Amy Johnson was born in Hull in 1903. The eldest of three girls she continually defied social conventions of the day. After gaining a BA at Sheffield University and moving to London where she worked as a secretary at a firm of solicitors, Amy started flying at the age of 25, something very few other women had achieved in the early 20th century. Within two years she had not only gained her full pilot’s licence but had qualified as the first female ground engineer in the world.

Determined to break Bert Hinkler’s record 16 day solo flight to Australia, Amy set about gaining sponsorship and, just three weeks before her flight, became the owner of a two year old De Havilland Gypsy Moth (G-AAAH) which she christened Jason. The furthest Amy had previously flown was from London to Hull but undaunted, in May 1930, she set off on her epic 11000 mile flight.

Public interest increased throughout the journey. Bad weather and a series of mechanical problems extended the flight time to 20 days but after finally landing at Darwin, she was feted as the first woman to fly solo to Australia. On her triumphant return to London over one million people lined the streets to cheer as she was driven into the West End.

Flying to Australia set the scene for a series of record-breaking flights which firmly established her as a leading pilot in a male dominated world. Her solo flights included London to Moscow and Moscow to Tokyo in 1931, London to Cape Town in 1932 and 1936. With her husband Jim Mollison she also attempted England to New York via Newfoundland and Canada in 1933, failing only through lack of fuel less than 50 miles from New York, and in 1934 they both took part in the London to Australia MacRobertson Air Race achieving a record time to Karachi in India but then having to withdraw.

During the Second World War, all commercial flying was restricted and Amy joined the Air Transport Auxiliary where she flew aircraft from factories to RAF bases. Amy died in 1941 on a routine flight when her plane crashed into the Thames. Her body was never found.

Jason, the first of Amy’s record breaking planes, can be seen at the Science Museum in London and a permanent collection of Amy Johnson memorabilia is on display at Sewerby Hall in Yorkshire.