World Flight 2027

09/25/2025

On what would have been her 122nd birthday, we celebrate Olive Ann Beech — a true aviation trailblazer. As the first woman to lead a major aircraft company, she inspired generations. Her spirit lives on as we continue to defy boundaries and soar to new heights. Here's to the legacy of a legend.

09/16/2025

Ruth Nichols is an aviation pioneer who became the only woman to hold speed, altitude, and distance records as a female pilot.

Born in 1901 in New York City, Nichols developed a passion for flying from an early age. By 1919, her father gifted her a flight with Eddie Stinson, the founder of Stinson Aircraft Company. It was on that ride her passion for flying was truly born.

Nichols continued to take flying lessons while studying at Wellesley University. Shortly after, she received her pilot’s license in 1924 and eventually became the first licensed American woman hydroplane pilot.

By January 1928, Nichols set a record alongside co-pilot Harry Rodgers with their nonstop flight from New York to Miami, Florida. Nichols did not stop there and, throughout her career, set 35 aviation records.

In 1958, Nichols truly made history when she set new women’s world records for altitude and speed. She refused to be anything less than excellent and petitioned the Air Force to use a TF-102A Delta Dagger aircraft. With their permission as a co-pilot, she set an altitude record of 51,000 feet in the air and a speed record of 1,000 miles per hour.

Nichols also served as a founding member of the Ninety-Nines Organization and worked as a Women’s Air Derby racer. She passed away shortly after in 1960 but continues to inspire many young aspiring aviators.

Story Credit: The Ninety-Nines and Simple Flying

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09/16/2025

The final unit of World Flight 2027's educational curriculum is World Flight 2027 (and 1937)! This final component will have students looking in-depth at both World Flight 1937 and 2027, comparing them, following along, and interacting with World Flight 2027 while still being immersed in 1937! As this project progresses, the goal is to add a tracking feature to our website, allowing students and folks around the world to track the flight in real time!

By the end of Unit 5, students will have a better understanding of Amelia Earhart's 1937 circumnavigation attempt, her plans and preparations, and the current flight, at that time, already underway. And they will be able to create a flight path of their own, whether it's a flight around the world or to whatever adventure awaits them!

With this unit, students will each receive two world maps; on one, they will draw Earhart's 1937 flight path and the flight path of World Flight 2027. It will be discussed why the routes differ in places (safety, fuel, etc.).

On the second map, students will create their own world flight and be asked to explain why they chose the route they did. Kids can research different aircraft or choose from a pre-selected arrangement. Have them list what precautions and preparations they would make to ensure their flights were safe and successful. As they plan their flights, have students research the countries they plan to visit.

Communication! As this flight is carried out, it is the hope of World Flight 2027 to be as available/accessible as possible to students and classrooms.

Finally, as mentioned previously, an immersive experience is desired with this unit, which necessitates a connection to 1937. Participating classrooms would hopefully receive newspaper reports of Amelia's flight, allowing classrooms to follow both flights (1937 & 2027) in real time. Additionally, accounts written by Amelia during her flight (later compiled, touched up by ghostwriters, and posthumously published as "Last Flight") will be included as well, allowing this legendary aviator to share her own experiences of these flights.

09/11/2025

Geography, Unit Four, will have the most emphasis in the curriculum; it is a world flight, after all! This component will have students delving into world geography and learning about the culture, history, and other aspects of all countries visited by both World Flight 2027 and Earhart's 1937 flight, as well as the people. It is hoped that through this education, World Flight 2027 can help tackle the issue of cultural ignorance.

To quote Amelia, "I had never been privileged to know much about how people other than Americans lived."

Sample questions for Unit Four include:

"Out of all the stops visited on this trip (or stops visited so far), which has been your favorite and why? Were there traditions/customs that surprised you? Now, pick a country and write about it as if you've been visiting for an extended period of time. Be specific, describe the sights, sounds, and smells!

"As time moves forward, things change. What changes have you noticed been certain stops Amelia visited in 1937 and how they appear today?"

Have students research the countries visited by both World Flight 1937 and 2027, and create a presentation or display on each of their respective countries. Afterward, place the countries around the room, allowing children to roam and "visit" each country. (For a fun bonus, kids can create their own passports that they can stamp upon arrival in each country.

It is hoped that this flight will serve as a vehicle for bringing people from around the world together; that, no matter who we are or where we live, we are all human beings and can get along and love one another!

09/08/2025

On this day in 1920, the first transcontinental airmail route was inaugurated with an airmail flight by a De Havilland DH-4 like the one seen here. Compared to moving the mail by train, flying the mail cut coast-to-coast delivery time by about a day.

09/08/2025

The third unit of World Flight 2027's curriculum explored both the physics and history of flight, providing a comprehensive understanding of how and why we fly. This includes covering the fundamental principles of flight (lift, weight, thrust, and drag) and explaining how these forces interact to enable flight.

Students will also study the contributions of early pioneers and how their innovations laid the groundwork for modern aviation. They will also look at key milestones and significant advancements in aircraft design, navigation, and engine systems. Hands-on experiments will be applied to help gain a practical understanding of aerodynamics. By the end of Unit 3, children will come to understand that aircraft are not "modern marvels," but rather the result of long scientific and engineering progress.

