Originally Posted by
flywatcher
Of all the experts who have their theories of where Amelia got to, not one of them is thinking like a pilot. Amelia may have not been the best operator of a Lockheed 10 ever, but she was not stupid.
I think it is a poor choice of words to think of her in terms stupid/smart. She clearly did not do a very smart thing when she overruled her navigator and chose to turn in the wrong direction when approaching Africa - contrary to Fred's advice. It is impossible to miss Africa so it did not have and bad consequences. This mishap is well documented and almost made Fred walk away from this endeavor. He must have realized that he is there only for a ride and his work may not be taken seriously. This could be what happened at the end (as suggested by some historian, not my invention) - his precise navigation instructions were disregarded around Howland Island and this time there was no way out.