Australia

Amy realised that a great deal of organisation would be needed if her flight to Australia was to succeed. She wrote many letters asking for sponsorship, and had to arrange supplies of petrol and oil along her route. However, with less than two months to go before the flight she still had no aeroplane and could not afford to buy a new aircraft.

Her father, always one of her strongest supporters, offered to help her buy a second-hand Gipsy Moth. Amy named it ‘Jason’, not after the voyager of Greek legend, but after her father’s trade mark.

Amy left Croydon Airport on 4th May 1930. Her flight included a forced landing in the desert and a long crossing of the shark-infested Timor Sea.

After a landing accident near Rangoon in Burma Amy had to spend two days repairing Jason. Large crowds welcomed her arrival in Darwin on the 24th and she received thousands of letters, telegrams and other messages of congratulation.

• A letter from Amy’s father offering to help pay for the aeroplane she would fly to Australia, with an extract from her reply.
• Certificate of Pratique issued on arrival at Darwin, confirming that the “vessel” ‘Jason’ is free from infectious diseases.
• Telegram from Louis Blériot, the first man to cross the English Channel by aeroplane.