The latest news from our intrepid aviator and the Spirit of Artifice.
I am thrilled to announce that the Spirit of Artemis is back in the air.
Ewald Gritsch and his team of Hungarian engineers at 3G Classic Aviation have done the most stupendous job of rebuilding my Boeing Stearman after it was very badly damaged by a crash landing in Arizona in early May.
With the rapid and brilliant support of my global insurance partner, General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), we were able to expedite the airlift of the Stearman back to Europe where the engineers have been working eighteen hour days to get it serviceable again.
We are now about to depart Hungary on the return journey across Europe - a thousand miles with 3-4 fuel stops - to try and make the Farnborough Air Show, which starts on Monday July 11. It is very tight but we should be able to do it pending no mechanical issues and favourable weather. The current conditions look good across Europe but rather less so in England...
Recent events have underscored the importance of having world class service and support behind what is a difficult and sometimes dangerous enterprise. This is, after all, not just a flight but a global outreach programme in parallel with which we are also making a documentary film.
I would like to express my profound gratitude to my principal sponsors - GIC Re, Boeing and Artemis Investments for their loyal support and rousing encouragement at what has been a very anxious and pressured time. I would also like to thank everyone at KM Dastur (my insurance brokers), McLaren Assessors and the FAA of America for their service and consideration in looking after my aeroplane.
Finally, I would like to thank TAG Aviation for welcoming us back to Farnborough. It will be quite a homecoming! The Spirit of Artemis will now be based there and I look forward to seeing all of our wonderful friends and supporters over the summer.
So now we know..."This is, after all, not just a flight but a global outreach programme in parallel with which we are also making a documentary film."
The mind boggles
