Editing Amy Johnson

{{short description|British aviator (1903–1941)}}
{{About|the British aviator}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
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{{Infobox person
| name               = Amy Johnson
| honorific_suffix   = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100|CBE}}
| image              = Amy Johnson (Our Generation, 1938).jpg
| alt                = Black and white portrait photograph taken around 1930 of Amy Johnson, wearing aviator attire; googles, leather cap, leather and wool flying jacket
| caption            = Amy Johnson {{circa}} 1930
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1903|7|1|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Kingston upon Hull]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| disappeared_date   = {{death date and age|1941|1|5|1903|7|1|df=y}}
| disappeared_place  = [[Thames Estuary]], near [[Herne Bay, Kent]], England
| disappeared_status = Believed to have died in an [[aviation accident]]
| education          = [[Sirius Academy West|Boulevard Municipal Secondary School]]
| alma_mater         = [[University of Sheffield]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|[[Aviator]]|[[engineer]]}}
| awards             = [[Segrave Trophy]] (1932)
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Jim Mollison]]|29 July 1932|1938|end=div}}
}}
'''Amy Johnson''' {{postnom|country=GBR|CBE}} (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from [[London]] to [[Australia]].

Flying solo or with her husband, [[Jim Mollison]], she set many long-distance records during the 1930s. In 1933, [[Katharine Hepburn]]'s character in the film ''[[Christopher Strong]]'' was inspired by Johnson. She flew in the [[Second World War]] as a part of the [[Air Transport Auxiliary]]. Her aircraft crashed into the [[Thames Estuary]]: she died after bailing out. Because her body was never recovered, the precise cause of her death—drowning, [[hypothermia]] or being pulled into a warship's moving propellers, is unknown and has been a subject of discussion since the possibility of [[friendly fire]] was raised in 1999 (see [[#Death|below]]).

== Early life ==
Born in 1903 in [[Kingston upon Hull]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], Amy Johnson was the daughter of Amy Hodge, granddaughter of William Hodge, a Mayor of Hull, and John William Johnson whose family were fish merchants in the firm of Andrew Johnson, Knudtzon and Company. She was the eldest of three sisters, the next in age being Irene who was a year younger.<ref name="local_studies">{{cite web |url=http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/l-20c/people/amy-johnson/amy-johnson.pdf |title=Amy Johnson pioneering aviator |publisher=Hull Local Studies Library, Hull City Council |access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref>

Johnson was educated at Boulevard Municipal Secondary School, later [[Sirius Academy West|Kingston High School]], and the [[University of Sheffield]], where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.<ref name=d194>Dunmore, Spencer (2004). "Undaunted: Long-Distance Flyers in the Golden Age of Aviation" Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. {{ISBN|0771029373}}. pp. 194–195.</ref> She then worked in London as secretary to a solicitor, William Charles Crocker. She was introduced to flying as a hobby, gaining an aviator's certificate, No. 8662,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Flight|date=25 October 1929|title=The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom: Official notices to members |page=1141 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1929/1929-1%20-%201450.html |access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref> on 28 January 1929, and a pilot's "A" licence, No. 1979, on 6 July 1929, both at the London Aeroplane Club under the tutelage of Captain [[Valentine Baker (pilot)|Valentine Baker]]. In 1929 she became the first British woman to obtain a ground engineer's "C" licence.<ref name="Aitken">Aitken, Kenneth (July 1991). "Amy Johnson (The Speed Seekers)." ''Aeroplane Monthly'', Vol. 19, no. 7, Issue no. 219. p. 440.</ref>

Johnson was a friend and collaborator of [[Fred Slingsby]] whose Yorkshire based company, [[Slingsby Aviation]] of [[Kirbymoorside]], [[North Yorkshire]], became the UK's most famous glider manufacturer. Slingsby helped found [[Yorkshire Gliding Club]] at [[Sutton Bank]] and during the 1930s she was an early member and trainee.<ref name="gliding_training">{{cite web |url=http://amyjohnsonartstrust.co.uk/whats-on/amys-yorkshire-flying-club |title=Amy's Yorkshire Flying Club |publisher=Amy Johnson Arts Trust |access-date=24 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="testimonial">{{cite news |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/gliding-still-makes-moyra-s-spirits-soar-76-years-after-first-reaching-for-the-sky-1-3590188 |title=Amy's Yorkshire Flying Club |newspaper=Yorkshire Post |access-date=24 August 2019}}</ref>

== Aviation ==
[[File:Amy Johnson 1930-06-14.jpg|thumb|Johnson in her [[de Havilland DH.60 Moth|Gipsy Moth]] leaving Australia for Newcastle, 14 June 1930]]
[[File:Amy Johnson England to Australia Solo Flight, 1930.webm|thumb|Amy Johnson greeted after having flown solo from England to Australia]]
Johnson got the money to buy her first aircraft from her father, who was always one of her strongest supporters, and [[Charles Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield|Lord Wakefield]].<ref name=d194/> She bought a secondhand [[de Havilland DH.60 Moth|de Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth]] G-AAAH and named it ''Jason'' after her father's business trade mark.<ref>Eden, P. E. ''Civil Aircraft 1907–Present'' 2012 p. 46 colour drawing  {{ISBN|9781908696649}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Her father was a partner in the Andrew Johnson Knudtzon Fish Merchants.|group=Note}}

