It is one of the most famously daring solo flights ever undertaken – generating worldwide admiration for pioneering woman pilot Amy Johnson, whose tragically early death 11 years later only added to her mystique. Now, 85 years after Johnson flew alone in a primitive biplane from England to Australia, a British woman is about to take to the skies in an almost equally perilous reconstruction of the journey.
Tracey Curtis-Taylor will embark on the epic flight in an antique, open-cockpit biplane very similar to the Gipsy Moth flown by Johnson in 1930
This modern-day aviatrix leaves from Goodwood in West Sussex today (1st October), after a year of negotiating her safe passage and securing financial backers, she will take the controls of a prized 1942 Boeing Stearman called Spirit Of Artemis, which reflects the derring-do of that period: a cockpit open to the elements, stick-and-rudder steering and basic navigation instruments.
Because of the much altered political situation, the self-styled ‘bird in a biplane’ will not always be able to follow Johnson’s more direct 19-day 10,000 mile route, which was largely over the then British Empire, as she will have to skirt around countries such as war-torn Syria and Iraq, elongating her journey to nearly 13,000 miles over three to four months.
Despite improvements to air safety, her journey will nevertheless be fraught with bureaucratic, political and physical perils, with 50 refuelling stops on the way and many potentially touch-and-go landings on strips in remote parts of the world.
The 13,000-mile route will take her through 23 countries, including parts of the Middle East, and she plans to land in Sydney in January, the 75th anniversary of Johnson’s mysterious death in 1941.
The original journey captured the imagination of the world and Johnson became an overnight sensation at the age of just 26, winning plaudits from royalty, the press and the public. Now Ms Curtis-Taylor, similarly clad in a vintage flying suit, will relive many of her legendary predecessor’s experiences – with the backing of The Mail on Sunday, which will carry regular reports of her progress.
Good luck Tracey I wish you a trouble free safe journey
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