England to Australia Flight Arrives in Darwin
 

Well done Tracey Curtis - Taylor:ok:

From ABC

Adventurer Tracey Curtis-Taylor's England-to-Australia solo flight a homage to aviation pioneer Amy Johnson - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

This is an epic adventure, and I take my hat off to her.

But in all the photos and footage I have seen, there is two heads in the aircraft. I Am cynically questioning much of it was actually solo.

Agree outnabout. I just looked at her web site and any photos that show both cockpits show two heads. Solo is mentioned several times in the ABC report. I wonder what her definition of solo is?


For me, the guy that just flew his Searey around the world really did it solo.

Two crew? :confused:

She's had a few mentions in the past on this site and elsewhere re the authenticity of her claims.

p.s. A tip: Just don't park your chopper anywhere on an airfield when she's around. :E

There's lots of photos and video available of Tracey Curtis-Taylor solo on the ground. But I have yet to find any of her solo in the air. Has anyone? She appears to favour flying from the rear seat too.

On CHANNEL NEWSASIA, 17th Dec 15 She was quoted thus:

"Up over the beach at 50 feet; over the desert that's a couple of hundred feet, over the temples of Bagan, it's absolutely epic flying. You're only a couple of hundred feet above the ground", she said.

Certainly quite an adventure.

People seem keen to cut down a tall poppy. Just because there are two heads it doesn't mean two pilots. One pilot means solo. In one story on line, she mentions that she sometimes takes sponsors and support crew for a ride. She can even remove one of the control columns and it's solo.

Gerry111, the Stearman is flown from the rear seat, maybe that's why she favours it. It's the seat with the starter button.

Fujji, the definition of solo is: "a thing done by one person unaccompanied". So if she is going to use the term solo perhaps she should fly alone?

Cloudee, if you take a non pilot friend for a flight, do you consider it dual?

Thank you, Cloudee. I obviously have no familiarity with Boeing Stearmans, so was unaware that they are flown from the rear seat where the starter button is.

Fujii, your points are well made. And I agree with you.

But I remain fascinated that I can't find a video or photo of her flying alone.

I'm with Cloudee that a solo flight is always made unaccompanied.

fujii, I don't know about this flight but there is a fair bit of evidence for her "solo" Cape Town to London flight that she had significant planning and preparation support at each stop over as well on some legs having a lead aircraft to follow and or had another pilot on board to help out. Hardly what called be called solo.

No wonder there's a few sceptics.

I think this flight is being billed as recreating Amy Johnson's flight. To me that means as much as possible doing it with the same technology and methods as Amy used. I somehow suspect that hasn't happened on this flight. Re tracing the route might be a more appropriate description.

For me, in this context, "solo" is more akin to Dick Smith's SOLO around the world flight in his helicopter - just him and his VH-DIK.
Good on her and all, but to me, this lady ain't "solo"...

I thought that Amanda Harrison was attempting to beat her to Australia in a more appropriate aircraft, a Tiger Moth. She was intending to be virtually unsupported and definitely solo. However, her start keeps being delayed, I suspect because of sponsorship problems.

Captain Amanda J Harrison | Race2Darwin| Tigermoth

I suppose it puts the original Amy Johnson achievement into perspective when we hear all the tribulations of the modern fliers.

In one word, farefield..
YEP!

[...and a cast of just how many in the background?

Not many, not anywhere near as many as this lady, if I recall correctly.
I could be wrong... Has happened before...

In these days of GPS, sat phones, modern maps, satellite imagery, vastly increased infrastructure, relatively wide availability of SAR etc, I don't rate round the world trips much any more. Sure there might be some decent ocean crossings etc, but ferry pilots do them routinely, without all the hoo-haa. I reckon just about anyone with sufficient planning and backing could do it.

Fujji, when I take a non pilot friend for a flight I do not consider it dual. I log it as in command. I am not solo however, unless I fly by myself.