In 1930, Johnson achieved worldwide recognition when she became the first woman to fly solo from England to [[Australia]]. Flying ''Jason'', she left [[Croydon Airport]], Surrey, on 5 May and landed at [[Darwin, Northern Territory]] on 24 May, a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000&nbsp;km).<ref name="Newnes">{{cite book|editor=Marshall, A. C. |title=Newnes Golden Treasury|year=1934|publisher=George Newnes Ltd|page=488 (photo plate opposite)|quote=The photograph was taken at Insein, and shows how the plane was damaged in landing.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4LOUPAAACAAJ}}</ref> Six days after, she damaged her aircraft while landing downwind at [[Brisbane]] airport and flew to [[Sydney]] with Captain Frank Follett while the aircraft was repaired. ''Jason'' was later flown to [[Mascot, New South Wales|Mascot]], Sydney, by [[Lester Brain|Captain Lester Brain]].<ref name="State Library of New South Wales">{{cite book|title=Captain Lester Brain beside Amy's "Jason"|year=1931|publisher=Ted Hood|quote=information from original catalogue record|url=http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110423419J}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2304553 |title=Miss Amy Johnson |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=4 |issue=813 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=30 May 1930 |access-date=24 May 2018 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> ''Jason'' is now on permanent display in the Flight Gallery of the [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum in London]].

She was awarded the [[Harmon Trophy]] and also the [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in [[George V|George V's]] [[1930 Birthday Honours]] in recognition of this achievement, and was honoured with the No. 1 civil pilot's licence under Australia's 1921 Air Navigation Regulations.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33611 |date=30 May 1930 |page=3481  |supp=y}}</ref><ref name="slwa">{{cite web|url=http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/treasures/brearley/index.htm|title=Brearley Pilot's Licences|work=Treasures of the Battye Library|publisher=[[State Library of Western Australia]]|access-date=15 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010050748/http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/treasures/brearley/index.htm|archive-date=10 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|A de Havilland DH 60G Gipsy Moth ''G-ABDV'', named "Jason III" was given to Johnson on her return to England.<ref name="Science Museum">[http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/amy_johnson.aspx?page=6 "Amy Johnson."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917003512/http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/amy_johnson.aspx?page=6 |date=17 September 2012 }} ''The Science Museum'' (South Kensington. UK), 2013.</ref>|group=Note}}
[[File:Amy_Johnson_and_Jack_Humphreys_visit_to_Japan.jpg|thumb|Amy Johnson and Jack Humphreys visit to Japan, September 1931]]
Johnson next bought a [[de Havilland Puss Moth|de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth]] G-AAZV which she named ''Jason II''. In July 1931, she and co-pilot Jack Humphreys became the first people to fly from London to [[Moscow]] in one day, completing the {{convert|1760|mi}} journey in approximately 21 hours. From there, they continued across [[Siberia]] and on to [[Tokyo]], setting a record time for Britain to Japan.<ref name="Science Museum" />

In 1932, Johnson married Scottish pilot [[Jim Mollison]], who had proposed to her during a flight together eight hours after they had first met. In July 1932, Johnson set a solo record for a flight from London to [[Cape Town]], South Africa in the Puss Moth G-ACAB ''Desert Cloud'', breaking her new husband's record.<ref name="Science Museum" /> De Havilland Co and [[Castrol]] Oil featured this flight in advertising campaigns.<ref>De Vries, G.  ''Wingfield. A Pictorial History'' 1991  pp. 79–80 with photos   {{ISBN|0620159391}}</ref>

[[File:Amy Johnson jason india.jpg|thumb|Amy Johnson and ''Jason'' in [[Jhansi]], India in May 1930]]
[[File:Mollison and Johnson.jpg|thumb|Amy Johnson and Jim Mollison were married on 29 July 1932]]
In July 1933, Johnson and Mollison attempted to fly the [[de Havilland Dragon|de Havilland DH.84 Dragon I]] ''G-ACCV'', named ''Seafarer'',<ref name="Science Museum" /> nonstop from [[Pendine Sands]], [[South Wales]], heading to [[Floyd Bennett Field]] in [[Brooklyn]], New York.<ref>Ignasher, Jim (30 December 2015). [http://www.newenglandaviationhistory.com/tag/amy-johnson/ "Stratford, CT – July 23, 1933."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510041728/https://www.newenglandaviationhistory.com/tag/amy-johnson/ |date=10 May 2019 }} ''New England Aviation History''. Retrieved: 9 January 2016.</ref> They hoped to then fly ''Seafarer'' to [[Baghdad]] in an attempt to gain the record for a non-stop long-distance flight. Running low on fuel and flying in the dark, the pair made the decision to land short of New York. Spotting the lights of Bridgeport Municipal Airport (now [[Sikorsky Memorial Airport]] in [[Stratford, Connecticut]]) they circled it five times before crash landing some distance outside the field in a drainage ditch. Both were thrown from the aircraft but suffered only cuts and gashes.<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1933/07/24/page/1/article/fly-ocean-crash-near-goal "Fly ocean, crash near goal."] ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', 24 July 1933. Retrieved: 9 January 2016.</ref> After recuperating, the pair were feted by New York society and received a [[ticker tape parade]] down [[Wall Street]].<ref name="Aitken" />

