Having posted a few times early on when I thought this was simply about flights to OZ by solo pilots with not much back up... I just watched as it became apparent that Jay was out to expose TCT. What unravelled has been fascinating and it is the usual truth, that it is the cover up that gets you, not the original 'mistake'

Way back, the question I wanted to see answered was; What happened to the solo bit? and one can only assume that abilities might have been a bit overclaimed and it only became apparent that these were a problem after the Africa flight commenced. I would heve loved to have sat in on THAT meeting.
But how the PR team thought they could pull it off in the world of 'tnet really makes one gasp. Then do it again to OZ...
DW


Oh, and about infringing palace airspace. Back in around '80, some friends did this in Morroco. Bit murky and radio problems, they thought it was Casablanca, not Rabat. They flew over the palace twice, a complete no-no. Forced down by a military a/c, they spent a couple of days in the slammer, before their story checked out. The base commander told them, as they left, that they would have shot them down straight away, except they were going so slowly, they doubted it was an attempt on the King, who was not at home anyway.
And this was way before 9/11.

The implication being that it was a stage along Tracey's 'Solo flight around the world' :)

New entry to Wiki

Awards and recognition[edit]
In 2016 the Honourable Company of Air Pilots awarded Curtis-Taylor its Masters Medal for her work in "raising awareness of science and technology in general, and aviation in particular, amongst young women across the world".[27]


At this rate, the Police Federation may consider her for an award too....for raising awareness to deceit and misrepresentation. :D

This gives you some idea of the 'editing' (some might call it censorship) that takes place on the Wikipedia page. From the 'Talk' section:

On that basis, I should have received many awards for my efforts over the years. How do I apply? Do I collect two special tokens from my cornflakes packet and write in 25 words or less as to why I am deserving? Or do my friends have to get 10 signatures and fill in a form? Or do I not move around in the right circles to be eligible?

PM

The award is a bit rich considering the TCT's self confessed hatred of technology, her lack of scientific or technical background, her flagrant disregard for (aviation) law and piss-poor air(woman)ship. But she's good at crashing!

So this was basically a commercially sponsored documentary film project, with the Stearman pilot being supported by a comprehensive, well-heeled back-up team?

For outstanding courage or devotion to duty in the air, the Honourable Company of Air Pilots Master's Medal may be awarded to any person in aviation, at any time, for an act or other achievement in aviation considered worthy of the Medal, as soon as the facts of the event are clear. This is intended to be an immediate award, made at the discretion of the Master and on the advice of the Trophies and Awards Committee.

:hmm:

"This is intended to be an immediate award, made at the discretion of the Master and on the advice of the Trophies and Awards Committee."


Say no more.

Charities & Organisations - Prince Michael of Kent


....scroll down...under the aviation banner.

"Say no more."

Anyone found the link yet to Pompey Poly?

On the subject of Ms C-T's crashes into both helicopters and unbeleivably - the ground - and the repeated censorship of them from her Wiki entry, prolific Wiki editor (censor of bad press for Ms C-T) states:It certainly was 'fatal' for the R44 which is listed as destroyed by Ms C-T's bad airmanship and carelessness. As for not damaging anything of note, some might argue the toss about the R44, but now Ms C-T's reputation as an aviator and even Artifice itself are being grouped together and classed as not being "anything of note" by the very censors who appear determined to big-up Ms C-T and her (over?)claimed (under?)achievements.

What an amusing own goal!

This one?

Revealed: honorary graduates for 2016 | UoP News

"This one?"

Thanks, yes, but I was meaning who was the sponsor? How did P Poly learn of TC-T's outstanding feats? Who informed them? Who 'sponsored' the Hon PhD? Did the TC-T PR dept have anything to do with it? Was P Poly that desperate?

Although she's certainly got some dedicated people covering up the truth every time it pops up on Wiki I doubt the Honourable Company will find it so easy to evade the opprobrium that will attach to them if they really do award this charlatan for making a commercially sponsored movie on wimmens "outreach" (altogether now, Aaaaah!)
The Master in such organisations is not supposed to be seen to be wrong and no doubt it is a very big deal indeed (internally) to rescind such a major award but burying their heads in the sand will only make the sh*t gritty when it fills their eyes, nose and ears.
The meeja has seen the truth and the word of TCT's LAA disgrace is on the pages of the broadsheets so if the HC does go ahead and make the award the meeja is just going to savage them for being out of touch/out of line puppets of royalty, the wealthy and the well-connected which is adverse publicity a Guild just does not need in this irrationally contentious day and age.

