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Old 19th Aug 2016, 21:41
  #961 (permalink)  
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HCAP damage limitation should have clicked in months ago.

Considering the skills of those involved in the organisation the old fashioned 'say nothing and it will go away method' no longer works in a modern internet connected society.

There are wider issues to this debacle such as how the UK royals became involved with this aviation con trick.

The newspapers will have fun with this.

Without a doubt it is easy to connect the Royal Family with Tracey Curtis Taylor and sponsors Boeing Aerospace and Artemis plus all the key players such as the LAA and HCAP. They have been giving her awards for so called solo flights which in fact were with an Austrian airline pilot (who built the aircraft) sitting in the front seat.

As I have illustrated on this thread before there are clear connections to Boeing via Marshalls Aerospace. Robert Marshall is a former partner of Tracey Curtis Taylor and a former director of her company Bird in a Biplane.
Both shared the same home address and were directors of the same company.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...filing-history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha..._Defence_Group

Marshall Aerospace is one of Boeings biggest UK military clients.

Boeing Honours Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group for Exceptional Performance | Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group

Zara Phillips is the Queens granddaughter and married to Mike Tindall who is a 'Brand Ambassador' for Artemis who are the major sponsors of Tracey Curtis Taylor.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mike-tindall-12771478

The Queens cousin is Prince Michael who along with being a liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilot is also patron of the Light Aircraft Association.

The LAA awarded TCT a navigation award. Later reports uncovered facts that she flew the route from Cape Town to Farnborough with commercial airline pilot Ewald Gritsch in the front seat and with both having ipad navigation aids.

However the LAA have refused to retract the award although now the truth is now known.

The chief exec of the LAA is Steve Slater who is also a liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

The patron of the HCAP is Prince Phillip, the Grand Master is Prince Andrew.

Tracey Curtis Taylor has achieved very public support from Prince Michael (as displayed in previous pictures I have posted here) which coincides with Robert Marshall resigning from Bird In A Biplane Ltd in 2013.

However it is always worth posting another picture you may have missed.

Here is TCT with Prince Michael at Brooklands

On the 3rd of August 2014 Peter Burton who was operating our Radio Station GB1BM, was surprised to see Lord Trefgarne arrive with HRH Prince Michael of Kent and Aviator Tracey Curtis-Taylor. It seemed Lord Trefgarne (a keen aviator himself) wanted to show his two fellow pilots some of the work we are doing to restore Brooklands place in the history of Aviation Communications.

They had all been guests at the Brooklands Museum Great War Centenary event, where many pre 1918 vehicles were allowed to parade and drive on the banking. The video recording of this visit and other events on the same day can be seen here
Prince Michael is Honorary Vice Admiral of the Royal Naval Reserve. Tracey Curtis Taylor is honourary Lt Commander of the RN Reserve.

Prince Michael is also involved with the Army Air Corps Museum at Middle Wallop and here he is being collected from Battersea Heliport with TCT.

I had a brilliant visit with Prince Michael of Kent to the Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop, Hampshire on January 28th.We flew in a Lynx helicopter from Battersea Heliport on a freezing blustery day, and were given a tour of the museum and told about their very exciting development plans. Had a great lunch with the museum team and their VIP guests, and also caught up with a few old friends who were there to support the occasion. I intend to take the Stearman back to Middle Wallop in the spring. It is
a fantastic place, I can't recommend a visit highly enough.
date Jan 15 source Tracey Curtis Taylor - Aviatrix, Adventurer, Inspirational Speaker

Prince Michael will ,with nephew and patron Prince Andrew ,be at the HCAP awards dinner in October. At that premier event Tracey Curtis Taylor, a 1600 hour UK private pilot will stand alongside UK spaceman Tim Peake when both will receive a Masters Medal.

Tim will get his for six months in space.

TCT will get hers for achieving lots of print space in newspapers around the world who were misled in to thinking she was a solo 'aviatrix' when in fact it was only a reality tv promo trip.

The award to TCT has been buried way down on their main press release but here is is.
https://www.airpilots.org/file/2365/...nners-2016.pdf

Amazing she is above Tim Peake in the running order.

No one will dare ask why she will receive such a prestigious award for sitting in a restored biplane with a 20,000 hour airline pilot up front. I say no one but there are a few journalists out there who are a bit upset about being part of this con trick of "solo aviatrix'.

The picture below of her arrival in Sydney says it all. I just wonder why members of the HCAP and the LAA are so blind. Without stating the obvious gentlemen can you look at this picture with Ewald Gritsch in the front seat and not agree you have all been well and truly conned?

