Articles

Project Management Advice from Amelia Earhart

By Sandi Smith

In 1937, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to attempt to fly around the world. She made it three-quarters of the way when things went terribly wrong over the Pacific, and she lost her life during this historical event. What went wrong? Could what we know about project management today have saved her? I believe so, and here's why.

Selecting Resources for Her Project

Earhart constantly needed to raise funds for her flights, and the round-the-world trip was no exception. When choosing the plane for her flight, she did not have much selection in the 1930s. The Lockheed Electra was specifically designed for short hops, exactly the opposite of what Amelia needed. The Electra was painted black and a dull gold, the color of Purdue, a sponsor. In hindsight, a bright orange would have allowed her plane to be seen from a longer distance.

She needed to choose a navigator as well. She chose Fred Noonan, who was skilled in navigation, but had never taken such as extensive journey. Noonan, according to historical accounts, had trouble limiting the amount of alcohol he drank. Plus, Earhart simply didn't like him.

Did Earhart have the skills to complete the project? One large weakness was her radio experience. In her defense, radio communications were new, so very few people had these skills.

Planning the Route

It was Earhart's husband who came up with the idea of her landing on Howland Island. In May 1936, the US government gained control of Howland as well as two other nearby islands, Jarvis and Baker. They were able to arrange for the government to build a scratch-grade runway on the tiny sand bar in the Pacific. The problem was that it would be a needle in a haystack to find in the vast waters of the Pacific, given the navigation tools of the day.

Was Howland island the best possible route? It certainly wasn't the least risky. There were plenty of islands between Lae, Papua New Guinea and Howland Island, including the outer islands of Papua New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, Nauru, Kiribati Islands, Marshall Islands, and Fiji and the Cook Islands. Most of these islands were not affected by the war - yet. The latter two choices would have taken her decidedly south, but still in range of Hawaii. All of these chains had numerous islands, even though most of them wouldn't have had landing strips in the 1930s.

Without exception, in filing a fight plan today, pilots have to select an alternate airport. Earhart had no alternate island on her route from Papua New Guinea.

The Fatal Flight

Earhart left Lae, Papua New Guinea at 10:22 a.m., with an ETA of 6:15 a.m. over Howland. At the Equator, sunrise is at 6:00 a.m. She planned her flight in the dark so she could benefit from celestial navigation. However, shortly after sunrise, when she was to reach Howland, the sun would still be so low in the sky that even if the island was directly below her, she might not have seen it because of the glare.

From roughly 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., the Navy could hear Amelia's radio messages but she could not hear the Navy. She didn't stay on the transmission long enough for them to get a fix on her. She only radioed them her position once. It was probably incorrect anyway.

Did Earhart plan well? Could you have done better?

Did Earhart have the right emergency equipment? Today, pilots flying over water must have rafts, water, food, emergency locators, and survival suits for cold water.

The Search

Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were the subjects of the most extensive mass rescue attempt for a single lost plane in history. Over 16 days, 4,000 men searched 250,000 square miles of the Pacific in 10 ships and 65 planes with no results. Although the mystery of her disappearance is unsolved today, the logical conclusion is that she ran out of gas before she found Howland Island. She likely ditched in the Pacific and drowned as the plane sunk into the 13,000-feet deep waters.

We can learn many valuable project management lessons on risk, planning, preparation, teamwork, and expertise from Earhart's costly mistakes.

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