I think (not certain) that when Q and Jennifer flew the R44 round the world a couple of years ago, it was the first time it had been done in a piston-engined helicopter. When Jennifer did it alone, she was definitely the first woman to do so in a piston-engined helicopter. Personally I'm losing interest in women's only records, for something where gender shouldn't make any difference anyway (I had a women's only record once - for six months - read on
). But for many people, a record is a record. And has a piston engined helicopter actually been flown around the world via the poles before? I didn't think so, though I'm not certain.
In any case, who cares if it's cutting edge. Jennifer has the helicopter, and the money, and fancies doing it, so why not? If I could afford it, I'd do it too. Actually, if I could afford it, I'd probably start with something easier, like flying round Britain, but I can't even afford that, so it's irrelevant. I doubt very much if Jennifer will care what you call her - adventurer, tourist, or sight-seer - that's all for the world in general, not the person doing it.
I speak to a certain extent from experience, though nothing to do with flying. Some years ago (before I was Whirly) I walked nearly 5000 miles round the coast of Britain. It was a mad idea I'd had for years, and when I had the time and money, I did it. I didn't want to break any records; I fancied seeing the country and being a kind of wandering minstrel, strolling along beaches and chatting in pubs. The reality was often being wet, cold, lonely, sometimes lost, and with sore feet - but I enjoyed it in a bizarre sort of way. But people's reactions? Firstly I was criticised for not raising money for charity. Then there were those who were furious that I didn't care about beating any records ( I had one anyway - for the longest continuous walk in Britain by a woman - for 6 months). Then people thought I shouldn't do it, or should do it some other way, or was some kind of amazing superwoman. It was all weird. I just had a bit of money and time and a mad idea, that was all. But for some reason, I got turned in people's minds into something I wasn't, and they then made me into public property. I rebelled in the end, refusing to do a national TV interview several hours after getting home, and telling my horrified self-styled "manager" ("You just don't turn down the BBC" that I didn't care if it would get me fantastic publicity for the book I might write - I'd had enough!!!
Which is all probably why I empathise with Jennifer (while being madly jealous too) and wish her lots of luck, and don't try to say why she's doing it or put labels on her.