There's a new Amelia Earhart — literally — taking to the skies

It's 1937 all over again: Amelia Earhart just left Oakland, California, in her single engine plane, ready to circle the globe.

This Amelia Earhart is no relation to the aviation pioneer who disappeared in the Pacific while attempting to circumnavigate the world, but is instead a 31-year-old traffic and weather reporter looking to follow in the footsteps of her namesake. "I did to a certain extent feel like I needed to become a pilot," she told NBC News.

Earhart will fly about 23,000 miles — 80 percent of that over water — and make 17 stops in 13 countries. It will take close to three weeks to complete the journey, and she will share the cockpit with co-pilot Shane Jordan. If Earhart makes it to the end, she will be the youngest woman ever to fly around the world in a single engine plane.

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The aviatrix hopes that the Amelia Earhart spirit will inspire others to follow their dreams. "There are still adventures to be had and things for people to get excited about," she said. Track her progress at The Amelia Project. --Catherine Garcia