From the Pilot article linked above:
"I had a support aircraft (Cessna Caravan) and for the most part a fantastic team which included the chase pilot, a logistics manager, an engineer, and a four-man film crew. In terms of my own personal preparation, in truth I did very little." Possibly the most truthful statement heard from T C_T.
Remind me what exactly the disputed award was for, if it wasn't for a widely marketed 'solo' trip that turned out not to be solo?
I love the rearward-facing picture of both pilots flying out over the coast with Ewald's pesky headset stubbornly refusing to get out of shot, ruining an otherwise perfect 'solo' shot.
Despite Ewald turning up like a bad penny in most of the photographs of the flights, he wasn't listed as one of her preferred 'passengers' she wanted to take, which included Bill Sykes, Ian Craig, Prince Harry and Rick McCrary. How thoroughly inconvenient having to put up with Ewald as her last choice 'passenger' for the vast majority of the flights that, by her own admission, she did "very little" preparation for!
A cynic would be forgiven for suggesting that choosing him could have been influenced by his qualifications, experience and skill-set (ATPL, Stearman owner and builder, instructor, navigator, engineer, invisibility cloak when required, sticking to the published story that had grown too big to be allowed to fail, aversion to being in the limelight in direct contrast to T C_T's apparent inability to survive away from it, etc, etc.)
Oh how this story keeps on giving and giving - a victory of ego and desperation for recognition and adoration over honesty and common sense!