09/03/2025

Pictured: Olive Ann Beech in her Beechcraft office, circa 1960.

Often referred to as the "First Lady of Aviation,” Olive Ann Beech was the co-founder, president & chairwoman of the Beech Aircraft Corporation. She founded the company in 1932 with her husband, Walter Beech, and three others.

Olive Ann Beech was the 1st woman to receive the National Aeronautic Association Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy; named one of The New York Times most distinguished women in America, Fortune called her one of the highest-ranking women executives in major American corporations. Photo from our archives.

09/02/2025

Unit 2 of World Flight 2027's educational curriculum is titled "Technology 1937 v. 2027." The second component will focus on the history of aviation-related technology, examining what Amelia had at her disposal in 1937 and the strides made in the last 90 years. The goals, as just mentioned, will focus on comparing technology from 1937 and today (communications, weather forecasting, navigation, etc.)

Unit 2 encourages critical thinking about the future of aviation as students consider what the last 90 years of air travel have looked like and what the next 90 years will look like.

Several essential questions for this unit could include:

"Since Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared 90 years ago, two other incredible women, Ann Pellegreno (1967) and Linda Finch (1997), have flown around the world in a Lockheed Electra 10. What advantages did they have in technology for their respective flights that Amelia didn't have? And, subsequently, what advances in technology will World Flight 2027 have that Linda Finch did not have in 1997?"

And "To all future world fliers out there, what potential technology could exist when you make your flight that we don't have now?"

08/28/2025

In addition to tracing Amelia Earhart's 1937 world flight attempt, World Flight 2027 also includes an added educational curriculum.

Every curriculum needs a purpose, a timeframe, subject material, and a name. The name for this curriculum was inspired by the message Amelia promoted during her lifetime: "Your Adventure Begins With You."

The purpose of this curriculum is to educate students not only about Amelia Earhart, but also about aviation, mathematics, science, geography, and to inspire them to look within themselves to discover their full potential. The timeframe is roughly 1-2 months, all dependent on the length of time for World Flight 2027. Finally, the subject material is broken down into five components: Amelia Earhart, Technology 1937 v. 2027, Physics and History of Flight, Geography, and World Flight '37 & '27. Over the next several days, we'll examine each of these components. If you don't feel like waiting, more information is available on our website.

Component 1: Amelia Earhart. The first section, of course, covers everything from Amelia's life and accomplishments to her lasting legacy. By the end of Unit 1, students will have a greater understanding not only of Earhart's life, legacy, and accomplishments, but also her life lessons. Kids will then be able to, depending on their teacher, present a report of some kind about Amelia.

Several sample essential questions that can be asked at the beginning and throughout this unit:
"Amelia crashed her plane in Honolulu on her first world flight attempt, but she repaired it and continued on. Do you think she should have given up after the crash? What is one experience you have had in your life where you have tried and failed? What did you do? Did you give up or did you keep on trying, and why?"

"Amelia believed that through hard work and determination, anyone could achieve their goal. Do you have a dream or a goal in mind? What steps can you take to reach it?"

"Today, Amelia Earhart is considered to be a hero. What defines a hero? What other words could define here? Who are the heroes of your life and what makes them heroes to you?"

08/25/2025

We want to thank everyone who came out to Atchison or tuned in yesterday for the promotional kick-off and public announcement of World Flight 2027! Additionally, we'd like to take a moment to honor Amelia, who, on this date in 1932, began a non-stop flight from California to New Jersey. The Lockheed Vega landed the following day, August 25, making Earhart the first woman to complete a non-stop transcontinental flight. The flight took 19 hours and 5 minutes, 3 minutes according to some reports.

08/21/2025

As continues, we're taking a look at the proposed aircraft for World Flight 2027 - the Beechcraft Model 18.

The Twin Beech, of which over 9,000 were manufactured in Wichita, Kansas, between 1937 and 1969, was intended to serve as an executive transport or regional airline aircraft. Its design was similar to that of Lockheed's Model 10 and 12 Electra. Two Wright R-760 seven-cylinder radial engines (350hp each) powered the ship. Various engines would power different variations of the Beech 18 over the years, with the most common type being the Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engines (450hp).

The test flight for the aircraft was carried out on January 15, 1937, in Wichita, and it received its type certificate from the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Authority just under two months later on March 4. The photo below, from the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, shows the Beech 18 prototype in flight.

Following Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into WWII, Beech Aircraft ramped up the production of the Beech 18 for the U.S. armed forces, where they were used as staff transports and for various training exercises. They soon saw military service across the pond, serving with the RAF and in Canada's RCAF. The Twin Beech proved to be a reliable, easy-to-operate, and maintain aircraft.

When the war ended, thousands of surplus Twin Beech aircraft hit the market and were soon used by numerous companies and private owners. And soon Beech 18s were serving around the world from Alaska to Australia.

Today, hundreds of Beech 18s are still in existence, from static museum displays to airworthy examples.

2027 will mark the 90th anniversary of the Beech 18 and the 95th anniversary of the Beech Aircraft Corporation.

08/19/2025