An Irishman's Diary on Amy Johnson, Queen of the Air

Amy Johnson (1903-1941) was a remarkable individual who set many flying records and broke all the rules when it came to women and aviation. She was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia.

I have just written an Irishman's Diary newspaper article about her in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.

Photograph of Amy Johnson. Source: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

If you would like to learn more about this world-class pilot, you will find lots of information about Amy Johnson on the internet. Several books have been written about her (including one by Gordon Snell) and some songs have been penned to celebrate her achievements. The Irish singer, Johnny McEvoy, sang about her in a song named 'Amy Johnson'. Listen to it here.

More information about Amy Johnson -

• Read this brief biography on the website of the Amy Johnson Arts Trust.
• Read this contemporaneous newspaper article from the Manchester Guardian about her record-breaking flight from London to Darwin. 
• Read about the route that she took from London to Darwin on this website from the Amy Johnson Arts Trust.

Photograph of Jim Mollison flying over Portmarnock Strand. Source: Wonders of World Aviation