Linda Finch

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Model 10 Electra

Finch, inspired by the deceased aviatrix Amelia Earhart – who had attempted in 1937 the first airplane flight around the world via the equator – began planning in 1991 to duplicate Earhart's doomed World Flight.[2][10] With her flight navigator Frederick Noonan relying on the stars at night for navigation,[2][11] Earhart was expected to land at the tiny Howland Island in the South Pacific on July 2, 1937. When they did not arrive, they were thought to have become lost.[1][2][12][lower-alpha 1]

In 1997, Finch planned to complete the 29,000 nautical-mile flight around the world that Amelia Earhart attempted in 1937.[1][2] Finch's flight, called World Flight 1997,[1] marked the 60th anniversary of Earhart's failed effort and the centennial of her birth.[13]

Finch acquired the type of plane that Earhart flew, a 1935 Lockheed Electra 10E. Of the fifteen Lockheed Martin Model 10 Electra planes that were manufactured, only two were available in 1997.[1] Finch found the plane she would acquire sitting on an airstrip in Wisconsin. It had not flown since 1977.[14][15][lower-alpha 2] She acquired it in 1994[12] for $330,000, after three years of negotiations with the owner.[17] When it arrived on a truck, it was full of rat's and bird's nests. The plane's wings were detached from the fuselage,[8] and the engines and the tail were gone.[17][18]

Finch's Electra 10E in 2007

Finch is said to have spent $1 million refurbishing the plane.[17] Pratt & Whitney donated $4.5 million toward the cost of the World Flight 1997 trip,[18][19] with $3 million spent on the educational program and $1.5 million for the plane.[17] Earhart's Electra was operated by Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines.[1] About $1 million more in donations was needed to cover the total cost of the World Flight 1997 trip and educational program.[19] Also based in Hartford, Connecticut, the newspaper Hartford Courant contributed to the trip's funding.[10][20] The navigational equipment for the Electra and the plane that flew along with Finch were donated by the Universal Avionics Systems Corporation out of Tucson.[17]

Finch rebuilt and refurbished the plane over two years,[21] guided by Lockheed's manufacturing plans and photographs of the Electra 10.[1][22] The former 10-passenger-seat airliner was reconfigured for its new mission. Passenger seats were removed and additional fuel tanks were installed,[8] for a total of twelve tanks that held a total of 1,250 gallons of fuel, which weighed 17,000 pounds.[23][lower-alpha 3] Two nine-cylinder Wasp engines were assembled from spare parts.[2][10] Finch flew back and forth to Breckenridge, Colorado, where stronger landing gear was installed and maintenance was performed on the wing tips, engine cowlings, and gas tanks at an aviation repair shop.[10] Finch's flight varied from Earhart's in that she had modern satellite tracking and communication equipment,[2][8] and Global Positioning System navigational gear.[1][4] Like Earhart, Finch had a bamboo pole that she could use to speak to her navigator.[23]

Another plane, the Albatross,[23] was outfitted with communication and navigational equipment to accompany Finch around the world.[14][18] The escort plane monitored the weather for Finch by flying one or two hours ahead of her.[23] The National Geographic Society supplied a video camera for the plane,[18] which was used by the plane's film crew to record Finch's journey.[21]

Map of Finch's route (in red) at the Oakland Aviation Museum

Finch and her navigator, Denny Ghirendelli,[22] began their journey on March 17, 1997, when they took off from the Oakland International Airport in California.[12] Her team for each flight included two navigators, two Pratt & Whitney employees, and promotional staff.[8] Seven navigators,[9] one of whom was Peter Cousins,[25] took turns assisting Finch as she flew around the world.[9][24]

Finch's flight was patterned after Earhart's route,[26] eastward along the equator[14] — and took 73 days.[27] She was in the air for 225 hours while flying 26,004 nautical miles (41,850 km) and stopping 34 times in 19 countries.[27] The plane has a cruising speed of 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).[21][lower-alpha 4] She touched down on five continents.[18][lower-alpha 5] Her stops included the Martin Luther King School for Girls in Dakar and, in Egypt, at the Queen of Hatshepsut temple.[27]

A Grumman Albatross was Finch's emergency and spare-parts plane, which accompanied her on the 1997 flight.

Finch's route differed from Earhart's route in a couple of ways. At the time that Earhart made her trip, geo-political events were leading up to World War II, including Japan's occupation of some of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. Finch could not land on those islands. In 1997, Finch avoided countries that were dangerous due to the country's political climate, like Myanmar[1][20] and Libya.[28] Nor would she land on Howland Island or Lae, Papua New Guinea because there were not sufficient services or proper runways to land there.[1][20] In planning her route, Finch had to ensure that every city that she stopped in would have the type of fuel needed for the Electra 10.[18]

Like Earhart, Finch needed to fly at 10,000 feet (3,000 m) for most of the trip because the Electra 10 is not pressurized.[18] During the flight, Finch noted her position every half hour, aided by satellite navigational equipment. It was important to monitor the positioning because some countries required permits to enter their airspace. She used the internet to convey her feelings and respond to correspondence.[8]

Linda Finch arrived at Oakland International Airport, on May 28, 1997, completing her trip around the world.

The country is magnificent! The mountains are covered with jungle, and some of the small hills are covered with what looks like moss. It is very smooth, almost like a carpet in many shades of green.

— Finch describing Papua New Guinea on May 16, 1997[8]

When she flew over Howland Island, Finch honored Earhart and Noonan[14] by releasing three wreaths from the plane.[8][18] Finch's flight between Honolulu and Oakland took about sixteen hours.[29] Finch landed at Oakland International Airport that day, where she was met by a large crowd.[12] The Western Aerospace Museum held a dinner in her honor that night.[30]

Explanatory display at the museum

An educational program entitled You Can Soar [12] allowed participating 5th through 8th grade students to hone their mathematical skills as they also learned about time zones, aerodynamics, weather gauging, and geography. Addressing the countries that Finch visited, the program's cultural studies portion taught poetry, language, and art.[8]

An internet site tracked the progress of Finch's flight, with hourly updates,[1][31] which allowed more than a million people around the world to observe and participate in her journey for free.[8] About 200,000 classrooms worldwide monitored the trip based upon information provided by the plane's computer equipment. People communicated with her via e-mail[8] and Finch responded with answers to their questions.[18] There were about 30 million times that people viewed the website during Finch's trip.[8]

She met with schoolchildren in the United States,[1][22] Africa, and countries around the world.[18] Finch states that the program intended to "emphasize Earhart's pioneering spirit, her vision of limitless human potential and her belief in individual accomplishment."[2]

PBS said about Finch's flight, "Though others have recreated Earhart's flight, Finch is the first to use the same make and model plane as Earhart and to make the attempt with only a pilot and navigator."[18]

The Museum of Flight in Seattle acquired the Electra.[32]