Amelia Earhart

Much experimentation in aeronautical design was occurring at this time. Earhart showed great interest in such work and became involved in testing several new planes. In this photograph she poses in an autogiro, an airplane with a conventional fuselage and four large rotor blades mounted above it. Although it was slow and awkward to handle, the plane had the advantage of being able to take off and land in a relatively short distance. Many admired the autogiro, including Thomas Edison, and Earhart became friends with its American manufacturer, Harold Pitcairn. In 1931 Earhart set an altitude record in the autogiro and later became the first person to pilot it across the country and back. That said, the plane was only slightly faster than a car on the open road; furthermore, it was more accident-prone that other airplanes. Earhart liked the autogiro but ultimately found it impractical for the long-distance flying that she enjoyed.