Amy Johnson: Last Flight Out

A stunning one-woman show inspired by record breaking aviatrix, Amy Johnson, will touch down at Lowther Pavilion's brand new Chapman Studio on Wednesday 9th April

Written and performed by Jenny Lockyer, directed by Vern Griffiths. On the 5th May, 1930, a small green Gipsy Moth aeroplane called 'Jason' took off from Croydon Aerodrome, Britain's only international airport at that time. It was to be a record-breaking solo flight to Australia that would capture the imagination of the world and make an international superstar of its pilot, Amy Johnson.

2025 is the 95th anniversary year of Amy's incredible flight to Australia. In the lead up to the anniversary month of May, a stunning one-woman show, 'Amy Johnson : Last Flight Out' has been touring the UK on a national 'Flying High Tour' mixing performance and discussion, and introducing Amy's incredible story to new audiences. The show celebrates record-breaking pilot, Amy Johnson, who in her own words was 'an ordinary woman who has achieved extraordinary things'.

Supported by Arts Council England, the Flying High Tour has visited Amy's home county of Yorkshire including Sheffield where Amy went to University and will finish in Hull where Amy was born. Other stops include Herne Bay where Amy died and Croydon, home to Croydon Aerodrome where Amy took off on her adventure to Australia 95 years ago this May.

The show is also stopping at Lytham St Annes, near to Blackpool Airport where Amy took off on the last day of her life and is accompanied by a children's morning plane making workshop and a post show Q&A featuring local project, Saving Amy. Jenny Lockyer, writer and performer of ‘Amy Johnson: Last Flight Out’, said: 'With this national tour I wanted to take the show to more places pertinent to Amy's life.. re-visiting Croydon and Herne Bay where the show premiered originally but also as near as possible to Squires Gate in Blackpool, Sheffield where she went to university and Hull where Amy was born. I'm thrilled that at Lytham St Annes I'll be joined by the Saving Amy project for the Q&A, giving an opportunity to raise awareness of different kinds of projects inspired by Amy and keeping her legacy alive.'

Saving Amy is a project led by Eric Watkiss. He and a team of dedicated volunteers are restoring to ground running condition an Airspeed Oxford aeroplane, the last plane Amy flew as a delivery mission for the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary). Based at Hangar 42 at Blackpool Airport the project is going from strength to strength.

The show has a guide age of 14+ but it has inspired a vast body of work in schools with Jenny leading educational workshops for younger audiences exploring Amy’s legacy and the engineering side of Amy's career. Jenny said, ‘It’s been almost a hundred years since Amy's incredible flight to Australia and Amy’s story is still as relevant and exciting as ever. Understanding how we can bring our ideas to
reality is not just the basics of engineering but inspires all kinds of other decisions in our lives.

My aim is to explore with audiences of all ages how Amy had a dream and made it happen. In this show, the audience meets Amy in a world of mixed memories, desires, and ambitions. Born in 1903, the year the Wright Brothers made the first powered flight, Amy Johnson grew up in an age in which the romantic heights of flying would capture her heart. She would become the first British woman to qualify as a ground engineer and at just 26 years old, the first woman in the world to fly solo from England to Australia.Amy lived for adventure and the future of aviation.

In January 1941, at the age of just 37, Amy was killed while serving her country on a routine flight for the Air Transport Auxiliary, bailing out over the Thames Estuary at Herne Bay. In her short life she achieved many great things and this 'lone girl flier' achieved them while faced with challenges of all kinds. As we find out about her life, we start to see how the pieces fit and the tools Amy used to bring her dreams to reality. Professor Dawn Bonfield, president of the Commonwealth Engineers' Council, described the show as a 'one woman masterpiece'. She said, ‘It’s a celebration of the amazing achievement of Amy Johnson, but also an inspiration to anybody who has ever had a dream.’

Each performance on this tour is followed by a Q&A exploring the theme of ‘aspiration’ and Jenny has secured secure funds to support accompanying creative workshops in schools and show venues and collaborate with historians and aviators inspired by the amazing Amy Johnson.