Amy Johnson, a female aviator, lands in Cape Town in record time

Amy Johnson obtained her pilot's license from the London Aeroplane Club in 1929. After purchasing a second-hand aircraft, she made history by becoming the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia. In 1931, Johnson and her co-pilot became the first aviators to fly from London to Moscow in one day. They also succeeded in setting a record for flying from England to Japan. Johnson then attempted a solo flight from England to Cape Town, which she completed in July 1932. On 18 November 1932, she arrived in Cape Town on another solo flight, beating her own previous record by over ten hours.  After breaking a number of solo and duo records, Johnson and her aviator husband Jim Mollison flew non-stop from Wales to the United States. The aircraft ran out of fuel and crash-landed in Connecticut, injuring both of them. After their recovery, they achieved a record flight from Britain to India. Johnson's final record breaking flight was to South Africa in 1936. During the Second World War, Johnson became a first officer for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which was intended to transport aircraft around the country.  In 1940, on flight to Oxford for the ATA, Johnson was caught in a bad storm and after steering off course, escaped from the aircraft and landed in the Thames Estuary. She drowned as a result of a failed rescue attempt and her body was never recovered. The events leading to Johnson's death are still a mystery. There is no doubt, however, of the great contribution she made to the field of aviation.