Inspired by Amelia Earhart

Anne Fiyalka was not the first young girl to be inspired by Amelia Earhart. The aviator was one of the most famous women of her time. Anne, then a high school student, not only met Earhart, but she flew with her! A short eight months before Earhart’s plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during an round the world flight attempt, Earhart spoke at Anne’s all-girls high school. Her words left a lasting impression on Anne. “She said, it’s not only a man’s world – it’s a woman’s world as well,” recalled Anne, now 101 years old.

An honor student, Anne and two of her classmates were selected to take a flight with Earhart immediately following the assembly. It was an experience of a lifetime and Anne’s first flight. Something she has remembered and recounted all these many years.

So when the opportunity arose to take a turboprop plane out of the same airport and fly over the same territory that she had seen during the Earhart flight, this 101-year-old jumped at the chance. That, my friends, is called living at 100:100 – 100% for literally 100 years or more! Apparently it’s only only a woman’s world, but it’s a centenarian’s world as well!