In 1934, the Mollisons set a  record time for a flight from Britain to [[India]] in a [[de Havilland DH.88 Comet]] named ''Black Magic,'' as part of the England to Australia [[MacRobertson Air Race]]. They were forced to retire from the race at [[Allahabad]] because of engine trouble<ref name="Science Museum" />

In September 1934, Johnson, under her married name of Mollison, became the youngest president of the [[Women's Engineering Society]], having been vice-president since 1934.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_3a.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011233015/http://www.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_3a.html|url-status=live|archive-date=11 October 2016|title=The Women Engineer, vol 3 p. 309|website=www2.theiet.org|access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref> Johnson succeeded [[Elizabeth M. Kennedy]] in the role.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Woman Engineer vol 3 pg 235 |url=https://twej.theiet.org/twej/WES_Vol_3a.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=twej.theiet.org}}</ref> Johnson was succeeded as President by [[Edith Mary Douglas]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Woman Engineer vol 3 pg 397 |url=https://twej.theiet.org/twej/WES_Vol_3a.html |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=twej.theiet.org}}</ref> She was active in the society until her death.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=The Woman Engineer Vol 5|url=https://www2.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_5.html|website=www2.theiet.org|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref>

On 4 May 1936, Johnson made her last record-breaking flight, starting from Gravesend Airport and regaining her Britain to [[South Africa]] record in ''G-ADZO'', a [[Percival Gull]] Six.<ref>De Vries, G.  ''Wingfield. A Pictorial History'' 1991  p. 99 with photo  {{ISBN|0620159391}}</ref> In 1936, she was awarded the Gold Medal of the [http://royalaeroclub.co.uk/medals-and-awards.php?title=&id=54 Royal Aero Club].<ref name="Aitken" />

She further honed her gliding skills with the Midland Gliding Club, based in Shropshire, which she joined in October 1937, and remained an active flying member until gliding was suspended following the outbreak of the [[Second World War]].<ref name=shropstar>{{cite news|title=Aviation heroine's close shave|work=Shropshire Star|date=20 July 2022|page=24}}Article by Toby Neal, title referred to the gliding accident in Walsall in 1938.</ref> In 1938, Johnson overturned her glider, when landing after a display at [[Walsall Aerodrome]] in England, but was not seriously hurt.<ref name="BCB">[http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News/Helliwells-aircraft-component-factory-at-Walsall-airport.htm "Helliwells aircraft component factory at Walsall airport."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928060551/http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News/Helliwells-aircraft-component-factory-at-Walsall-airport.htm |date=28 September 2011 }} ''Black Country Bugle'', 25 November 2010. Retrieved: 19 May 2013.</ref> Following the accident, she told reporters, "I still declare that gliding is the safest form of flying."<ref name=shropstar/> 

She divorced Mollison in 1937 and reverted to her maiden name.<ref>Smith, Constance Babington (2004). ''Amy Johnson''.  Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press Ltd. {{ISBN|978-0-75093-703-0}}. pp. 312–313.</ref> Johnson began to explore other ways to make a living through business ventures, journalism and fashion. She modelled clothes for the designer [[Elsa Schiaparelli]] and created her a travelling bag sold under her own name.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=About Amy|url=https://amyjohnsonproject.org/aboutamy/|access-date=25 July 2021|website=Amy Johnson Project|archive-date=20 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020011531/https://amyjohnsonproject.org/aboutamy/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1939, Johnson found work flying with the Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation Company, piloting short flights across the [[The Solent|Solent]] and flying as a target for searchlight batteries and anti-aircraft gunners to practise on.<ref>{{cite web|title=Air Transport Auxiliary|url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/archive-exhibitions/wonderful-amy/air-transport-auxiliary/|url-status=live|access-date=21 June 2021|website=www.rafmuseum.org.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621192406/https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/archive-exhibitions/wonderful-amy/air-transport-auxiliary/ |archive-date=21 June 2021 }}</ref>

