Against the Wind

Against the Wind

    Although Beryl Markham was born in England, she grew up and spent the majority of her life in Africa. She was a famous racehorse trainer when she became enchanted with the thought of flying planes.

    Markham began taking flying lessons, and after only eight hours of lessons, she flew her first solo flight. She went on to earn her pilot's license, which allowed her to carry passengers in her plane. Markham delivered mail and supplies in her plane and flew sick patients to the hospital. She flew thousands of miles over African jungles. A pilot friend called her "a fine pilot with great courage who could find her way in a plane to any spot."

    Markham soon decided to strive for something no woman had yet accomplished--flying solos across the Atlantic from east to west. Amelia Earhart had made a solo flight across the Atlantic from west to east with the wind behind her plane. Markham wanted to fly in the opposite direction with the winds against her, making the crossing lengthier and much more dangerous than Earhart's flight.

    In 1936, Markham took off from England in a plane with no radio. Soon after she left England, however, the wind swept her map out of her hands and into the ocean. She flew "blindly" for 19 hours through darkness and stormy weather.

    At one point, as the weather got worse and lightning flashed, Markham realized that she was flying upside down. She was able to turn the aircraft right side up. Finally, when a fuel line froze, Markham crash-landed in Nova Scotia, Canada. She did not fly all the way from England to America, according to her original plan. However, Markham became the first woman to make a solo nonstop flight from east to west across the Atlantic.