Today in history: Female aviator, Amy Johnson lands in Cape Town
Johnson's final record-breaking flight was to South Africa in 1936.
On 18 November 1932, female aviator Amy Johnson arrived in Cape Town on another solo flight, beating her own previous record by over ten hours.
In 1929, Amy obtained her pilot’s licence from the London Aeroplane Club.
After purchasing a second-hand aircraft, she made history by becoming the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia.
She and her co-pilot became the first aviators to fly from London to Moscow in one day and also succeeded in setting a record for flying from England to Japan.
After breaking a number of solo and duo records, Johnson and her aviator husband, Jim Mollison, flew non-stop from Wales to the United States.
The aircraft ran out of fuel and crash-landed in Connecticut, injuring both of them. However, after recovering from the crash, they achieved a record flight from Britain to India.
Johnson’s final record-breaking flight was to South Africa in 1936. Later, while on flight to Oxford, she was caught in a bad storm and after steering off course, escaped from the aircraft and landed in the Thames Estuary.
She drowned as a result of a failed rescue attempt and her body was never recovered.
The events leading to Johnson’s death are still a mystery, however she made a great contribution to the field of aviation.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