Last edited by Mike Flynn; 19th Aug 2016 at 23:38.
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Old 20th Aug 2016, 07:53
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Marketing.

The gap between what you are told is being sold, and what you are actually being sold...

A gap which can range from insignificant (even non-existant) to fraudulent.
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Old 20th Aug 2016, 12:41
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I don't think that you are supposed to understand what TC-T has done, but there can be no doubt that she has done it, and quite well it would seem.
[To receive an award]

And here in perhaps lies the distinction which has been overlooked:

Unlike a license, degree (real), rank (in the real public service) or "public" award, which is issued upon demonstration of skills against a uniform public standard, we are otherwise referring to an award which is a "private" acknowledgement of something, which the private entity wishes to acknowledge - their way. They are free to do so - though the value could be perceived differently....

Such "private" award does not have to stand to the test of "understanding" by non participants - it is not required to meet any public standard of objectivity.

I trust that a formal rank (in the military, or public service sense) or award in the realm of OBE is presented based upon an objective and auditable process. I do know that a person in Canada was prosecuted because he wore a military uniform displaying rank and awards to which he was not entitled. I think that this was entirely appropriate, as his doing so very much dishounoured those people who earned those distinctions with their hard work and honest, honourable behaviour. But, his offense was relative to a national recognition, rather than a private one.
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Old 20th Aug 2016, 21:16
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Amy Johnson in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, July 1930.


Amy Johnson and Jason in Jhansi, India in 1932



Look on this picture, and on ....? (note the similarity between poses).

The Genuine Article CBE..............'Nuff said.

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Old 20th Aug 2016, 23:59
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I can't see many people who have reached the rank of Lt Cmdr in the RN being pleased at TC-T being so easily slotted in to such a position.
I don't imagine anyone in the RN will be particularly interested. TC-T has not been 'slotted into such a position', she has merely been awarded an honorary rank in the RNR, something akin to an 'officer' in the Sea Cadet Corps. Mind you, a cursory reading of BR3(2) does make one wonder how she ever qualified for such an award and how she can now continue to hold it. (see para 0226 (a) and (d) respectively)
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Old 21st Aug 2016, 01:54
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an honorary rank in the RNR, something akin to an 'officer' in the Sea Cadet Corps
I don't think the RNR, who serve alongside full-time RN, would appreciate being compared to Sea Cadets, no matter how worthy the cadet organisation.

I don't imagine anyone in the RN will be particularly interested
I'm not 'in' any more, so it doesn't count but I'm interested in how some fatuous non-entity can wear the same rank as I had to earn.
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Old 21st Aug 2016, 12:44
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Does "Hon" stand for "honorable"? That sounds misplaced in this situation.

This National Post article describes a perhaps somewhat similar situation...

Fake soldier Franck Gervais pleads guilty to unlawfully wearing military uniform on Remembrance Day | National Post

The members of the Canadian military, quite rightly, would not tolerate it!
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Old 21st Aug 2016, 12:57
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Her whole 'career' appears to be a story of self aggrandising funded by others.

This from her website...
Always adventurous, she is also passionate about other forms of early pioneering transport
and in particular, old cars. As a result, she took part in the 2007 centenary Peking to Paris
classic car rally that re-traced the route first driven by Prince Borghese in 1907. This involved
driving for six weeks through northern China, the Gobi Desert, across Russia to the Baltic and
on to Paris – an epic experience that combined great adventure with rugged endurance.
She certainly did take part in that event back in 2007, although as a passenger in the Chevrolet Fangio Coupe owned by the late wealthy Belgian financier Alain Grisay who funded the trip. Alain Grisay, Ex-JPMorgan Manager Who Led F&C Asset, Dies at 59 - Bloomberg

Alain Grisay was also a pilot and owned this.

Elsewhere we have this...

In preparation for her solo flight across Africa, Tracey was invited to join a 3 man Russian crew
ferry flying an old piston engined Antonov 2 biplane from Kiev to Cape Town. The aeroplane
was donated by Utair for humanitarian work in South Africa and supported by ExecuJet.

The route took the crew across northern Europe and down through Spain over the Straits of
Gibraltar to Morocco; south through Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Gabon, and on down the west
coast of Africa.

