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Interesting that the Inmarsat website should lead with:
Tracey Curtis-Taylor has successfully recreated the 1930 historic solo journey of infamous aviator Amy Johnson, flying from the UK to Australia in an open cockpit vintage biplane. Perhaps a freudian PR slip here? |
Well arguably it's increased awareness of the charity - people keep posting pictures of her (rather fine looking) aeroplane with their logo on it!
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Nothing in the inbox from Portsmouth today and I really did not get chance to call them, I shall do so tomorrow without fail.
Interesting snippet from facebook which I have just shared in the Military Forum ( I don't think they are following this as closely as we have been doing in here): "THE FIRST STRIKE" Typhoon on canvas has been presented by Number 1(F) Squadron to the Royal Air Force Club. In the photo are members of the squadron with honorary members including Tracey Curtis-Taylor Tracey Curtis Taylor - Aviatrix, Adventurer, Inspirational Speaker RAF Club Vice-Chairman Rick Peacock-Edwards received the picture from OC 1(F) Sqn, Wg Cdr Chris Hoyle. 12 Dec 2016 Worming her way into the RAF club and yet another honorary membership. It all stinks. Islandlad: If the money is not there to fund further flights then maybe the last legs of the trans-USA jolly might not happen at all. It is one thing losing financial support but what if secondary support is removed too? The lack of a UKtoOz documentary may be more revealing than it first seems. If I were to make such a film about the Amy Johnson flights I would want to use as much material as possible that is readily available - historical footage etc. Who owns that footage? What if they saw this all as the sham it is and refused the rights to use it. That would be a major blow - imagine trying to make a film about the Apollo landings and NASA refusing to let you use any of their stock footage. Alternatively, National Geographic may have done their own background checks and don't want to be caught out. Just my thoughts at the moment; time will tell if I am off on a tangent. |
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Most film footage of Amy Johnson is owned by Pathe News.
Amy Johnson - British Pathé Relative or descendants of those featured have no rights as to who uses it. I also had that picture Satco but thanks for posting it. Clearly Rick Peacock Edwards had an agenda in making sure TCT received the Master Medal. |
Re National Geographic and the film:
Judging by the Africa film it seems that she hires a production company and makes the film out of her own pocket. The BBC would not have paid much for the last one (BBC 4 is notorious for paying peanuts). She has plenty of rich friends so will probably be able to fund the Australia film with their help. The TCT film-making model is basically "vanity film-making". Would National Geographic really turn down a well made film offered to them practically for free? All the controversy surrounding her will probably make it an even more attractive proposition for them. |
I have heard rumors Diana Rigg has given assistance on the UK to Australia film.
I am not sure where it would fit in National Geographic's schedule. There were no Go-Pro's aligned to show the front seat suggesting Ewald was not planned to appear. |
The thread was recently reinvigorated following Megan's "dream" but I fear that we are now jumping into the realms of fanciful speculation. Let's not get too distracted.
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Originally Posted by deefer dog
(Post 9637247)
The thread was recently reinvigorated following Megan's "dream" but I fear that we are now jumping into the realms of fanciful speculation. Let's not get too distracted.
I have had a reply from Portsmouth University. Basically a simple covering e-mail and 3 attachments. Attachment 1 Mr Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx By email only to: [email protected] Date: 11 January 2017 Dear Mr Xxxxx I refer to, and thank you for, both of your emails dated 23 December 2016 and 4 January 2017. The University has decided, after further consideration, that it is possible to disclose one of the outstanding emails, which was sent from Mr Adrian Parry, the Director of Corporate Governance, to Ms Curtis-Taylor on 29 October 2016, and I have attached a copy of that email to the email that sends this letter. However, there are two other emails which the University has decided not to disclose and believe that it is appropriate to withhold, relying on the following exemptions – section 40(2) and 40(3)(a)(ii) specifically of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to personal data the disclosure of which could contravene section 10 of the Data Protection Act 1998, and section 41, information provided in confidence. Honorary awards are made on the basis of nominations from members of the University community, members of the public and other stakeholders. Recipients do not apply for such awards. As I mentioned in my letter of 22 December 2016, a member of staff nominated Ms Curtis-Taylor for the award and I have now also attached to the email that sends this letter, a copy of the oration that was given at Ms Taylor-Curtis’s graduation ceremony, as I believe this explains the reasons for which the University decided to make the award of an Honorary Doctorate to Ms Curtis-Taylor. I appreciate that this will not be the answer for which you had hoped. If you do not agree with my decision to withhold some information, you have the right to request a review of my decision which you can do by contacting the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Galbraith, by email - [email protected]. If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted at: Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF Yours sincerely Sxxxxxxx Hxxx Information Disclosure and Complaints Manager ORATION – TRACY CURTIS-TAYLOR Chancellor, it gives me great pleasure to present our Honorary Graduand, Tracey Curtis-Taylor, aviator, adventurer and inspirational speaker. Tracey Curtis-Taylor was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire. She then moved to Canada at an early age where she was raised surrounded by magnificent scenery. Tracey naturally took to adventure, so it was no surprise to her parents when she developed a passion for flight, having her first flying lesson aged 16. She returned to England with her family in the 70’s and her early working career in London includes training with de Beers and the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign Office in Whitehall. But the ‘call of the wild’ and an ongoing fascination with Africa made Tracey cut the rope on her conventional life in England. She went to South Africa in 1982 where she worked for several months before returning to the UK overland in a Bedford truck - a journey that took five months camping through savannah, jungle and desert. Shortly after her return Tracey migrated to New Zealand and began flying in earnest. She gained her private pilot’s license, commercial license and an instructor rating, and unusual for a woman, was trained by military pilots to fly World War II airplanes with the New Zealand Warbird Association. In tandem with her love of flying, an interest in geology, landscape and imagery led to Tracey pursuing another career in aerial photography and mapping, which was to hold her in good stead for her future flying pursuits. 