== Second World War ==
During the Second World War, Johnson's employing company's aircraft were taken over by the [[Air Ministry]] in March 1940. She was served a notice of redundancy alongside all other pilots in the company, as all the aircraft were requisitioned for the war effort. She received a week's pay and a further four weeks' pay of £40 as a redundancy package.<ref>{{cite web|title=Letter of Redundancy|url=https://mk0rafmuseumxfbci8mu.kinstacdn.com/images/online_exhibitions/ac77-23-306a.jpg|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624205249/https://mk0rafmuseumxfbci8mu.kinstacdn.com/images/online_exhibitions/ac77-23-306a.jpg |archive-date=24 June 2021 }}</ref>

Two months later, Johnson joined the newly formed [[Air Transport Auxiliary]] (ATA), which transported [[Royal Air Force]] aircraft around the country. She rose to [[Air Transport Auxiliary#Ranks|first officer]] under the command of her friend and fellow pilot [[Pauline Gower]].<ref>{{cite web|title=ATA Letter of Promotion|url=https://mk0rafmuseumxfbci8mu.kinstacdn.com/images/online_exhibitions/ac77-23-332.jpg|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202000/https://mk0rafmuseumxfbci8mu.kinstacdn.com/images/online_exhibitions/ac77-23-332.jpg |archive-date=24 June 2021 }}</ref> Her former husband also flew for the ATA throughout the war.<ref name="Live">{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/8-unsung-women-explorers-180658286.html |title=8 Unsung Women Explorers.|work=Our Amazing Planet, [[LiveScience.com]]|date= 30 April 2012|access-date= 30 April 2012}}</ref> Johnson described a typical day in her life in the ATA in a humorous article, published posthumously in 1941, for ''The Woman Engineer'' journal.<ref name=":1" />

== Death ==
In a last letter to her friend, [[Caroline Haslett]], on New Year's Day 1941, Johnson wrote: "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!)".<ref name=":1" /> On 5 January 1941, while flying an [[Airspeed Oxford]] for the ATA from [[Prestwick Airport|Prestwick]] via [[RAF Squires Gate]] to [[RAF Kidlington]] near [[Oxford]], it is suggested that Johnson ran out of fuel in adverse weather conditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/archive-exhibitions/wonderful-amy/amys-death/|title=Amy's Death|accessdate=15 January 2025}}</ref> 

Five hours after her departure, a convoy of wartime vessels in the Thames Estuary spotted a parachute coming down and saw a person alive in the water calling for help, witnesses describing the voice as female.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|title=Amy Johnson : queen of the air|last=Gillies|first= Midge|date=2004|publisher=Phoenix|isbn=0753817705|location=London|oclc=56451512}}</ref> Conditions were poor: there was a heavy sea and a strong tide, snow was falling and it was intensely cold.<ref name="Times17May41" /> Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher, the Captain of HMS ''Haslemere'',{{#tag:ref|''Haslemere'' was a small, former ferry that in Royal Navy wartime service was being used as a [[barrage balloon]] ship.|group=Note}} navigated his ship to attempt a rescue.<ref name="Times17May41" /> The crew of the vessel threw ropes out to the person but they were unable to reach them and they were lost under the ship. A number of witnesses believed there was a second body in the water.<ref name=":0" /> 

Fletcher dived in and swam out to this,{{what|poosibly to lump of yellow plywood|date=September 2024}} rested on it for a few minutes and then let go. When the lifeboat reached him he was unconscious and as a result of the intense cold he died in hospital days later.<ref name="Times17May41" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_EfAQAAIAAJ|title=Amy Johnson: Enigma in the Sky|last=Luff|first=David|date=2002|publisher=Airlife|isbn=9781840373196}}</ref> Johnson's watertight flying bag, her log book and cheque book later washed up, and were recovered near the crash site.<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC - A History of the World - Object : Amy Johnson's Flying Bag|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/4TYkXSclTPa-uYX7wGTLww|access-date=25 July 2021|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

A memorial service was held for Johnson in the church of [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]] on 14 January 1941. Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher was posthumously awarded the [[Albert Medal (lifesaving)|Albert Medal]] in May 1941.<ref name="Times17May41">"Heroes Of Air Raids Civil Defence Awards, Rescues In Face Of Danger." ''The Times'' (London), Issue 48928, 17 May 1941, p. 2. Retrieved: 27 December 2012.</ref>

=== Disputed circumstances ===
In 1999, it was reported that Johnson's death may have been caused by [[friendly fire]].<ref name=Gray1999>{{cite news|last=Gray|first= Alison |date=6 February 1999|title= I think I shot down Amy Johnson|newspaper=The Scotsman}}</ref> Tom Mitchell, from [[Crowborough]], [[Sussex]], claimed to have shot Johnson's aircraft down when she twice failed to give the correct identification code during the flight. Mitchell explained how the aircraft was sighted and contacted by radio. A request was made for the signal. She gave the wrong one twice. "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."<ref  name=Gray1999/>

