DFA Film of the Week

DFA Film of the Week

Date: 07/03/2016 13:12

08 March is International Women's Day, an occasion to mark the the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

So, for DFA Film of the Week, we thought it would be fitting to look back at the accomplishments of Amelia Earhart, the fearless aviator who in 1932 became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Earhart set out on the morning of May 20, 1932, from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. Some 14 hours, 56 minutes later - during which she had to overcome strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems - Earhart landed in Gallagher's field, at Culmore, north of Derry. She broke several records on the flight - the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo and the only person to fly it twice, the longest non-stop distance flown by a woman and a record for crossing the Atlantic in the shortest time.

The landing in Derry also gave rise to the famous Earhart anecdote, apparently a farm hand asked, 'Have you flown far?' to which she replied, 'From America'.

Remarkably, film footage documenting this historic event survives, with the film below showing Earhart greeting well-wishers at a nearby farm and her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B grounded, in Gallagher's field.