{"id":19629201,"date":"2026-09-03T11:34:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/amy-johnson-solo-england-australia-1930-jason\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T08:41:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:41:41","slug":"amy-johnson-solo-england-australia-1930-jason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/amy-johnson-solo-england-australia-1930-jason\/","title":{"rendered":"Amy Johnson: The First Woman to Fly Solo to Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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Her aircraft was a second-hand de Havilland Gipsy Moth with an open cockpit and no radio.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Nineteen and a half days later she landed at Darwin, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, and one of the most famous people in Britain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 22px;margin:24px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.8\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Born:<\/strong> 1 July 1903, Kingston upon Hull; economics graduate of the University of Sheffield<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Licences:<\/strong> pilot&rsquo;s A licence July 1929; ground engineer&rsquo;s C licence the same year, the first British woman to hold one<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth, G-AAAH, named <em>Jason<\/em><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>The flight:<\/strong> Croydon 5 May 1930 to Darwin 24 May 1930, around 11,000 miles<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Record status:<\/strong> first woman to do it solo &mdash; but about four days slower than Bert Hinkler&rsquo;s 1928 time<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Honours:<\/strong> CBE, 1930; Harmon Trophy; Royal Aero Club Gold Medal, 1936<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Died:<\/strong> 5 January 1941, Thames Estuary, flying for the Air Transport Auxiliary<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The record she did not break<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>It is worth being accurate about this, because the myth is more common than the fact. Amy Johnson set out to beat Bert Hinkler&rsquo;s solo England-to-Australia time of just under fifteen and a half days, set in 1928.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>For a while she was going to do it. She reached India on 11 May, six days out, which was ahead of Hinkler&rsquo;s pace and a record for that leg on its own. Then a storm forced her down in Burma, where she broke the propeller and holed a wing, and the repairs cost her the schedule. She arrived at Darwin around four days behind Hinkler&rsquo;s mark.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>What she had done instead was fly, alone, in an aeroplane with a cruising speed of about 80 mph, across Europe, the Middle East, India and the Timor Sea, navigating with a compass and a map. That she was the first woman to do it is the headline. That she did it at all, with that experience, in that machine, is the actual story.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/amy-johnson-jason-australia-1930.jpg\" alt=\"Amy Johnson beside her aircraft Jason in Australia, 1930\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Johnson beside Jason in Australia. The Gipsy Moth was second-hand, bought with help from her father and Lord Wakefield, and named after her father&rsquo;s trade mark. Photo: Fairfax Corporation, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What she did next<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Australia flight made her a celebrity, which she did not much enjoy, and it did not slow her down. In July 1931 she flew London to Moscow in a single day and carried on to Tokyo. In 1932 she took the solo London to Cape Town record, beating the time set by her husband, the Scottish pilot Jim Mollison, whom she had married that year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>They flew together too, with mixed results: in 1933 the pair crossed the Atlantic from Pendine Sands and crash-landed short of their destination at Bridgeport, Connecticut, both injured. In 1936 she went back to Africa and took the Cape record again. The marriage ended in divorce in the late 1930s, and she reverted to her own name.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/amy-johnson-mascot-new-south-wales-1930.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Amy Johnson at Mascot, New South Wales, 1930\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Johnson in Australia, May 1930. She was 26, and had held a pilot&rsquo;s licence for less than a year when she set off. Photo: Fairfax Corporation, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">5 January 1941<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>By 1940 she was a First Officer in the Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying aircraft around Britain. On 4 January 1941 she left Prestwick in an Airspeed Oxford bound for RAF Kidlington, night-stopping at Blackpool with her sister. She was advised the following morning not to fly &mdash; thick cloud, snow. She is said to have replied that she would find her way by smell.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Some hours later, a convoy in the Thames Estuary watched a parachute come down and an aircraft circle into the sea. Lieutenant Commander Walter Fletcher, captain of HMS <em>Haslemere<\/em>, went into the water after her. He died of exposure days afterwards and was awarded a posthumous Albert Medal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Her body was never recovered. Her flight bag, logbook and cheque book washed up. She is commemorated on the Runnymede memorial.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>What actually happened has never been settled. The RAF Museum&rsquo;s view is that she most likely ran out of fuel and took to her parachute. Some witnesses reported a second body in the water. And in 1999 a former anti-aircraft gunner made a claim that has hung over the story ever since.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;Sixteen rounds of shells were fired and the plane dived into the Thames Estuary. We all thought it was an enemy plane until the next day when we read the papers and discovered it was Amy. The officers told us never to tell anyone what happened.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Tom Mitchell<\/strong> &mdash; Wartime anti-aircraft gunner, speaking to The Scotsman in 1999<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>Five days before she died she wrote a New Year letter to her friend Caroline Haslett, the founding secretary of the Women&rsquo;s Engineering Society, of which Johnson had been president. It is the last letter of hers we have.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;I hope the gods will watch over you this year, and I wish you the best of luck (the only useful thing not yet taxed!)&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Amy Johnson<\/strong> &mdash; Writing to Caroline Haslett, 1 January 1941<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>She recorded her voice in Sydney a few days after landing in 1930. It is worth hearing what she actually sounded like.