In 2016, Alec Gill, a historian, claimed that the son of a ship's crew member stated that Johnson had died because she was sucked into the blades of the ship's propellers. The crewman did not observe this to occur, but believes it is true.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12085305/Flying-pioneer-Amy-Johnson-chopped-to-pieces-by-Royal-Navy-ships-propeller-historian-says.html |title=Flying pioneer Amy Johnson 'chopped to pieces by Royal Navy ship's propeller', historian says|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|first1= Sophie |last1=Jameson |first2= Patrick |last2=Foster|date= 6 January 2016|access-date= 18 August 2016}}</ref>

As a member of the ATA with no known grave and her body never recovered, Johnson is commemorated, under the name of Amy V. Johnson, by the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] on the [[Air Forces Memorial]] at [[Runnymede]].<ref>[https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1802112/johnson,-amy-v./ "CWGC Casualty Record: Johnson, Amy V.] ''Commonwealth War Graves Commission''. Retrieved: 10 January 2016.</ref>
[[File:ATA_Memorial_Runnymede_taken_on_06Jul2021.jpg|thumb|A memorial for UK Air Transport Auxiliary personnel, who went missing presumed dead during the Second World War]]

== Honours and tributes ==
[[File:Amy Johnson 1903-1941 Aviator lived here.jpg|thumb|[[English Heritage]] [[blue plaque]] at Vernon Court, Cricklewood, London]]
[[File:McDonnell Douglas MD-11 - KLM - PH-KCA - EHAM.jpg|thumb|The [[KLM]] [[McDonnell Douglas]] [[MD-11]] named ''Amy Johnson'']]
[[File:Amy Johnson Building.JPG|thumb|Amy Johnson Building, University of Sheffield]]
In June 1930, Johnson's flight to Australia was the subject of a contemporary popular song, "[[Amy, Wonderful Amy]]", composed by [[Horatio Nicholls]] and recorded by [[Harry Bidgood]], [[Jack Hylton]], Arthur Lally, [[Arthur Rosebery]] and [[Debroy Somers]]. She was also the guest of honour at the opening of the first [[Butlins]] holiday camp, in [[Skegness]] in 1936. From 1935 to 1937, Johnson was President of the [[Women's Engineering Society]].<ref>[http://www.wes.org.uk/?q=content/past-presidents "Past Presidents."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229082319/https://www.wes.org.uk/?q=content%2Fpast-presidents |date=29 February 2020 }} ''Women's Engineering Society.'' Retrieved: 21 November 2010.</ref>

A collection of Amy Johnson souvenirs and mementos was donated by her father to [[Sewerby Hall]] in 1958. The hall now houses a room dedicated to Amy Johnson in its museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sewerbyhall.co.uk/house/ |title=The House |website=Sewerby Hall|access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> 

In 1974, Harry Ibbetson's statue of Amy Johnson was unveiled in Prospect Street, [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] where a girls' school was named after her (the school closed in 2004).<ref>[http://www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/discover/hull_history_centre/our_collections/hull_people/amyjohnson.aspx "Amy Johnson."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315124343/http://www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/discover/hull_history_centre/our_collections/hull_people/amyjohnson.aspx |date=15 March 2012 }} ''Hull History Centre'' via ''hullhistorycentre.org.uk''. Retrieved: 14 December 2010.</ref>

In 2016, new statues of Johnson were unveiled to commemorate the 75th anniversary of her death. The first, on 17 September, was at Herne Bay, close to the site where she was last seen alive,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-37395430|title=Aviator Amy Johnson: Statue unveiled at Herne Bay|date=17 September 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref> and the second, on 30 September, was unveiled by [[Maureen Lipman]] near Hawthorne Avenue, Hull, close to Johnson's childhood home.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-37510715|title=Amy Johnson statue unveiled in Hull|date=30 September 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref> In 2017, ''[[The Guardian]]'' listed this second statue as one of the "best female statues in Britain".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jan/09/britain-statues-women-emmeline-pankhurst-ellen-wilkinson-victoria-wood|title=Britain to celebrate pioneering women with three new statues|last=Pidd|first=Helen|date=9 January 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 May 2019|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

A [[blue plaque]] commemorates Johnson at Vernon Court, Hendon Way, in Childs Hill, London NW2.<ref name="EngHet">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/johnson-amy-1903-1941|title=Blue Plaque – Johnson, Amy (1903–1941)|access-date=1 October 2016|publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> She is commemorated with a green plaque on [[The Avenues, Kingston upon Hull]]. She is commemorated with another blue plaque in [[Princes Risborough]] where she lived for a year.