The flight arrived in Cape Town on 20th of February 2013 having taken three months to complete
the journey which covered over 20,000km over 15 different countries, used over 85kg of maps
and flight charts, and had two enforced halts over several weeks in Port Harcourt and Cabinda
with visa and fuel issues.
source Tracey Curtis Taylor - Aviatrix, Adventurer, Inspirational Speaker

No mention of the fact she was a passenger and could not fly the AN2 as she does not have a Russian licence.

She appears to have no problem bending the truth when it comes to her flying experience.

She holds a UK ppl and had only 1460 hours in her logbook when she wrecked the R44 helicopter at Goodwood last year according to the AAIB accident report.

However her lack of hours did not stop her suggesting in a Daily Telegraph interview three years ago she has spent most of her life flying.

For Curtis-Taylor, this is the highlight of a life spent in the skies. The 51-year-old was raised in Canada and took her first flying lesson aged 16. "The instructor couldn't get rid of me," she says. "I just wanted to be there all the time."
But, it wasn't until she moved to New Zealand to live with her twin sister that her passion really took off. She started flying vintage aircraft, as they were cheaper - if harder to fly – graduating to work at air shows, with display teams and, more recently, Shuttleworth Museum, close to where she now lives in East Anglia.
"I understood very early on what I wanted in life," she says. "Most people get trapped in families, mortgages and kids. We just spend our lives nosing along at ground level."
She never did any display flying in NZ according to members of the NZ Warbirds at Ardmore.

Despite having Ewald Gritsch in the front seat, for all her Avia-trix adventures, she also claims to be a lonely pilot.
Curtis-Taylor calls herself a "bit of a maverick". She prefers to fly alone, telling me she's only taken her bemused family into the air a handful of times. For her, soaring among the clouds is a gloriously solitary pursuit.
Tracey Curtis-Taylor: Meet the daredevil recreating Lady Mary Heath's historic 1920s flight - Telegraph

The HCAP banquet in October and the Masters Medal award will be the pinnacle of her so called Bird In a Biplane strategy to have a place alongside heroic female pilots.

With all the facts known the key question is why do so many important people in aviation turn a blind eye to what has clearly been a series of dual flights sold to the media as solo and funded by wealthy sponsors?

If you read my post 1139 and put the jigsaw together the reason becomes obvious

Last edited by Mike Flynn; 21st Aug 2016 at 13:57.
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Old 21st Aug 2016, 21:20
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Underlying her story is her list of influential, wealthy and/or well-connected male friends.

Not casting nasturtiums, of course
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Old 21st Aug 2016, 21:55
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It just gets better, doesn't it?
The "Daredevil" who has problems carrying her make-up kit to the hotel after an exhausting straight and level two hour flight.
.

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Old 22nd Aug 2016, 20:56
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Bert Hinkler would be proud

This thread is an amalgamation of previous postings regarding long distance flying.

Tracey Curtis Taylor has generated hundreds of newspaper and local tv stories for her false claims of 'solo' commemorative flights which in fact were achieved with Austrian airline pilot Ewald Gritsch in the front seat of her highly sponsored Artemis biplane. She has convinced the worlds media she is an 'Aviatrix' and 'inspirational speaker' based on little more than well sponsored and high financed orchestrated media promotions.

Added to her promotional sham was the many supporting appearances of Prince Michael of Kent and his influence on many patronages. eg the UK Light Aircraft Association,Royal Navy Reserve and indeed his influence as a liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots. I am intriqued by the latter as I cannot find any evidence of him ever being a pilot.


I want to post something positive today and recognise the achievment of Lachlan Smart.

Just 18 and a half years old he left Australia in early July to fly around the world via the long sea crossings of the Pacific and Atlantic. He chose to fly Azores to Biggin Hill direct which demonstrates his
adventurous and courageous attitude. His travels may have been in a modern Cirrus S22 but he has embodied the spirit of past flying adventurers.

He is now back in Australia. Coasting home to triumph as the youngest pilot to ever fly solo around the world. He got no big welcome from the old school clique of the flying social set in the UK during his one week stop over.

However I know a good Aussie welcome awaits him.

I just want to say I respect and admire your achievements Lachlan.

No false awards can ever mean more than looking at your log book in years to come and the recognition of seeing you did it all alone.

I am posting this from his website which says it all.

TEEN ATTEMPTING WORLD RECORD SETS SIGHT ON BUNDABERG VIA HINKLER ROUTE
AUGUST 22, 2016 WINGS AROUND THE WORLD
When Sunshine Coast Teenager Lachlan Smart climbs aboard his Cirrus SR-22 to depart Darwin for Longreach on tomorrow, he will navigate along one of Australia’s most historic flight routes.

