Amy Johnson, Hull’s Aviator
Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia.
This is a distance of over 10,000 miles during a time when aeroplanes are made of wood and canvas.
Her connections to Hull and Bridlington are well known.
Amy was born in Hull on 1st July 1903 in St George’s Road, Hull.
She later attended Hull Boulevard Secondary School, where Amy excells at sports.
A bright student, Amy studied for an Economics degree at Sheffield University from 1922 to 1925.
Following employment as a typist and secretary at a firm of solicitors, she attended Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware in 1928.
She had her first flying lesson in the same year.
Gaining her pilot’s licence in July 1929, and in December that year, Amy also gained her Ground Engineer’s licence, the first woman to hold it.
The following year, in a DH60 Gypsy Moth biplane, she set off from Croydon to Australia, taking 19.5 days to do so.
She christened her aircraft Jason, one of several of her aircraft to bear the name.
Amy’s aviation career included an attempted flight to China (which was curtailed due to bad weather); a flight to Japan; and a flight to Cape Town, South Africa.
Amy didn’t take ‘the easy route’: she negotiated the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert, and long stretches of jungle during the 6,700 mile flight.
She completed this feat in just over four days, beating the existing record by some margin.
Amy married Jim Mollison, also a pilot: it was a tumultuous union, and ends in divorce in 1938.
During their marriage, Amy and Jim flew together, including a transatlantic flight after which they met President Roosevelt in 1933.
By the outbreak of World War Two, Amy has a selection of jobs before joining the Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying aircraft from factories to aircraft bases.
In 1941, on a flight which started near Blackpool, aiming for Kidlington in Oxfordshire.
Sadly, Amy’s aircraft came down and she died, although her remains were never found.
Spool forward to 1958, and her father donated a collection of trophies and personal effects to Sewerby Hall, Bridlington.
The Sewerby Hall collection includes Amy’s flying log book, and other items.