Telling viewers of Denver NBC affiliate KUSA, “Nothing’s ever as simple as we want it to be,” KUSA traffic reporter Amelia Earhart admitted she is not related to Amelia Earhart, the legendary aviatrix.
“As many of you may know, I am in the process of recreating her historic flight around the world,” Earhart posted to facebook. “As a part of this process, it became clear it was time to determine the EXACT connection between the two of us. After hiring a team of researchers, I learned today that though we share a name and a love of flight, the first Amelia Earhart and I are not from the same family.” You can see the video of her announcement after the jump.
The traffic reporter Earhart, who previously claimed a distant family connection to the female aviation pioneer and spoke of it recently during an interview on NBC’s “Today” Show, told viewers on facebook while the news was a “jolt,” she intends to forge ahead with plans to honor Amelia Earhart’s fateful 1937 flight by flying around the world in a single engine plane. See the video inside.
The pioneering aviatrix disappeared in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Howland Island during her flight.
KUSA’s Earhart plans to use the trip to bring attention to her foundation, The Fly With Amelia Foundation, which helps young girls pursue their dreams of flight.
Here’s Amelia’s Earhart’s admission on KUSA.