Amelia Earhart's flight suit

Description: Pilot Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) earned revenue by carrying philatelic materials on her flights. Earhart owned and wore this leather wool-lined flight suit manufactured by Arnold, Constable & Company, of Paris and New York. Such suits were essential for long-distance flights. Early airplanes offered scant protection from the elements, especially the icy cold at altitudes of 20,000 feet. Description: Born in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart fell in love with aviation at an early age. She was an excellent student and soloed in 1918 after only ten hours of instruction. In the early 1920s, she worked in a telephone office and photography studio to earn money for flying. In 1928 she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane, accompanying pilot Wilmer Stultz in a Fokker tri-motor from Newfoundland to Wales. In 1931 she married publisher George Palmer Putnam. The following year she assured her place in history by becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. On May 21, 1932, she flew from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, to a pasture near Londonderry, Ireland. The flight earned her worldwide acclaim and a number of awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Legion of Honor. Description: In 1935 Earhart became the first woman to fly solo between Hawaii and the continental United States. Unlike Charles Lindbergh, Earhart was never a licensed airmail pilot. She did, however, carry mail. Her husband helped her raise funds for her flights by arranging for her to carry and autograph special letters that were sold to philatelists. The National Postal Museum owns her private collection. Description: After having set a speed record for flying non-stop from Mexico City to New York City in fourteen hours and nineteen minutes, Amelia Earhart tried to become the first female pilot to fly around the world. She took-off from Miami, Florida, on June 1, 1937, in her Electra aircraft, accompanied by Fred Noonan, her navigator. On July 2, while f