Tracey Curtis-Taylor

[CJS]

Not seen this mentioned elsewhere so thought it would be good to flag it up.

Congratulations to her.

No doubt some detractors will point out her vast support teams, wads of cash etc etc... but it's still a superb achievement.

She has arrived safely in Australia and aims to get to Sydney in the next day or 2 by the looks of things. And in a beautiful machine to boot!



http://www.birdinabiplane.com/
https://twitter.com/biplanebird?ref_src ... r%5Eauthor

[MikeG2012]

A great British achievement in a wonderful historic aircraft. Well done! Some amazing photographs.

[sopwithflyer]

It certainly is a great achievement as anyone who has flown in any open cockpit aircraft would appreciate!

[paullangford]

She's ace, met her a few times now........well done TCT !

[WG655]

Journey now completed, well done to Tracey as well as all those involved in supporting the trip.

According to the BBC video I've just seen, Tracey's is already planning for her next flight to be across America later this year.

[Unknown74]

Fantastic achievement, well done.

[st24]

Not seen this mentioned elsewhere so thought it would be good to flag it up.

Congratulations to her.

No doubt some detractors will point out her vast support teams, wads of cash etc etc... but it's still a superb achievement.

She has arrived safely in Australia and aims to get to Sydney in the next day or 2 by the looks of things. And in a beautiful machine to boot!



http://www.birdinabiplane.com/
https://twitter.com/biplanebird?ref_src ... r%5Eauthor

Quite an achievement but she had massive support and wads of cash blah blah.
Has she supported any charities or is it just for personal gratification and recognition??

[TKK 140]

There is likely to be a documentary and a quick visit to the ladies website shows an impressive list of aviation links, including supporting the RN and RM charities.
Think what Tracey has achieved is fantastic.

http://www.birdinabiplane.com/partners/

[nacl1]

Has she supported any charities or is it just for personal gratification and recognition??

Quite right. I'm sure she did it for all the wrong reasons. We need to get back to the world we can admire, full of TV celebreties, Premiership footballers and Big Brother contestants. Heaven forbid that she be included in the next Royal Honours list.

[TKK 140]

Has she supported any charities or is it just for personal gratification and recognition??

Quite right. I'm sure she did it for all the wrong reasons. We need to get back to the world we can admire, full of TV celebreties, Premiership footballers and Big Brother contestants. Heaven forbid that she be included in the next Royal Honours list.

Not!

[CJS]

I detect just the merest hint of sarcasm in nacl1's post

[TKK 140]

I detect just the merest hint of sarcasm in nacl1's post

Me too.

[TIGER TIM]

I detect just the merest hint of sarcasm in nacl1's post

Me too.

Hear Hear

Well done lass

[st24]

Has she supported any charities or is it just for personal gratification and recognition??

Quite right. I'm sure she did it for all the wrong reasons. We need to get back to the world we can admire, full of TV celebreties, Premiership footballers and Big Brother contestants. Heaven forbid that she be included in the next Royal Honours list.

Aren't TV celebrities, premiership footballers (and other talented sports souls who can row a boat a bit or cycle round a stadium) and Big Brother contestants already the main receivers of New Years honours??
Don't get me wrong, it is a massive achievement (okay, not as much as when done in the '20s with no GPS, no support, no SAR coverage, un friendly nations en route, no wx radar to steer round storms etc ...) but given the finance, CV, background, an aeroplane and loads of spare time a lot of people could do this?
I see there's likely to be a documentary which propels it into "celeb" status surely? No, what I am just underlining is that the little people don't always get recognised- you know the guy who cycles from Lands End to John O'Groats in his pants in Winter to raise a few grand for a local hospice or the lady who runs a marathon a day dressed in a muppet costume to raise funds for her daughters cancer treatment.... We're always just too quick to honour and swoon over people who are already fairly well known, rich, privileged and with nothing much else to do...
As I say don't get me wrong, still a huge personal aviation achievement that takes some balls

[Wissam24]

Don't get me wrong, it is a massive achievement (okay, not as much as when done in the '20s with no GPS, no support, no SAR coverage, un friendly nations en route, no wx radar to steer round storms etc ...) but given the finance, CV, background, an aeroplane and loads of spare time a lot of people could do this?

