German Aviatrix Elly Beinhorn on her flight from Europe to Australia with Supermarine Southamptons Aviation Art Print by Aviation Artist Roger H. Middlebrook GAvA
Though not as famous as her British and American counterparts, Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart, Elly Beinhorn was a hero in her native Germany and set many records herself.
Born in 1907, Beinhorn started flying through a small family inheritance at the age of 21. Having gained her pilots licence she gave aerobatic displays to keep the finance flowing but was to find her real passion in long-distance flying when, in 1931, she participated in a Science Expedition. While flying over the Sahara desert her aircraft suffered engine failure and she was forced to crash-land, finding her way out with the help of a camel caravan.
She is best known for being the second woman to fly solo from Europe to Australia, after Amy Johnson.
Married twice and having had an outstanding career, Elly Beinhorn died in 2007, having just passed her 100th birthday.
