Amelia Earhart Leaves KUSA 9News To Fly Around the World

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From The Denver Post:

Amelia Earhart, 9News

Amelia Earhart, Channel 9 traffic reporter and pilot, is leaving KUSA when her contract is up in April to devote herself to aviation. She made the announcement on her Facebook page.
“It was good timing ahead of the around-the-world flight,” she said Monday. She’ll be on the air until mid-April. The flight, about 100 hours over 14-17 days, is slated for June, depending on weather. Her Channel 9 managers “made it clear fill-in options are open” and 9News will be covering the flight. “We are going to livestream from the cockpit, do interviews from the plane,” Earhart said, noting she’ll be the youngest woman to fly a single-engine around the world as she retraces the route of her hero.
“Now through June, my focus will be on flight training, planning, and preparation for the around the world flight. Beyond the global adventure, I have several opportunities to promote aviation, aerospace and the pursuit of passion and adventure,” she wrote on Facebook.
Earhart, who hedged on the familial link to her namesake for years, in August posted an apology, stating she was not related to the famed aviatrix.
KUSA news boss Patti Dennis said she has known of Earhart’s plan to leave the staff since late last year and has someone in mind to fill the position, not yet hired.
“She’s going full bore into the Amelia Earhart Foundation. She wants to devote herself to aviation.”


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[Rob]

I was told that today was Amelia's last day at KUSA. Amelia's mission this summer: to retrace the same path the original Amelia Earhart took across the world. She'll be writing and posting about her experience the entire time at http://www.flywithamelia.org/ .

[Rob]

Earhart took off on the 26th on her journey around the world. You can see the live tracker (and many sponsors) of her trip at: http://www.ameliaearhartproject.com/

[Rob]

From 9News:

She's been gone for only a week, but our very own Amelia Earhart has already made it halfway around the world.

On Thursday, she met one of our editor's uncles in the Seychelles, and on Friday, she took a rest day in the Maldives Islands for the Fourth of July.

She chatted with the 9NEWS morning crew with via Skype. Watch the video here to hear the latest about her journey.



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[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From The Denver Post:

Amelia Earhart has landed.

The modern-day pilot, that is.

Amelia Rose Earhart, a former traffic and weather reporter at 9News, completed her around-the-world journey about 7 p.m. Friday, landing at an Oakland, Calif., airport.

"In the best way we knew how, we brought Amelia's spirit home safely to Oakland," Earhart tweeted just after landing.

Earhart, who was named after the famous aviator whose disappearance on a flight around the world 77 years ago remains a mystery, left Oakland on June 26.

She stopped in Denver on June 27 for a ceremonial send-off then began her journey in a single-engine Pilatus PC12.

Earhart quit her TV job this year to plan her trip, which covered more than 28,000 miles and 14 countries.

Earhart kept her fans apprised of her whereabouts with regular updates on social media. Live tracking was available on ameliaearhartproject.com.

She posted photos of her airplane, scenes from the cockpit and images of products supplied by her sponsors.

Earhart said the adventure would cost more than $1 million, with fuel costing $50,000.

The biggest logistical challenge was obtaining the necessary international documents, she said. She had to get visas from eight countries, which caused her sleepless nights because any significant delay could have jeopardized the entire trip.

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