At 18-years of age Smart has made 21 stops around the world since departing the Sunshine Coast in July 4 in his attempt to break the record as the youngest person to fly around the world solo, in a single engine aircraft.

The 22nd leg of his world record attempt flight will see Smart fly from Darwin to Longreach and then onto Bundaberg on his 23rd leg, following the route of Australian aviation pioneer Herbert John Louis (Bert) Hinkler, who first flew solo from Great Britain to Australia in 1928.

Smart will land in Bundaberg on Thursday August 25 at 12.15pm AEST.

Hinkler, like Smart, made his journey in a single engine aircraft, his trip taking 15 and a half days by the time he landed in Darwin. Hinkler then made his way to his hometown of Bundaberg, via Longreach along the same course Smart will take in the coming days.

While time may have moved forward and technology advanced, there are distinct similarities between Smart and Hinkler’s respective journeys.

When Hinkler completed his trip he reduced the England to Australia record from 28 to 15 and a half days. Similarly Smart will slash the record of being the youngest person to fly around the world solo, in a single engine aircraft significantly.

American Matt Guthmiller set the previous mark in 2014 when he completed his world flight at the age of 19-years, 7 months and 15 days. When Smart lands on the Sunshine coast on August 27, he will be 18-years, 7 months and 21 days.

But that’s not where the similarities end. Smart’s motivation for this gigantic task of circumnavigating the globe isn’t just a record. He is out to prove that age is usually just a number, that shouldn’t limit aspiration.

Hinkler exemplified this same mentality that Smart is attempting to promote more than a century ago. As a young man he was fascinated with flight, and by 1911 and 1912 had built man-carrying gliders and flown them at Mon Repos Beach near Bundaberg.

His greatest achievement was his 1928 flight across the world, making good on the dream he had as a young man, when he was nothing more than an aspiring aviator.

Both Smart and Hinkler pursued goals from nothing more than an idea; a love of flying and a dream to show people what could be achieved.

Hinkler completed his goal, and now Smart is just days away from realising his.

Since his departure Smart has travelled to Fiji, Pago Pago, Kiribati, Hawaii, through five US states, Canada, The Azores, Great Britain, France, Greece, Egypt, Oman, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Broome and will depart from Darwin to Longreach tomorrow (Tuesday August 23) flying from Longreach to Bundaberg on Thursday August 25.

Smart will arrive in Bundaberg on Thursday August 25 at 12.15pm AEST.

He will be giving a presentation of his world record breaking flight at the Hinkler Hall of Aviation on Friday August 26 at 3.30pm.

For those hoping to see Smart, you are welcome to watch him landing in Bundaberg. However all opportunities to meet and speak with him will be at the Hinkler Hall of Aviation on Friday August 26.

Last edited by Mike Flynn; 22nd Aug 2016 at 21:20.
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Old 24th Aug 2016, 10:24
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This really is becoming the T C-T Hamsterwheel. Hasn't anyone anything new or constructive? I don't recall seeing a thread with so many repeated comments, opinions, photos and general ill-informed speculation for many a year.
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Old 24th Aug 2016, 14:34
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Hi Heli,

Does she deserve her Master's Medal?

1. Yes - she has raised the awareness of aviation in general, and women in aviation particularly.

2. No, because to achieve 1 she had to tell everyone it was solo when in fact it was not - and indeed has spent considerable time and energy trying to keep the true version of events out of public view.

Or, put another way, do the ends justify the means?


If it helps, I fully understand both sides of the argument (I really do) but have settled for answer 2.

Safe flights, Sam.
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Old 25th Aug 2016, 13:30
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I was in conversation with a someone who is involved with the awards and Scholarship committee at the BWPA the other day (I don't think TCT's up for anything). She had no idea that TCT (I hadn't realised that this is in fact how she apparently likes to be known) had some help during the flights mentioned nor in fact that the Spirit of Artemis is not owned by her (I believe this to be accurate?). The mention of those three letters bought a mist to her eyes and fond recollections of some dinner where romantic and exciting stories of daring adventures in far flung corners of the Empire were recounted. This is the second time in recent months that this woman has come up in a discussion where she is promoted as the saviour of women's interests in aviation by a highly placed person from a reputable and respected organisation that I've been speaking to, and I find it utterly incredible that she is able to apparently mask the not insignificant negative press she has received here and elsewhere. Are these folk really in the dark about all of this or are they just hiding their embarrassment? I understand that people who are in the habit of repeatedly inventing the truth invariably believe their version of events after time, but what really surprises me is that there genuinely seems to be a lack of interest by some to even acknowledge that some of the most pertinent 'facts' about these 'adventures' might be a little embellished?
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Old 25th Aug 2016, 15:42
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Good post, Reverser.
There are just so many people who love 'flights of fancy'.
An industry has sprung up around this of course and it's sad that this one has been fostered by not only otherwise respected
associations but, shamefully, royalty.

