Amelia Rose Earhart shares more than a name with the most famous, and doomed female aviator of all time: she also shares the same passion for flying as her counterpart. On 14 June, Earhart will begin a transcontinental which she plans to share with the world via social media.
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According to Mashable, Earhart is no direct descendant (her family were neighbours in the 1900s) and won’t be repeating the fatal flight. No sir, Earhart is going to Facebook and tweet every step of the 100-hour plus journey that spans 14 stops during its 14 day trip. Viewers will also be able to check out multiple angles of the flight, as the plane will be outfitted with live-tracking cameras.
The plane, a Pilatus PC-12 NG, has been crammed with the latest gadgets for social media loving, care of Honeywell Aerospace. During the flight, Earhart and her second in command, Patrick Carter, will broadcast Facebook chats as the flight happens and tweet events of significance. When this Earhart finishes her journey, she’ll become the youngest woman to ever fly across the globe.
“I want people to really engage with this flight, feel what it’s like to get that little itch of spark and passion,” said Earhart. Despite the emphasis on technology, it’ll still be a rough journey. When you’re stuck in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of kilometres from any country, a cheeky Facebook like isn’t going to save an engine if it stutters and fails.
The original Earhart made her flight almost eighty years ago in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. She went missing during the trip, was never found and the rest is history.
Times change, aviation advances but the wonder of flight and the journey of self-discovery over the still waters of the Atlantic ocean remains the same.
Image: Mashable
