After the plane was refueled in Khartoum, which took about two hours, Earhart flew to Massawa, on the eastern edge of Africa. The stretch of land they covered that day was diverse: the early part of the day was spent flying over the desert, the stop at Khartoum, and rough air over mountains and a steep trip down. Earhart flew over mountains that gained a crest of about 10,000. After the plane cleared the crest of the mountains, Amelia only had thirty miles to bring the plane down at Massawa; situated near the coast of the Red Sea. From the air, Earhart and Noonan saw that the Red Sea is not red, but blue.
Massawa is one of the hottest cities in the world. On the evening of their arrival, the thermometer read 100 degrees, but it had cooled down towards night. Earhart landed at 12:44 a.m. Rome time; 7:44 a.m. EST. Massawa, in Eritrea, was the last stopping point in Africa, the third continent of the round the world flight.
The Atumlo Airport, Massawa, was good sized with large hangars. The mechanics changed the oil and checked the spark plugs. It had been a long day.
From Massawa, near the shores of the Red Sea, the Electra was headed for Karachi, India, a jump as far as the Atlantic. On the last day of her African journey, June 14th, Amelia and Fred left at 7:30 a.m.; 12:30 a.m. EST, for short trip down the Red Sea coast to Assab, Eritrea, and her last African landing on her flight around the world. The pilot hoped to make Aden, British colony, on the southwestern tip of Arabia, if the weather permitted.
