Amelia Earhart and her crewman Fred Noonan in Los Angeles in May 1937, shortly before their final flight and disappearance on July 2, 1937. Amelia Mary Earhart (1897-1937), American aviation pioneer. Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air as a passenger (1928), fly solo across the Atlantic, setting a new record of 13 hours and 30 minutes (1932), and fly from Hawaii to California (1935). Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was a member of the National Woman's Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1937, Earhart attempted to become the first woman to fly around the world. Her plane, with her navigator Fred Noonan also on board, disappeared on July 2nd, 1937 while flying over the Pacific Ocean from New Guinea to Howland Island. No trace of the plane or crew was ever found.