FINAL FLIGHT

When reporters asked Amelia Earhart why she wanted to fly around the world, she said, “It just seems that I must try this flight. With it behind me life will be fuller and richer.” It would not be the first around-the-world flight. American aviator Wiley Post accomplished that in 1933. He had flown nearly 16,000 miles around the world. But at 29,000 miles, Earhart’s flight would be longer.

In 1935, Earhart had accepted a job as a visiting lecturer at Purdue University. She advised women students on careers, and she lectured on aviation topics. When she decided that she wanted to attempt an around-the-world flight, Purdue helped raise the money to buy a $50,000,