As I have said before the sad thing about this saga is the way the HCAP and LAA have allowed themselves to be party to the fraud.
I reposted the HCAP letter a few pages back to remind you all of their intention to give her a Masters Medal for what was perceived to be a solo flight from the UK to Sydney.
When the truth emerged they moved the goalposts to something along the lines of furthering or promoting women in aviation. From her website all I see are a few well arranged staged events for the press and media.
Flying a biplane with an airline pilot in the front seat and a backup entourage aircraft carrying luggage and servants is hardly at the Mother Teresa level of charity. In fact it reminds me of how adventure was done back in the days of the British Empire.
Brave, courageous & adventurous solo female pilot “Tracey Curtis” landed in Gwadar & then in Karachi. Having successfully flown from Cape Town to GoodWood in 2013, Tracey Curtis-Taylor is now taking on the challenge of flying her beautiful open cockpit vintage biplane to Australia. Tracey’s flight is in honor of Amy Johnson and her epic solo flight to Australia in 1930 which astounded the world. Where possible, Tracey will be following Amy’s route and reliving the story of her dramatic adventures, reckless bravery and one of the greatest solo achievements in history. It is also pays tribute to the many courageous pioneering aviators of the 1920’s and 30’s who prepared the way for air travel as we know it today. As with the African expedition, the flight to Australia will recreate the essence of the period; open cockpit, stick and rudder flying with basic period instruments and a short range between landing points which will involve frequent stops in some remote parts of the world. A small support crew travelling in a light modern aircraft will record and capture the epic journey and the wonders of crossing three continents in a vintage open cockpit biplane. Day to day news will be posted on an interactive website and the whole adventure will be made into a documentary series for broadcast. There are few period pictures and little in the way of movie records of the early flights, so this documentary footage will not only help to keep the history alive, but will be used to educate a new generation of aviation enthusiasts. In this way, Tracey hopes to provide young people with an enthralling example of adventure that reflects the great achievements of our pioneering forebears.
Or as they say in
PR circles a nice photo op.
The same mantra repeated around the world to the gullible press.
As for empowering women.....all I see is the same old story repeated throughout history
Money often buys status and awards.