Amelia took her first flight as a passenger at an air show and that 10-minute experience sealed her future career. In 1921 she purchased her first aircraft, bright yellow, which she nicknamed the ‘Canary’. She later sold it because it seemed unlikely she could make a living from flying, but in 1928 Amelia was invited to become the first woman to fly the Atlantic, following Charles Lindberg’s solo transatlantic flight from in 1927. She jumped at the chance, though she was forced to travel as a passenger, and this established ‘Lady Lindy’ in the public eye. Soon she returned to flying, and setting her own records on her own terms. Her final flight was at attempt to circumnavigate the world, but US coastal vessel Ithaca lost radio contact with the plane 100 miles out from Howloon Island and searches yielded no trace of them. AUTHOR: Mike Roussel has previously written Joe Smith: Spitfire’s Forgotten Designer for The History Press, as well as co-authoring Shipwrecks of the Cunard Line and The Union Castle Line. He is an active supporter of Solent Sky Aviation Museum. He lives in Southampton. SELLING POINTS: . Timed for the 80th anniversary of her tragic disappearance on 2 July 1937 . With a foreword by Joy Lofthouse, ex-Second World War ATA pilot . Charting Earhart’s life and experiences until she vanished over the Pacific on the last leg of her Round the World Flight . Exploring the theories and investigations that have followed, as the world struggled to establish the truth . In recent years tiny remnants have been found, from aircraft fragments to freckle cream, but it is unlikely the mystery of what happened to Amelia Earhart will ever be solved 50 b/w illustrations