[[File:Amy Johnson Comet Restoration Centre.jpg|thumb|The Amy Johnson Comet Restoration Centre, 2017]]
Buildings named in Johnson's honour include:
*"Amy Johnson Building" housing the department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the [[University of Sheffield]].
*"Amy Johnson Primary School" situated on Mollison Drive on the [[Roundshaw]] Estate, [[Wallington, London|Wallington]], [[Surrey]], which is built on the former runway site of [[Croydon Airport]].<ref>[http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/leas/sutton/schools/amy-johnson/homepage/home/ "Amy Johnson Primary School."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904122412/http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/leas/sutton/schools/amy-johnson/homepage/home/ |date=4 September 2010 }} ''lgfl.net,'' 2010. Retrieved: 25 December 2010.</ref>
*"The Hawthornes @ Amy Johnson" in [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], a major housing development by Keepmoat Homes on the site of the former Amy Johnson School.
*"Amy Johnson Comet Restoration Centre" at [[Derby Airfield]], where the Mollisons' [[DH.88 Comet]] ''Black Magic'' is being restored to flying condition.
* "Amy Johnson House" in Cherry Orchard Road, [[Croydon]] was named for her; built in the 20th century, it was demolished in the mid-2010s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geograph:: Amy Johnson House, Cherry Orchard Road|url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2632130|access-date=5 January 2022|website=www.geograph.org.uk}}</ref>
* "Amy's Restaurant and Bar" at the Hilton hotels at both London Gatwick and Stansted airports are named after her.

{{Cns|Other tributes to Johnson include a [[KLM]] [[McDonnell-Douglas MD-11]] and, after that aircraft was retired, a [[Norwegian Air UK]] [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|Boeing 787-9]], named in her honour.|date=October 2024}}

"Amy Johnson Avenue" is a main road running northwards from Tiger Brennan Drive, Winnellie, to McMillans Rd, Karama, in Darwin, Australia.

"Amy Johnson Way" is a road linking commercial premises in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, adjacent to Blackpool Airport. It is also the name of a road in Clifton Moor, [[York]].

"Johnson Road" is one of the roads built on the site of the former [[Heston Aerodrome]] in west London.

In 2011 the [[Royal Aeronautical Society]] established the annual Amy Johnson Named Lecture<ref name="RAS">Bossom, Emma (3 June 2011). [http://www.aerosocietychannel.com/2011/06/women-in-aerospace-newsletter-june11/ "Carolynn McCall to speak at inaugural Amy Johnson Named Lecture."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723035308/http://www.aerosocietychannel.com/2011/06/women-in-aerospace-newsletter-june11/ |date=23 July 2011 }} ''Royal Aeronautical Society's Amy Johnson Named Lecture'' via ''aerosocietychannel.com.'' Retrieved: 9 June 2011.</ref> to celebrate a century of women in flight{{#tag:ref|In 1911, Hilda Hewlett became the first British woman to earn her pilot's licence.<ref name="RAS" />|group=Note}} and to honour Britain's most famous female aviator. [[Carolyn McCall]], Chief Executive of [[EasyJet]], delivered the Inaugural Lecture on 6 July 2011 at the Society's headquarters in London. The Lecture is held on or close to 6 July every year to mark the date in 1929 when Amy Johnson was awarded her [[pilot's license|pilot's licence]].

Over a six-month period, inmates of [[Hull Prison]] built a full-size model of the Gipsy Moth aircraft used by Johnson to fly solo from Britain to Australia. In February 2017 this went on public display at [[Hull Paragon Interchange]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-38916959|title=Full-size model of Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth on show in Hull|date=9 February 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=12 February 2017}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Google]] commemorated Johnson's 114th birthday with a [[Google Doodle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/amy-johnsons-114th-birthday/|title=Amy Johnson's 114th Birthday|website=Google Doodle|access-date=1 July 2017}}</ref>

In 2017, the airline [[Norwegian Long Haul|Norwegian]] painted the tail fin of two of its aircraft with a portrait of Johnson. She is one of the company's "British tail fin heroes", joining [[Queen (band)|Queen]] singer [[Freddie Mercury]], children's author [[Roald Dahl]], England's World Cup winning captain [[Bobby Moore]] and aviation entrepreneur Sir [[Freddie Laker]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Caswell|first1=Mark|title=Freddie Mercury unveiled as Norwegian's latest tail fin hero|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2017/07/03/freddie-mercury-unveiled-norwegians-latest-tail-fin-hero/|website=Business Traveller.com|date=3 July 2017|access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Munro|first1=Scott|title=Freddie Mercury's image to appear on Norwegian aircraft|url=http://teamrock.com/news/2017-06-30/freddie-mercurys-image-to-appear-on-norwegian-aircraft|website=Teamrock.com|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|date=30 June 2017|access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref>

