20 Minutes and 40 Miles

Amelia Earhart was a global legend in the 1920s and 1930s. She died in mysterious circumstances flying over the Pacific and at least 4 groups of people are still looking for her.

Chris’s talk will give some context to her life outside of flying and her connections with the UK, as well as being a style icon and women’s emancipation and humanitarian champion.

If you are interested in attending the please RSVP to Chris.denchfield@ntlworld.com

The talk will be free but if you would like to you can make a donation to our local Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance service https://aakss.org.uk

Talk Synopsis

Chris had realised that if he could use a state-of-the art flight simulator, of the sort used in aircraft crash investigations, to determine the veracity of the navigation, fuel loading and usage, as well as the weather systems, especially if all of this was calibrated with her documented radio calls, then results could be obtained very swiftly and easily for multiple scenarios.

He will be able to give a very brief summary of her Atlantic crossings to Wales and Ireland. Her first trip to Europe is marked by a stone monument and the buoy to which the seaplane was moored.

During the talk, Chris will highlight the social care and nursing work, which Amelia undertook during the First World War. He will mention that when in London, she took the time out of her busy schedule to lend support and visit Toynbee Hall - a settlement home for children in difficult circumstances. This resource continues today.

Of local interest was that Jean Batten, the ‘Garbo of the Skies’ and whom Amelia really wanted to meet, and who sadly also died in mysterious circumstances, had left behind her record-breaking aircraft that was kept in flying condition and visited Redhill airfield, where Chris was invited to examine it closely.

We will see the careful calculations, calibrations and diagrams that Chris used to confirm that Amelia’s planning was good and that her navigation, piloting skills and the aircraft would have got her to her destinations and in particular maybe only 20 minutes and 40 miles away from safety.

Please come along to hear about Amelia’s story and support the local Air Ambulance Service.