The story of Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated 1937 solo flight around the world is the stuff of legend, including urban legend. The rumors that Earhart might still be out there somewhere, surviving on an island, waiting to be found, have fueled stories ever since.

Earhart is known most readily for the flight that did not make it. But she was already a legend in her time for the flights that did. She completed a trans-Atlantic solo flight in 1932, making her the first woman to fly solo across the atlantic Ocean. She was a guest at the Hoover White House, a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, and a celebrity across the nation. She championed women’s causes, particularly when it came to voting rights and the Equal Rights Amendment.

But now Amelia Earhart wants to fly again. Not that Earhart. A new one.

Amelia Rose Earhart, who is no relation to the original Amelia, but is named for her, is also a flyer.

“Not a day goes by that I am not asked if Amelia Earhart is my real name,” Earhart says. “Each and every time I am asked, I’m honored to be able to say yes.”

Now this Amelia Earhart is embarking on a flight very similar to the one the original groundbreaker took. This time, Amelia hopes to become the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine aircraft.

Modern-Day Amelia Earhart Sets Off to Circle the Globe http://t.co/7Ulj0hVzrJ via @NBCNightlyNews pic.twitter.com/2PHPa0Gg5p

— NBC News Travel (@NBCNewsTravel) June 26, 2014

This Earhart has quite a few technological advantages that her predecessor did not. Things are much safer, obviously. But there is also the added element of social media. As Earhart makes her flight, she wants to take the world along for the ride using the hashtag #flywithamelia.

Her updates look like this:

Flying over Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Clear skies, 20 kt crosswind, and a whole lotta ocean ahead! http://t.co/SRVktAqFkr

— Amelia Earhart (@Amelia__Earhart) June 28, 2014

Earhart’s website, Fly With Amelia, tells more about her ambitious undertaking.

“By recreating and symbolically completing Amelia Mary Earhart’s flight around the world, I hope to develop an even deeper connection to my namesake and also encourage the world to pursuer their own adventures. Amelia believed that, ‘adventure is worthwhile in itself’ and it is that type of attitude that spurs us to seek the unknown, push our limits and fly outside the lines.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons