Terry has strong links to Boeing so perhaps can answer this question.
Why did the company issue press releases stating that they were sponsoring solo expeditions when clearly they were not?
Here is one from the start of the Africa trip.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov. 4, 2013 – With support from Boeing [NYSE: BA], pilot Tracey Curtis-Taylor has taken off on a 7,000-mile (11,000-kilometer) solo journey, in a reconditioned Boeing Stearman open-cockpit biplane, to retrace Lady Mary Heath’s historic 1928 flight between South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Heath was the first pilot, male or female, to make such a journey.
Curtis-Taylor, a UK-based pilot, departed Cape Town on Nov. 2 with plans to land in Goodwood, near London, in December. She is flying a refurbished 1942 Stearman named Spirit of Artemis, after sponsor Artemis Investments.
“We hope this journey inspires people along the route to learn more about the remarkable history of aviation and the role Boeing has played in the past, as well as the important role we play in African aviation today,” said Boeing Military Aircraft President Chris Chadwick.
Boeing: Boeing Supporting Curtis-Taylor's S. Africa-to-UK Flight in Vintage Biplane
The press release above was used by countless newspapers and media to produce articles such as this.
51-year-old British pilot has taken off on a solo journey to retrace the historic 1928 flight of Lady Mary Heath from South Africa to the United Kingdom.Tracey Curtis-Taylor took off from Cape Town on Nov. 2 in a reconditioned 1942 Boeing Stearman open-cockpit biplane. The primary trainer for the U.S. Air Force, some 8,500 Stearmans were built during the 1930s and 1940s.
“We hope this journey inspires people along the route to learn more about the remarkable history of aviation and the role Boeing has played in the past,” said Boeing Military Aircraft president Chris Chadwick.
A biography posted on the flight website says Curtis-Taylor was born in Britain and spent her childhood in Canada before moving to New Zealand in her early 20s. She has since settled back in Britain.
The Spirit of Artemis has been fitted with cameras and the aircraft is being followed by a film crew in a chase plane.
The footage will become part of a documentary on the flight planned for release early next year.
All photos in this post are courtesy of Boeing and the flight website.
https://exitstamp.wordpress.com/2013...storic-flight/
The article above credits Boeing with all picture copyright and includes this graphic.
Another Boeing press release here during the Australia expedition.
Pioneering Female Aviator Lands in Abu Dhabi in Historic Boeing Bi-Plane
Boeing sponsors solo open cockpit flight from U.K. to Australia
4,000 miles completed of the 13,000-mile journey across 23 countries
Abu Dhabi, November 4, 2015 - Adventurous British female aviator Tracey Curtis-Taylor landed safely today at Al-Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi in her classic 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis. The experienced pilot set off on her intrepid expedition from the U.K. to Australia October 1, aiming to fly 13,000 miles across 23 countries.
Flying in from Saudi Arabia, her arrival in the United Arab Emirates completes 4,000 miles of stick and rudder flying exposed to the elements with basic period instruments. And her plane will be featured as part of the Boeing display at the upcoming Dubai Air Show, which starts on Sunday
Ms Curtis-Taylor is undertaking the flight to celebrate the pioneering days of early aviation in the 1920s and 1930s, and especially the achievements of revolutionary British aviator Amy Johnson. A celebrity of her day, Ms Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1930 and tragically died in mysterious circumstances during World War II flying for the Air Transport Auxiliary.
Speaking on arrival in Abu Dhabi, Tracey Curtis-Taylor said, "For my whole life, I have been moved by the achievements of pioneers like Amy Johnson. My own flight to Australia is the realisation of a burning desire to fly my beloved Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis around the world following in their footsteps.
“I am delighted to have arrived in Abu Dhabi. The flight has already exceeded all my expectations and delivered unforgettable moments and incredible challenges. From nasty European weather delaying us across Romania to the beauty of flying at 100 feet over the desert, every moment is an extraordinary experience. I can’t wait to take my plane to the Dubai Air Show next."
http://www.boeing.com/resources/boei...essRelease.pdf The credit for that press release and contact details
Dana Salloum
Corporate Communications Regional Director- ME & Sub Sahara
Boeing International
+971 4 2134747
[email protected]
It was press releases such as the above that fooled the media hence the solo headlines.
Of course if the truth had been known at the time there would have been no coverage for what would have been seen as a couple of people on an expensive sponsored joy ride.
Boeing have ignored my emails!
The Bird in a Biplane site carries this admission.
I have previously stated they were not “solo flights”. They are all about a collaborative team effort and celebrating the brilliant achievements of women like Amy Johnson and Lady Heath who made history when aviation was in its infancy
So why did she endorse this misleading story?
That was published six months before this interview with the UK Times newspaper.
She admits she could have done more to correct misleading reports that made liberal use of the phrase “flying solo”.
“I wish we’d sorted that misreporting out but I can’t do everything all of the time,”
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bi...solo-k6pgp2crk October 2016