Record of Amy Johnson’s flights goes online in new transcript of her logbook

Covering the years from when Amy was learning to fly until just before the outbreak of the Second World War, the log book includes details of all of Amy’s famous record breaking flights, including her solo flight to Australia in 1930 – the first by a female pilot.

The original document is in Sewerby Hall and is on display as part of the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of Amy’s historic flight to Darwin. Visitors can see the real thing in the West Wing Gallery, along with objects presented to Amy in Australia and at home to celebrate.

Said Dr. David Marchant, museums registrar with the council: "Amy’s log book includes lots of fascinating details, including the names of places she flew to, which aircraft she was in, flying times and various additional comments such as the weather and the names of passengers.

“It’s certainly been a challenge to transcribe, as Amy’s handwriting is quite hard to decipher at times. The document was something she had to fill in as a qualified pilot, but the way she completed it says a lot about her personality, I think.

"It also reveals her love of flying for its own sake – she often puts ‘joy riding’ down as the reason for a flight. At times she simply ‘forgot’ to fill in the log book for weeks at a time and then had to estimate what flying she’d done so there were no gaps. I reckon Amy was a bit bored with rules and regulations at times and found completing the record a bit of a chore!

“Over the years, we’ve had many enquiries about whether Amy had visited a particular place, so this transcript will hopefully be of benefit to those researching Amy’s flying history. We hope to have high quality images of some of the pages of the log book added to our website in the future.”

Sewerby Hall and Gardens curator Janice Smith said: “Sewerby Hall and Gardens is unique, in that it holds the entire collection of objects and memorabilia collected by Amy and donated to Sewerby by her father. People can also read the fascinating text 90 years since Darwin on Sewerby Hall and Gardens’ website: www.sewerbyhall.co.uk