AMELIA EARHART FIRST WOMAN TO FLY CROSS THE ATLANTIC HISTORIC AND UNIQUE ARCHIVE. After Charles

AMELIA EARHART FIRST WOMAN TO FLY CROSS THE ATLANTIC HISTORIC AND UNIQUE ARCHIVE.
After Charles Lindbergh's solo flight in 1927, a wealthy American woman named Amy Phipps Guest (1873 - 1959) decided she wanted to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. After her family objected, Guest asked aviator Richard Byrd and publisher George Putnam (who later would become Earhart's manager and husband) to find the "right sort of girl for the trip". There are many reasons Guest selected Amelia Earhart. One is she greatly resembled Charles Lindbergh, had a wholesome "all American" personality and of course she was an accomplished pilot who owned two airplanes and had logged over 500 hours in the air. Although Earhart had little or no time at the controls during the flight, she even stated that she felt like "a sack of potatoes". Nonetheless, reporters were only interested in her story and not Wilmer Stoltz or Lou "Slim" Gordon who actually piloted the plane. Earhart would have reception back in America with a ticker tape parade in New York City and a reception at the White House by President Calvin Coolidge. The "Friendship Flight" from June 17 - June 29, 1928 from New Foundland to South Wales across the Atlantic brought Amelia international attention and she became one of the most famous aviators in the world. Amelia, would however, be the first woman to ever pilot a plane across the Atlantic, flying solo in a record time of 13 hours and 13 minutes. This historic flight took place May 20 - 21, 1932. Aviation at this time was quite hazardous. At least 7 people died attempting what Lindbergh and Earhart had done in 1927 alone. Earhart's many awards and accolades continued throughout her life in aviation until her death where she was lost at sea in 1937. Wilmer Stultz, the pilot of the Friendship Flight and among the most famous aviators of his day, died the following year at the age of 30 in a flying incident. There was a tremendous amount of intrigue and suspense in who would become the first woman to cross the Atlantic. Several teams were started and several died. Amy Phipps Guest financed Wilmer Stultz along with Arctic Explorer Richard Byrd and publisher George Putnam to be the team. A series of telegrams in this archive show that not only Earhart and Stultz were attempting to leave New Foundland, but also a rival; Mabel Boll who had offered a pilot $100,000 Francs to pilot her across the Atlantic from Paris. According to the telegrams between Stultz and his wife, Stultz wife mentions Mabel and the foggy weather at Old Orchard Beach a week prior to the flight, and on day before flight "Mabel can't beat you". This was indeed a race to be the first; that little is known. This archive includes 105 telegrams from mostly June 3 - June 20, 1928. The pre-flight telegrams mostly concern weather conditions prior to flight as transmitted by Stultz and his wife and whereabouts of Mabel Boll. At 8:30pm June 16, Stultz telegrams his wife "Looks like we may get off in the morning. Hope so anyway." The next 2 pages in album show the only manuscript notes and state as follows "June 17 Q.S.T. Radio from Friendship to Mrs. W. Stultz: "Passed through banks of snow and fog. Everything going fine now, Wilmer." A second radio message from Friendship: "Everything going fine. No signature". The next telegram sent from London to Wilmer's wife..."LANDED HERE OKAY AFTER TWENTY HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES". Amelia Earhart's book which mimics this telegram 20 Hours, 40 Minutes, Our Flight in the Friendship. The American Girl, First Across the Atlantic by Air, Tells Her Story. This book was published soon after this telegram and by the fall of 1928 Amelia had become the aviation editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine and was touring and lecturing. This fabulous archive through a series of personal telegrams to Amelia's pilot Wilmer Stultz details this iconic American achievement. These telegrams and two original pilots licenses for Wilmer Stultz are both signed by Orville Wright and are quite rare and are included. A souvenir booklet published by his hometown July 18, 1928 Williamsburg, PA accompanies this archive. Among the numerous telegrams are many notables congratulating Stultz and Earhart on their historic flight. Researching many who sent telegrams would no doubt make an interesting story. CONDITION: Scrapbook of telegrams is very good overall. Telegrams are all laid onto individual pages. Licenses both have small creases but text is discernable including signatures of Orville Wright. The 1925 license has a date stamped over 1924. 1927 license has two blind stamps over signatures on either side, where earlier license has a single authoritative stamp. Souvenir booklet is excellent. 49131-1