In the pursuit of the almighty dollar and self-aggrandisement, nothing is sacred.
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Old 25th Aug 2016, 18:08
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Do you think she will attend the LAA Rally next week,
Or has she already got her publicity from them?
I really do want to ask what she has done that is so much more adventurous than about 20-30 Female pilots in the LAA, CAA, FAA, DGAC etc land or indeed 2-300 male pilots.
So many just bu$$er off to all parts unknown and think so little of it that I am sure TC-T would have the vapours should she be invited to attempt such feats.
Had I known then, I would have walked out of the awards ceremony at the Rally.

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Old 25th Aug 2016, 19:48
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TCT at the LAA Rally?

I cannot find any reference on the LAA site of our intrepid pilot Tracey making plans to swoop across a couple of English counties ,at 50ft above the ground in the Spirit of Artifice, as she copes with extreme heat and cold.Struggling at the controls while flying the congested route from Farnborough to the remote old airfield at Sywell. Battling the elements as she skims across trees houses and cornfields under the London TMA while just a few hundred feet above airliners from across the world descend to land.

Oil from the newly rebuilt Stearman fogging her goggles while the radio crackles with commands from controllers.

Perhaps the telegram from Steve Slater has not arrived, asking her to give a talk at speakers corner on the difficulty of long distance navigation? The logistics of managing the constant camera shots with an airline pilot in the front seat and a "support" crew in a turboprop flying alongside?

How on earth did her luggage arrive on time at the hotels without trusty backup crew? Well you need a chauffeur up front who drives the awful machine and attends to the ground stuff while making sure he knows his place and never lets the press see him.

I imagine her climbing out of the Stearman at Sywell and greeting the waiting media,plus an extra big wave to Steve who has not rocked the boat at the LAA and HCAP


I would enjoy a question and answer session with her at speakers corner but sadly she is missing from the agenda.
http://www.lightaircraftassociation....20Schedule.pdf

Q; Tracey ...how did you feel when the the Daily Mail turned on you.... an "inspirational aviatrix" with a nasty headline?

Amy Johnson she ain't: 'Solo' flying poster girl is brought down to earth by claims that she had co-pilot and flew just four of her 36 round-the-world legs on her own
Tracey Curtis-Taylor, 54, re-creating the solo exploits of Amy Johnson
But it has emerged the self-styled ‘Bird in a bi-plane’ may have had co-pilot
Man who planned one journey said she ‘embellished the truth’ about flights


Read more: 'Solo' flying poster girl is brought down by claims that she had co-pilot | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Q; Are you annoyed that the Daily Mail, the very same British newspaper that gave this cheque to Amy Johnson on August 6th 1930...


Suddenly ran such a revealing story?

So why did the same newspaper, who swallowed your PR hype, have a go in their nasty tabloid style when to use a HCAP Masters Medal nomination phrase "the facts became known"?

There is no mention on her website of plans to attend Sywell and the LAA Rally.

If she is planning to appear I am up for challenging her so called adventures on a question and answer public forum.

Jeremy Corbyn will be proud of you Tracey...I expect an excuse along the lines of "busy in the USA editing Bird in a Biplane for National Geographic TV"

* Footnote.Despite this thread running for several months neither Tracey Curtis Taylor,Boeing Aircraft or Artemis Investments have ever replied or challenged comments made here.

Last edited by Mike Flynn; 25th Aug 2016 at 23:25.
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Old 25th Aug 2016, 23:05
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I read the occasional objection here from a person who thinks too much is being made of this. It's true, in the realm of life and death, this is a mountain out of a mole hill.

However, those of us who pride ourselves on our honest conduct in a pastime, have a right to hold the honour of that activity as important too. Some sports suffer image damage due to some participants unfairly taking performance enhancing drugs. They did something which they knew to break the honour of the pastime, to enhance their personal performance over their peers. They had a choice to take the "high road", and chose otherwise. Some admit their error, and hang their head in shame. Others duck responsibility as long as they can. They get caught...

