As a regular listener to BBC Radio 4, often including Libby Purves's
Midweek chat-show on Wednesdays (okay, maybe I'm a sad git...), I heard this morning's interview with Tracey Curtis-Taylor.
She demonstrated her well-known and sponsor-attracting ability verbally to promote herself and her claimed exploits in a pleasant, articulate, pseudo-modest delivery. She persuaded her audience that in various respects her flight to Australia was beset with more challenges than were faced by the pioneering predecessor she claims so much to admire. The highlight of her tale, of course, centred around the take-off (WAT-related) accident at Wilmslow, Arizona, the way she had handled it as PF, the resulting damage to the (male) Stearman, and her plans for the repairs in Hungary.
As I see has already been mentioned on our sister thread in the Private Flying forum, however, Ms Curtis-Taylor appeared momentarily and unintentionally to acknowledge the reality of the flight-crew complement at the time of the accident, quickly correcting herself and moving on. The whole programme is, as I write, available on BBC I-player Radio:
BBC Radio 4 - Midweek, Adam Henson, Tracey Curtis-Taylor, Paul Spike, Joe Langdon.
The interview-proper starts at 02:23. Her momentary lapse comes at 12:22.
Bearing in mind that the I-player recording may only be available for a few weeks, and for the benefit of future readers, here is a rough transcript, starting at 12:18:
Curtis-Taylor:
"...the only part that is really intact is.. is the fuselage..."
Purves;
"And the pilot!"
Curtis-Taylor:
"...and the two p... - you know; the pilot, and my.. and my crew, so it was.. it was ter..."