A mural reading QUEEN OF THE AIR (which was a nickname the British press gave Johnson) was painted in [[Cricklewood railway station]] to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |first=Nathalie |last=Raffray |url=https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/mural-at-cricklewood-train-station-1-5804443 |title=Cricklewood Station graced with mural of UKs first female pilot Amy Johnson from Roe Green Village &#124; Latest Kilburn and Brent News - Brent & Kilburn Times |publisher=Kilburntimes.co.uk |date=29 November 2018 |access-date=3 December 2018 |archive-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005719/https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/mural-at-cricklewood-train-station-1-5804443 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[St Mary's Church, Beverley|St Mary's Church]] in [[Beverley]], East Yorkshire announced their intention of installing a stone carving of Amy Johnson as part of a programme of celebrating women in the restoration of the stonework of the medieval church in 2021. The other eight figures will include fellow engineer and WES member [[Hilda Lyon]], [[Mary Wollstonecraft]], [[Mary Seacole]], [[Marie Curie]], [[Rosalind Franklin]], [[Helen Sharman]] and [[Ada Lovelace]].<ref>{{cite web|date=21 May 2021|title=Yorkshire church to install stone carvings celebrating women|url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/may/21/yorkshire-church-to-install-stone-carvings-celebrating-women|access-date=31 May 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Burgess|first=Kaya |title=Medieval church puts historic women on a pedestal|newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/medieval-church-puts-historic-women-on-a-pedestal-qzfm8cxwz|access-date=31 May 2021|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Roland Deller|date=21 May 2021|title=Carvings of local heroes and global pioneers commissioned to replace damaged stonework|url=https://stmarysbeverley.org/2021/05/21/carvings-of-local-heroes-and-global-pioneers-commissioned-to-replace-damaged-stonework/|access-date=31 May 2021|website=St Mary's Church, Beverley}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Johnson's life has been the subject of a number of treatments in film and television, some more accurately biographical than others. In 1942, a film of Johnson's life, ''[[They Flew Alone]]'', (released in the US as ''[[Wings and the Woman]]'') was made by director-producer [[Herbert Wilcox]], starring [[Anna Neagle]] as Johnson and [[Robert Newton]] as Mollison.   

''Amy!'' (1980) was an avant-garde documentary written and directed by feminist film theorist [[Laura Mulvey]] and semiologist Peter Wollen. A 1984 BBC television film ''[[Amy (1984 film)|Amy]]'' starred [[Harriet Walter]] in the title role. In the 1991, Australian television miniseries ''[[The Great Air Race (miniseries)|The Great Air Race]]'', aka ''Half a World Away'', based on the 1934 [[MacRobertson Air Race]], Johnson was portrayed by [[Caroline Goodall]].

Johnson earned a passing mention in other works such as the 2007 British film adaption of [[Noel Streatfeild]]'s 1936 novel ''[[Ballet Shoes (novel)|Ballet Shoes]]'', in which the character Petrova is inspired by Johnson in her dreams of becoming an aviator.

In radio, the 2002 [[BBC Radio]] broadcast ''The Typist who Flew to Australia'', a play by [[Helen Cross (author)|Helen Cross]], presented the theme that Johnson's aviation career was prompted by years of boredom in an unsatisfying job as a typist and sexual adventures including a seven-year affair with a Swiss businessman who married someone else.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0076b6g |title=BBC Radio 4 Extra - Helen Cross - The Typist Who Flew to Australia |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=10 September 2018 |access-date=3 December 2018}}</ref>

In music, Johnson inspired a number of works, including the song "Flying Sorcery" from Scottish singer-songwriter [[Al Stewart]]'s album, ''[[Year of the Cat (album)|Year of the Cat]]'' (1976).<ref>Dyer, Kim (29 January 2016), [https://www.alstewart.com/blog.html "Review of 'Flying Sorcery'."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413085234/https://www.alstewart.com/blog.html |date=13 April 2016 }} ''alstewart.com.'' Retrieved: 27 October 2010.</ref>  ''A Lone Girl Flier'' and ''Just Plain Johnnie'' (Jack O'Hagan) sung by Bob Molyneux,<ref>[[National Film and Sound Archive]] of Australia: Songs about Amy Johnson in [http://nfsa.gov.au/collection/sound/sounds-australia/our-heroes-air/ "Our Heroes of the Air."] ''The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.'' Retrieved: 1 January 2014.</ref> and ''Johnnie, Our Aeroplane Girl'' sung by Jack Lumsdaine.<ref>[http://www.nfsa.gov.au/sounds-australia-supplement/our-heroes-air/ "National Film and Sound Archive of Australia: Songs about Amy Johnson; Our Heroes of the Air. ]{{webarchive| url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131153022/http://nfsa.gov.au/sounds-australia-supplement/our-heroes-air/ |date=31 January 2012 }} ''[[National Film and Sound Archive]] of Australia''. Retrieved: 18 May 2012.</ref>  ''Queen of the Air'' (2008) by Peter Aveyard is a musical tribute to Johnson.<ref>[http://www.queenoftheair.co.uk/ "Queen of the Air: Peter Aveyard's tribute to Amy Johnson."] {{webarchive| url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107124415/http://www.queenoftheair.co.uk/ |date=7 November 2007 }} ''queenoftheair.co.uk.'' Retrieved: 24 September 2010.</ref> Indie pop band [[The Lucksmiths]] used a clip of her Australia welcome speech as an intro to their song ''The Golden Age of Aviation''.