Well...those are the people who did these things back then, too...

[GertrudetheMerciless]

It's probably worth noting here are lots of unfriendly nations now, even the "friendly" ones, particularly a woman. They aren't just armed with pea-shooters now either.

[Traveller]

http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=98342

solo my a***. Absolutely nothing special about this flight from a 'solo woman' perspective. BBC investigating her claims apparently.

[nacl1]

http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=98342

BBC investigating her claims apparently.

Just what the BBC needs to be doing with its time and resources. A couple of journalists writing up some sort of article to keep a bored News Editor off their backs. It's strange, isn't it, how this event has attracted so much criticism. Much of it seems to belie the difficulties of flying a seventy-five year old, open cockpit aircraft to the other side of the world, and much of it stems from those who have never considered the achievement of the event, or possibly even have any sort of flying ability themselves. It's all part of our national makeup. Anything worthwhile or admirable will attract a following of negative comments sooner or later. Of course, those who remember the late Sheila Scott will find none of this surprising.

[st24]

http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=98342

BBC investigating her claims apparently.

Just what the BBC needs to be doing with its time and resources. A couple of journalists writing up some sort of article to keep a bored News Editor off their backs. It's strange, isn't it, how this event has attracted so much criticism. Much of it seems to belie the difficulties of flying a seventy-five year old, open cockpit aircraft to the other side of the world, and much of it stems from those who have never considered the achievement of the event, or possibly even have any sort of flying ability themselves. It's all part of our national makeup. Anything worthwhile or admirable will attract a following of negative comments sooner or later. Of course, those who remember the late Sheila Scott will find none of this surprising.

I'm certainly not knocking the achievement but a solo flight it was not, which is how it has been hyped up as. It would appear that for 90% of the journey her instructor was in the second cockpit and there was a substantial support crew in operation throughout.
I'm reminded of a certain Flt Lt David Cyster who did the same journey in 1978 in a Tiger Moth and he did it SOLO with little fanfare...

[MicrolightDriver]

...I'm reminded of a certain Flt Lt David Cyster who did the same journey in 1978 in a Tiger Moth and he did it SOLO with little fanfare...

Similarly Dave Sykes, a paraplegic pilot who flew a weightshift microlight solo to Australia in 2011 to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

[Brevet Cable]

And from comments on other fora , a female pilot who is planning to do the solo trip properly ( and in a good old Tiger Moth )....
http://amandajharrison.com/
Unfortunately she doesn't seem to be getting even a small percentage of the publicity ( or sponsorship )

[seajet440]

While I would be humble to fall to my feet to those of Ms Curtis Taylor,

Amy was in a frail Gypsy Moth with poor mettalulurgical skills applied to her crude engine, with almost zero nav aids beyond dead reckoning ( maybe the bubble sextant devised by the even more daring Francis chichester ) and it must be said dire risks for a woman landing in foreign places.

Ms Curtis Taylor's acheivement is fantastic - I certainly couldn't have done it - but Amy would I suspect have gladly chewed an arm off for a sturdy Stearman, GPS and 24/7 help.

It's a great and enjoyable flight for a rich lady but there is no comparison.

If you want to see a real story about risky adventurous flying, I would strongly urge anyone who has not seen it to get a copy of

' The Lonely Sea And The Sky ' by Francis Chichester ( later of course Sir Francis ) - which puts things into perspective.

Try Abe Books or Amazon, they'll have copies and it will make any PPL's eye's pop out !

[Traveller]

Goodwood 2015

[flygirl]

Well done lass You did a fab job ! Notice it is only the MALES that knock you ! Jealous chaps I guess !

[Wissam24]

Well done lass You did a fab job ! Notice it is only the MALES that knock you ! Jealous chaps I guess !

I said this somewhere else - I can't help but that feel if she had a couple of things swinging between her legs she wouldn't be getting half the criticism she's got here...sad isn't it?