And, most commonly, the leaders of that pastime enforce a ban on participation for a period for offenders. How often has a sports figure been caught having taken performance enhancing drugs, and the leaders of the sport said: "Aw, that's okay, just don't do it again...". None that I recall. Indeed, entire teams (Russian recently) could be banned because of the dishonourable action of a few on the team. Why should aviation be any different?

Now we can't take away TCT's right to fly, that's a license, and as near as I can tell, it's terms have not been offended. Those terms don't include honour. But, Personally, I hope that those who could bestow honours choose not to do so. Seemingly, TCT's [piloting] performance was enhanced by actions she took (or participated in) - had a co pilot - which were the opposite of what she repeatedly claimed - solo/basic equipment - and not honourable.

So, if some people repeat their feeling of indignity here, in the hope that dishonourable performance enhancing activity is not brushed away quietly, they are doing what they feel they should to support those who fly with honour. They are entitled to their opinion too....
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Old 26th Aug 2016, 02:57
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Should any of you have access behind "The Times" or "The Australian" paywalls, search for an article titled "The Hoax We Crave" by David Aaronovich. It explains the means by which TCT is able to get away with her scheming, though she is not referred to specifically.
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Old 27th Aug 2016, 19:21
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LAA Rally at Sywell

If there was ever a superb opportunity for Tracey Curtis Taylor to display the Spirit of Artemis in a period location it is the forthcoming LAA Rally at Sywell.
http://www.lightaircraftassociation....ibit_info.html
However I find nothing in the LAA programme or indeed on TCT's website to suggest she will be arriving solo in the Stearman for a display plus question and answer session. Despite some wonderful flying weather in the UK the Stearman appears stuck in the Execujet hangar at Farnborough ever since it arrived back from the rapid rebuild by Ewald Gritsch.

I read this post on the LAA forum today which really sums up my thoughts on our modest "Aviatrix,adventurer and inspirational" speaker.
Re: Tracey Curtis-Taylor
Postby Chris Martyr » Sat Aug 27, 2016 2:41 pm

Yes , maybe Brian's 'personal vendetta' was being a little over-critical. It's no more of a personal vendetta than the one being pursued by Frank Field against that lovely pair ,Sir Phil & Lady Green . No they didn't maim or kill anyone either , he simply received a knighthood for his 'Services to the Retail Industry'. :lol:
Fortunately , for the aviation community , Sam has had a lot more of an insight into all of this than many, due to his professional involvement earlier on and did well in exposing TC-T's somewhat embellished claims of achievement. Yes, I know that Sam has pursued this with a Jack Russell's degree of tenacity , but that may just be the catalyst that will dissuade this woman , who insults the world of recreational/grassroots aviators into any further of her travelling circus stunts.

I realise of course that all of this may have put the LAA into a slightly embarrassing position, as certain minor Royals and other Grand Poo-Pah's will probably have been instrumental in currying favour for this on TC-T's behalf . I don't believe it warrants 'heads rolling' , but releasing some kind of statement on the matter would probably help put a lid on it all as far as the LAA is concerned.

For many of us , this pastime we have is not just a 'hobby' and for many of us it is a complete lifestyle, a religion even. But we all know that it can be very unforgiving of misjudgements whether they may be unintentional ones or stupid ones , which is why the brave people who have done extraordinary things , some with very little publicity, some with none at all, are held in such admiration by the aviation community.
All she has managed to do is bring it all down to the level of celebrity/reality TV . So from my point of view it's 'Well Done Sam', a new lot of LAA awards will be on the way soon ,now let's look to the future , which hopefully will be devoid of pretenders like the one in question !
http://services.lightaircraftassocia...=4873&start=15
Well said Chris. The LAA should face facts and ask why a so called media savvy aviatrix was happy to accept the Bill Woodham Navigation award but not decent enough to either return it ,when the facts became known, or indeed explain herself at this years 70th Rally.

The Honourable Company Of Air Pilots are awarding her a Masters Medal for her aviation "outreach" programme but sadly she has not bothered to take any women flying in the biplane since she arrived back in the UK following the accident in Arizona months ago.

The LAA Chief exec has a foot in both camps so perhaps he can explain why it is so important TCT continues to have the backing of senior members of the GA elite when she clearly never undertook any solo flying.

footnote for new readers.
Prince Michael of Kent is patron of the LAA,a liverman of the HCAP and a keen supporter of TCT,

Last edited by Mike Flynn; 27th Aug 2016 at 19:38.
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