I sincerely hope Officers of the Guild read these pages and advise their Master of the huge damage this award would make to their reputation as a reliable, impartial and above all an honest organisation not only among the public, but especially amongst pilots themselves. The very last thing the Guild needs is to be cast into disrepute amongst it's very bedrock, the average working pilots.

For the sake of your reputation in the Aviation world, Master, rescind this award no matter how painful the process because I assure you the merciless battering you will receive from the meeja if you do not will attach a rotten stink to the Guild and its reputation that will be vastly more painful and damaging and take years to ameliorate.

I'd expect that Boeing will use the excuse that their centennial year celebrations are ending as a justification to exit stage left from this debacle, Artemis is a different story. Princess Anne's daughter and her rugby player hubby have had a pretty good long term gig as "rent a royal" brand ambassadors for Artemis and must be furious at Uncle Philly for bringing TCT and her traveling circus into the fold to essentially piss in their own well with all the bad publicity she has brought with her. Artemis seem to like the Royal association so will keep it going but will quietly suggest to the Zara & Co. to ditch the source of the distractions and bad press.

More CAP than HCAP by the end of the day then, what on earth goes on behind closed doors down there ?- the whole TCT saga is one of lies, misrepresentation, obfuscation and spin. What on earth is there in all of that which can be considered Honourable. Tonights the night and she isnt going to show because she has quietly been asked not to, why oh why would that be the case if the great and good at HCAP were absolutely comfortable about the award......... if a worthy excuse is needed to change tack then perhaps a quick trip to the engravers for the name Hoover to be engraved would be far more acceptable than the consequences of blindly steering down the current route (Other worthy names are available). Surely the ordinary members can bring some influence to bear before the AGM .

Spekesoftly, I'm sorry, I can't locate the Pilot story possibly by James Allen regarding TCT, I could have been mistaken, and if so I apologise. Did anybody else read such a posting, I thought it had been dated 21 Oct this year, but I have often at my age been wrong....

Be in no doubt, this has been done (see further back in the thread). However, you will note that there is no mention of the word solo in the citation.

As another member of HCAP (with almost forty years of aviation as a professional military and civilian pilot and many times more hours than the "highly experienced" Ms. T C-T) I personally feel the award should not have been made, for what is in effect just another "reality" TV show. The "artistic license" in the anecdotes used by Ms. T C-T do not convince me that she flew this a professional manner and two fairly major accidents to the aircraft where she was "sole pilot" cannot be ignored, especially as the first was entirely avoidable, or should have been.

However, the "rank and file" of HCAP do not get to vote on issues regarding The Master's Award; it is what it says on the tin.

TCT
 

I think looking back, we have to accept TCT's BBC Goodwood to Cape Town et al for what it really is, entertainment, like the Apprentice and Bake-Off. Not a factual documentary of any substance but a highly edited piece of worthless theatre usually appealing to the lowest common denominator of viewers.

On the subject of cheating/prevarication, I'm sure we all have a Walter Mitty character in our flying clubs/schools. I know we have at least one at our airfield.

TCT has done a great disservice to flying and the true heroes and heroines of aviation that went before.

Forget wild theories. I hear the truth is much simpler.

It centres on the loyalty of the current Master to the previous Master. (Avoiding embarrassment to him.)

The original letter from the previous Master, Sqn Leader Chris Ford,is completely different to that penned by the current Master, Captain Peter Benn,who was responsible for the latest citation.
He also issued an interim citation (which is different to 1 and 3) to a tabloid journalist some months ago.

Here is the original once again with no mention of ' Co-pilot Ewald Gritsch. I understand very few people inside the upper eschelons of HCAP have seen this letter as I presume they do not wander the grubby streets of Pprune.

http://s21.postimg.org/jbyeh9ip3/image.jpg

There was a guy who was heavily taken in by her. He says so himself.
He even drove down to Goodwood on New Year eve on a late winters afternoon. He says so himself.

See 0.02 onwards to 0.38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgKMm9Zw-LY


You haven't convinced me Jay.

And .....

I know that my maths isn't what it used to be, but did I count two heads in that Stearman? Maybe TC-T has been picking up hitch-hikers again?