10. Fred Noonan mapped much of the Pacific for Pan Am
During his career with Pan American World Airways, Fred Noonan developed the reputation of being a superior celestial navigator. He planned most of Pan Am’s Pacific routes in operation at the time of Earhart’s proposed flight, and held a position of esteem amongst aviators. He also held the reputation of a womanizer (recently divorced and quickly remarried) and heavy drinker. Introduced to Earhart through mutual acquaintances, he recognized the publicity value of the flight and its potential benefits to the navigation school he planned to establish, having already left Pan Am.
The circumnavigation began with a flight from Burbank to Honolulu, the Electra encountering several problems on the first leg. Mantz corrected them while at Luke Field, on Ford Island. On March 20, 1937, Earhart attempted to take off from Luke Field, though problems with the aircraft forced her to abort, damaging the aircraft when the landing gear collapsed. Both propellers struck the runway, bending them and damage occurred to the fuselage. Earhart and Mantz shipped the aircraft to the United States for extensive repairs. Mantz wrote pilot error caused the aborted take-off; Earhart claimed a blown tire started the accident chain which resulted in the accident.
