19 March 1937

Aviation, , , , , ,
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E Special, NR16020, in a hangar at Wheeler Field, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, 19 March 1937. (Hawaii's Aviation History, http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation )
Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E Special, NR16020, in a hangar at Wheeler Field, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, 19 March 1937. (Hawaii’s Aviation History)

19 March 1937: After her 15 hour, 47 minute, overnight flight from Oakland, California, Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E Special NR16020 was placed in a hangar at Wheeler Army Airfield, Honolulu, for maintenance and repair. During the flight, a propeller pitch change mechanism had failed. Inspection revealed that both propeller hubs were badly galled “due to improper or insufficient lubrication.” They were overhauled by the Army Air Corps’ Hawaiian Air Depot at Luke Field, then re-installed on the Electra.

At 11:15 a.m. on the 19th, Paul Mantz and two friends took the Electra for a test flight, then repositioned to Luke Field on Ford Island, with its longer, hard-surfaced runway, for an early morning takeoff on the second leg of the around-the-world flight.

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E Special, NR16020, with engines running at Wheeler Field, prior to repositioning to Luke Field, 19 March 1937. (Hawaii’s Aviation History, http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation )
Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E Special, NR16020, with engines running at Wheeler Field, prior to repositioning to Luke Field, 19 March 1937. (Hawaii’s Aviation History)

© 2019, Bryan R. Swopes

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4 thoughts on “19 March 1937”

  1. Thank you for these interesting and informative postings. It is especially nice to have these during these stressful times, as a break from the constant bad news

  2. The sources I’ve read indicate that Amelia Earhart’s around the world flight plan started in California and was predominantly west to east. This article and the 2 prior days suggest she started her attempt east to west and California to Hawaii. What is the correct flight plan?

    1. Her first attempt was to the west. By the time of her second attempt, weather patterns had changed and she department eastbound. Both attempts began at Oakland, California.

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