crowds greeting Amy Johnson in Melbourne</div><div>Thanks to Amy Johnson Arts Trust for use of images. These are reproduced from&nbsp;<a href="http://amyjohnsonartstrust.co.uk/product/amy-johnson-a-life-in-pictures/" target="_blank">Amy Johnson, A Life in Pictures</a>&nbsp;by Paul Gibson</div>

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