Flying ace Amelia Ariston was born 24 July 1897 at her grandparents' home in Atchison, Kansas. She and her sister, Murial lived with them until 1908, enjoying privileges of wealth, attending private schools and the comforts of life. She was also a tomboy who loved hunting, climbing trees and snow sledding.

Amelia did not see her fisrt plane until 1908, however, when the sisters were reunited with their parents in Des Moines, Iowa and attended the Iowa Fair.

It was a thing of rusty wire and wood and not at all interesting...

Amelia trained as a nurse in Toronto, Canada, and served in the Great War until the Armistice in November, 1918. In the fall of 1919, she enrolled as a pre-med student at Columbia University.

Although doing well in her studies, in 1920 she decided to join her mother and father, who had recently united in California. Shortly after her arrival, she and her father went to an "aerial meet" at Daugherty Field in Long Beach, where she had become very interested in flying. The next day, given a helmet and goggles, she boarded the open-cockpit biplane for a 10 minute flight over Los Angeles with famous barnstormer Frank Hawks.

As soon as we left the ground I knew I myself had to fly!

Shortly afterwards, Amelia began flying lessons with pioneer aviatrix Anita "Neta" Snook at Kinner Field near Long Beach. Amelia and Neta took to each other on sight, both having similar backgrounds.

That same year, Amelia purchased a prototype of the Kinner airplane, naming it The Canary. By October, she began participating in record breaking attempts and set a women's altitude record of 14,000 feet.

She joined the Boston Chapter of the National Aeronautic Association and invested money in a company that would build an airport and market Kinner airplanes in Boston. During this time she took full advantage of the circumstances to promote flying, especially for women. She regularly became the subject of columns in newspapers. The Boston Globe called her "one of the best women pilots in the United States."

Soon her life was to change forever. A phone call from Captain H.H. Railey asked, "How would you like to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic?" From that moment on, the sky was the limit for America's sky angel.

And now, here she was, a world famous pilot rubbing shoulders with other celebs at the opulent world famous Hotel Cairo. She was willing to fly anyone anywhere for the sheer adventure of it all.

Fools beware! This sky pilot will suffer no smuggling or other illegal shenanigans aboard her plane. She's a bright, young redhead, quick as a whip and eager to please, but she's not about to flush her reputation down the proverbial drain for any price.