More fictionalised portrayals include a ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic story in 2013 titled "A Wing and a Prayer", in which the time-travelling Doctor encounters Johnson in 1930. He tells [[Clara Oswald]] her death is a fixed point in time. Clara realises what's important is that it appears Amy died. They save her from drowning and then take her to the planet Cornucopia.<ref>[http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/07/doctor-who-magazine-463.html "Doctor who Magazine #263."] ''doctorwhonews.net,'' 24 July 2013. Retrieved: 1 January 2014.</ref>

The character [[Worrals]] in the series of books by Captain [[W.&nbsp;E. Johns]] was modelled on Amy Johnson.<ref>{{cite news|title=The blaggers guide to Worrals of the WAAF|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-blaggers-guide-to-worrals-of-the-waaf-8734889.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116102348/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-blaggers-guide-to-worrals-of-the-waaf-8734889.html |archive-date=16 November 2016 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=15 November 2016|work=The Independent|date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

In 2023, screenwriter [[Sally Wainwright]], best known for ''[[Happy Valley (TV series)|Happy Valley]]'', revealed that she was interested in writing a drama about Johnson but "failed to convince" TV channels.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66613996 "Sally Wainwright: Happy Valley creator says TV soaps have become unbelievable."] ''BBC News,'' 25 August 2023. Retrieved: 25 August 2023.</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Amy Johnson Discusses Plans for Her Tour.webm|Amy Johnson discusses plans for her tour
File:Amy Johnson speaks about her England-Australia solo flight.ogg|Amy Johnson speaks about her England-Australia solo flight
File:Amy Johnson seeks Husband's Record.webm|Amy Johnson flying to Cape Town seeking husband's record
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of fatalities from aviation accidents]]
* [[List of female explorers and travelers]]
* [[List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note|30em}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* Gillies, Midge. ''Amy Johnson, Queen of the Air'', London, Phoenix Paperback, 2004. {{ISBN|0753817705}}.
* Moolman, Valerie. ''Women Aloft'' (The Epic of Flight). Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1981. {{ISBN|0-8094-3287-0}}.
* Nesbitt, Roy. "What did Happen to Amy Johnson?" ''Aeroplane Monthly'' (Part 1), Vol. 16, no. 1, January 1988, (Part 2) Vol. 16, no. 2, February 1988.
* Sugden, Philip. ''Amy's Last Flight: The Fate of Amy Johnson in 1941''.  Beverley, East Yorkshire: Highgate Press, 2015.  {{ISBN|978-1-902645-62-9}}
* Turner, Mary. ''The Women's Century: A Celebration of Changing Roles 1900–2000''. Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK: The National Archives, 2003. {{ISBN|1-903365-51-1}}.
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Amy Johnson}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070916181744/http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/amy_johnson.aspx?keywords=amy+johnson Biography of Amy Johnson]  by Science Museum, London
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/articles/2005/10/18/amy_johnson_feature.shtml BBC Humber article on Johnson]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series1/amy-johnson.shtml BBC page on Amy Johnson's death]
* [http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/ The RAF Museum, Hendon, includes another Johnson display]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090611233340/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/amyjohnson.html RAF History page on Amy Johnson]
* [http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1802112/JOHNSON,%20AMY%20V CWGC record]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210534/http://www.historynet.com/magazines/british_heritage/3026906.html Amy Johnson: Pioneer Aviator, Article by LaRue Scott]
* {{cite web|url= http://inspire.eaa.org/2017/03/28/in-case-youve-never-heard-of-amy-johnson/ |title=In Case You've Never Heard of Amy Johnson |date=28 March 2017 |publisher=[[Experimental Aircraft Association]]}}
*[https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/women-engineering#womens-impact-on-engineering Science Museum article on women in engineering including Amy Johnson] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205211945/https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/women-engineering#womens-impact-on-engineering |date=5 December 2021 }}
*[https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8636216/jason-i-de-havilland-dh-60g-gipsy-moth-aeroplane-aircraft de Havilland Gipsy Moth G-AAAH "Jason"] in display at the Science Museum in London
* [https://www.cometracerproject.co.uk/ Comet Racer G-ACSP Restoration]
* [https://sounds.bl.uk/sounds/amy-johnsons-flight--the-story-of-my-flight-1001321402230x000006 British Library – 'The Story of My Flight'] Amy Johnson describes her flight to Australia in a National Sound Archive recording.
* [http://www.britishpathe.com/video/wonderful-amy One minute silent film; close-ups of Amy Johnson speaking. Pathe News, Cape Town, 1932]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120131153022/http://nfsa.gov.au/sounds-australia-supplement/our-heroes-air/ Songs inspired by, and recordings of, famous aviators], including [[Charles Kingsford Smith]], Amy Johnson and [[Bert Hinkler]] talking about their journeys on the [[National Film and Sound Archive]] of Australia's website: "Our Heroes of the Air"

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Amy}}
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