Terry;
This thread is umpleasant, but so has her behaviour been unpleasant. She has made false claims, has accepted awards for acts she did not carry out, various organisations have now tried to cover the fact that she and her team have pulled the wool royally over their eyes.
She is a fraud, a disgrace. You are rapidly becoming badly tainted by association and your preparedness to defend her actions.
I have met Ms T C-T a couple of times before her Africa trip, I didn't like what I met, I thought her a self serving, narcissistic publicity hunter. It seems my first impressions were probably right.
Cetainly when I asked a couple of pertinent questions she ignored me, but then I'm just a 30 year,15000 hour pro pilot unimpressed by someone who makes such idiotic claims, not a member of the upper echelons of either aviation or polite society.
Back before GPS was common place and I-Pads with SkyDemon were everywhere I flew several single engine aircraft from the USA to Sub-Saharan Africa, its' a logistical challenge, but not difficult. And I have flown a Stearman, again its' a challenge, not difficult, unless you are a below average pilot. But then with T C-T's accident record I suspect she is way below average on the piloting front, otherwise why would she need a 10 000 hour instructor in the front seat? Is it because EG saw her flying skills and was not prepared to let her loose alone with his machine?
I do hope we are spared any future aviation claims from this woman. I fly with some damn good lady pilots, but thats' what they are, PILOTS, not making claims to their greatness, or claiming the misogynist card every two minutes.
I personally found her speech to the LAA insulting, and it demonstrated her lack of knowledge of the LAA and the outreach it achieves.
Go ahead, defend her, just don't expect to ever be taken seriously again.
SND