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HWkAib0U3hg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>Newsreel of her return to Croydon in August 1930:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EHx85MRkQKA\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>And the Science Museum on <em>Jason<\/em>, which is still in their collection:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C4nyzRGtM_o\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was Amy Johnson famous for?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, in 1930. She left Croydon on 5 May and landed at Darwin on 24 May, covering around 11,000 miles in a second-hand de Havilland Gipsy Moth named Jason.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did Amy Johnson break the England to Australia record?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No, and this is the most common misconception about her. Bert Hinkler&rsquo;s solo record stood at just under fifteen and a half days; she took about nineteen and a half. She was ahead of his pace as far as India, but a storm forced her down in Burma, where she broke the propeller and holed a wing.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How experienced was she when she set off?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Barely. She had held a pilot&rsquo;s licence for about ten months and had never flown further than from London to Hull. She was 26.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was she the first British woman to be a ground engineer?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. She gained a ground engineer&rsquo;s C licence in 1929, the first British woman to hold one, alongside her pilot&rsquo;s licence.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What other records did Amy Johnson set?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">She flew London to Moscow in a single day in July 1931 and continued to Tokyo, took the solo London to Cape Town record in 1932 beating her husband Jim Mollison&rsquo;s time, and regained the Cape record in 1936. She was awarded the CBE in 1930 and the Royal Aero Club Gold Medal in 1936.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How did Amy Johnson die?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">She disappeared on 5 January 1941 while ferrying an Airspeed Oxford for the Air Transport Auxiliary. A convoy in the Thames Estuary saw a parachute come down and an aircraft circle into the sea. Her body was never recovered. Lt Cdr Walter Fletcher of HMS Haslemere died of exposure after going into the water after her.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was Amy Johnson shot down?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It has never been settled. The RAF Museum&rsquo;s view is that she most likely ran out of fuel and took to her parachute. In 1999 a former anti-aircraft gunner, Tom Mitchell, claimed his unit shot her down after she gave two incorrect identification signals. Some witnesses also reported a second body in the water.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was Amy Johnson famous for?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, in 1930. She left Croydon on 5 May and landed at Darwin on 24 May, covering around 11,000 miles in a second-hand de Havilland Gipsy Moth named Jason.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did Amy Johnson break the England to Australia record?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No, and this is the most common misconception about her. Bert Hinkler\u2019s solo record stood at just under fifteen and a half days; she took about nineteen and a half. She was ahead of his pace as far as India, but a storm forced her down in Burma, where she broke the propeller and holed a wing.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How experienced was she when she set off?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Barely. She had held a pilot\u2019s licence for about ten months and had never flown further than from London to Hull. She was 26.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was she the first British woman to be a ground engineer?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. She gained a ground engineer\u2019s C licence in 1929, the first British woman to hold one, alongside her pilot\u2019s licence.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What other records did Amy Johnson set?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"She flew London to Moscow in a single day in July 1931 and continued to Tokyo, took the solo London to Cape Town record in 1932 beating her husband Jim Mollison\u2019s time, and regained the Cape record in 1936. She was awarded the CBE in 1930 and the Royal Aero Club Gold Medal in 1936.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How did Amy Johnson die?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"She disappeared on 5 January 1941 while ferrying an Airspeed Oxford for the Air Transport Auxiliary. A convoy in the Thames Estuary saw a parachute come down and an aircraft circle into the sea. Her body was never recovered. Lt Cdr Walter Fletcher of HMS Haslemere died of exposure after going into the water after her.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was Amy Johnson shot down?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It has never been settled. The RAF Museum\u2019s view is that she most likely ran out of fuel and took to her parachute. In 1999 a former anti-aircraft gunner, Tom Mitchell, claimed his unit shot her down after she gave two incorrect identification signals. Some witnesses also reported a second body in the water.\"}}]}<\/script><p><em>Sources: RAF Museum, \"Wonderful Amy!\" archive exhibition; Science Museum Group Collection; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; contemporary reporting in The Scotsman and the Express &amp; Star.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wiley-post-solo-round-the-world-winnie-mae-pressure-suit\/\">Wiley Post: The One-Eyed Pilot Who Flew Around the World Alone<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/white-rose-of-stalingrad-lydia-litvyak\/\">The Girl Who Painted a Lily on Her Fighter<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/airship-italia-amundsen-last-flight\/\">Airship Italia and Amundsen&rsquo;s Last Flight<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1930 Amy Johnson flew a second-hand Gipsy Moth alone from Croydon to Darwin with ten months of flying behind her. Eleven years later she vanished over the Thames.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19628842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,666],"tags":[676],"class_list":["post-19629201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-history-and-legends","tag-priority-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Amy Johnson: First Woman to Fly Solo to Australia | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 1930 Amy Johnson flew a second-hand Gipsy Moth alone from Croydon to Darwin with ten months of flying behind her. 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