A tribute to Amelia Earhart in Second Life
71Amelia Earhart
A Tribute to Amelia
As a long time aviation fan and also a builder in the virtual world of Second Life, I began a project a couple years ago to honor one of aviation's historical personalities, Amelia Earhart. She was one of aviation's forging figures and left a legacy for all women in aviation.
A Quote from the Biography of Amelia Earhart:
"Amelia Earhart endures in the American consciousness as one of the world's most celebrated aviators. Amelia remains a symbol of the power and perseverance of American women, and the adventurous spirit so essential to the American persona.
Born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897, the daughter of a railroad attorney, she spent her childhood in various towns, including Atchison and Kansas City, Kansas and Des Moines, Iowa. At age 19, Amelia attended Ogontz School near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two years later, after visiting her sister, Muriel, in Toronto, Canada, Amelia felt compelled to leave school. Taking a course in Red Cross First Aid, Amelia enlisting as a nurse's aide at Spadina Military Hospital in Toronto, Canada, tending to wounded soldiers during World War I. The following year, Amelia enrolled as a premedical student at Columbia University in New York. Shortly thereafter, Amelia's parents insisted she move to California where they were living.
Learning to fly in California, she took up aviation as a hobby, taking odd jobs to pay for her flying lessons. In 1922, with the financial help of her sister, Muriel, and her mother, Amy Otis Earhart, she purchased her first airplane, a Kinner Airster.
Following her parent's divorce, Amelia moved back east where she was employed as a social worker in Denison House, in Boston, Massachusetts. It was there she was selected to be the first female passenger on a transatlantic flight, in 1928, by her future husband, the publisher, George Palmer Putnam."
Amelia's Electra
History of the Mod 10 Electra
Robert Gross acquired Lockheed Aircraft Corporation In 1932 and then started plans for a new passenger transport plane which was designed primarily by Hall Hibbard, the new aircraft would be the company’s first all-metal design. The aircraft was fitted with two Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engines, it had space for a crew of two, and ten passengers. The aircraft was named the Model 10 Electra.
The Model 10 Electra was Clarence “Kelly” Johnson's first assignment at Lockheed. It was Johnson's input the result of wind tunnel testing, that led to the twin fin and rudder that became synonymous with Lockheed.
148 Electra's were built between August 4, 1934 and July 18, 1941. Four Commercial Versions and Five Military Versions were built, The commercial versions were operated by airlines in the late 1930s. To my knowledge, the last commercial operator of the Model 10 Electra was Boston Airlines in the early 1970s. Military designations of the Model 10 include XC-35, Y1C-36 and Y1C-37 and are basically the same as the commercial versions but with different engines.
27 of the commercial and privately owned planes along with the military versions were put in service during World War II. The aircraft were used in roles such as light cargo and staff transport.
The most famous Electra is the Model 10-E that was owned by Amelia Earhart, Registered as NR16020, the plane was modified to meet Amelia’s specifications. Amelia and Fred Noonan (her navigator) left from Oakland, California on May 20, 1937 in their second attempt to fly around the world. This attempt ended in tragedy on July 2, 1937 when the plane and crew was lost near Howland Island in the Pacific.
Amelia's Last Flight
Cockpit View
The Second Life Mod 10
About two and a half years ago in Second Life, I built a replica of Amelia's Mod 10 Electra and gathered the history and data for the project. I textured the model and created the scripts that animate it in the virtual world. The scripting is done in "LSL" a language that is similar to C++.
The "Paint" is made from textures created in Photoshop and then uploaded to Second Life and applied to the aircraft surfaces. I created this aircraft as a tribute to Amelia and her great contributions to aviation and women pilots then and now.
It immediately became very popular and I sold at least 20 copies the first day. It has continued to be popular and can be seen on airport ramps, in hangars and flying the "Skies of Second Life".
Amelia Earhart 1897 - 1937
CommentsLoading...
Thank you for you kind words my friend, I do have a passion for aviation, art and spirit!
I never heard of this Virtual World kind of art. That's really something!
Did you read the accounts of the two different ham radio opertors at that time when Amelia and her navigator went down? The radio operators were in two different parts of the United States and if memory serves, they each heard bits of the same kind of conversation and noise going on which indicated Amelia and her navigator were hanging on to the plane and Fred Noonan was panicking. (I might be using the wrong term here. It might not be called ham radio operators.)
I haven't heard that account Dahlia. Thank you for sharing this..I actually met a relative of Amelia's and was given a photograph of her autographed just a couple weeks prior to her last flight. It was never published.
feenix Level 7 Commenter 12 months ago
Curiad, you are truly blessed. You have found something that you really do love doing and you have a passion for it. When one has those things, that person has been provided with an invaluable gift. And, by the way, I learned a lot from this hub and it is very well written. Thank you.