11. Manning withdrew from the project after the aborted takeoff
With the Electra back in California and both Putnam and Earhart involved in soliciting additional funds to support the project, Manning announced his decision to withdraw. As events turned out, the decision had an adverse impact on the flight. Neither Noonan nor Earhart possessed the radio communication and navigation skills which Manning brought to the plan. Morse communications remained a critical part of airborne navigation over long distances in 1937. Manning offered excellent Morse Code skills, while Noonan’s were rudimentary and slow. Earhart had virtually none.
Earhart had yet to publicly announce the proposed round-the-world flight. After discussions between Earhart, Putnam, and Noonan, an unannounced flight from Burbank to Miami, followed by a public description of the project, took place. Putnam believed the public would follow Earhart’s progress, increasing publicity and raising additional funds for the project. Earhart flew the Electra, with Noonan, to Miami without incident. The route selected again became easterly, following the line of the equator as much as possible. On June 1, 1937, Earhart and Noonan departed from Miami on the first leg of the circumnavigation, bound for Puerto Rico, with the world’s press following her progress and reporting it to their readers.