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 then decided to pay homage the life of Amy Johnson by retracing her 1930 flight from Great Britain to Australia. Tracey departed Farnborough in October 2015 and arrived in Sydney three months later after flying 14,600 miles through 23 countries. 2016 saw Tracey begin to fly the historic airmail routes across the USA from Seattle to Boston to celebrate the Centenary of Boeing. This was sadly cut short following a crash in the Arizona desert in May 2016. Tracey is determined to finish this astounding feat in 2017 flying the restored Spirit of Artemis. To quote Tracey herself, “The journey continues….” Alongside pursuing her interests in flying and adventures, Tracey and Bird in a Biplane Ltd are committed as part of their work to support a structured outreach programme to support related causes and organisations such as Services charities, education and young people, and women in aviation to name just a few. This support ranges from raising awareness through flying and speaking engagements, through personal appearances and advocacy, and using flying and all its related activities including engineering to educate and inspire young people of today. What is most pertinent is that Tracey hopes her flights encourage young women around the world to make brave choices and to follow their dreams, never give up and break boundaries, and ultimately enhance the role of women in aviation and engineering. When not flying, her other interests include gemology and geography (she is a Fellow of the British Gemological Association and the Royal Geographical Society). She is also a keen oil painter. Chancellor, I present Tracey Curtis-Taylor for the Degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa. I have written back to the university, in particular the Vice Chancellor asking for a review of the decision to withhold information. If and when I get a reply I shall let you all know. SWB |
Originally Posted by deefer dog
(Post 9637247)
The thread was recently reinvigorated following Megan's "dream" but I fear that we are now jumping into the realms of fanciful speculation. Let's not get too distracted.
As a first step: can I remind Ms Curtis-Taylor and her team that we still await answers to the three questions that Terry Holloway confirms that he kindly passed on to her some weeks ago? In case they have been "misplaced", here they are again: 1. What is the reconciliation between Ms Curtis-Taylor's well documented claim to have flown her african flight "solo". Please see the video clip published earlier in this thread in which she PERSONALLY makes that claim, and her subsequent public statement that the flight was not solo? 2. Given the above, what was she doing in the picture of her, published several times earlier in this thread, standing in front of a huge picture depicting the route and claiming she had been "Alone in an open cock-pit [sic] plane"? 3. By what authority, and with what qualification, does she wear RAF wings? There are several pictures of her wearing them in this thread as well. It does seem strange that a team that is so communication-savvy hasn't been able to come up with an answer of any kind after such a long time..... :confused: |
Reading that letter posted by SWB, it appears in her reply to Portsmouth University ,she made efforts to correct the solo claims?
But surely it was sexist to ignore Ewald who did all the flying and engineering? Although my thread title refers to TCT ,the Spirit Of Artemis was a corporate funded con trick designed to promote Artemis and Boeing. The latter issued press releases clearly stating she was on a solo expedition. |
She clearly realised she had to start "correcting the solo claims" after the LAA rumbled her and the story reached the newspapers. Quite a long time after she had actually accepted the honorary degree. Sorry Deefer Dog if you think this is off topic. I happen to think it is all relevant to whether she did or did not attempt to deceive and therefore whether or not she is a suitable role model and recipient of awards.
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I assume there is a previous letter missing, who made the initial suggestion for the honorary degree to the Vice Chancellor or committee that contained the "solo" description that the VC described in his notification letter to Tracey? He didn't just pull that narrative out of thin air.
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My reply to the VC mentioned this.
...Thank you for the documents that you have collated and sent to me this afternoon. Along with the previous documents they do go some way into explaining the situation and the university's stance on this matter. You mention that there are further e-mails relating to this subject but you feel obliged to withhold them, citing exemptions under the Freedom of Information and Data Protection acts. May I respectfully request that this decision is reviewed and these messages released. I am not interested in the personal details, which can easily be redacted, but in the general content and timings of such messages. The fact that she was proposed for this award by a member of staff raises a crucial question; how did she come to the attention of the proposer? As far as I can gather her links to the university are rather tenuous and most likely via her PR manager Tim Kelly... |
Excellent work SATCO. I would hate to have you investigating my past indiscretions! (will PM you manyana).
May I respectfully request that this decision is reviewed and these messages released. I am not interested in the personal details, which can easily be redacted, but in the general content and timings of such messages. The cynic in me is tempted to believe that she knew very well that her CV and achievements had been overstated in the pre-award submissions, but once the honour had been granted I'm sure she believed that there was little likelihood that a "few corrections" after the award would make a difference. |
Legal Action
I would like to remind you all that Sam Rutherford and Jay Sata were threatened with legal action over this thread on Pprune last October
TCT's lawyers never responded when I pointed out I was a retired journalist and I was pasting their letters on this site.:ok: We still have to address Boeing and their press release claiming a solo flight by TCT. SWB deserves credit for his excellent work. |
It's very easy to write this as one who has not been threatened with legal action by the TCT team, but I am sure her threat to you and Sam was merely a bluff.
The last thing Tracey Curtis-Taylor wants is for her filthy washing and the truth about her deceptive behavior to be aired in open court. |
Jay, it's never nice getting threatened but as Deefer says it was all a bluff to scare folks away from the stuff like the solo crap, Herne Bay vid, the Uni degree scam and the Ewald meeting in Charleville being uncovered and that she knew all along was out there. Whether the folks that give her the degree or awards rescind or not, she now knows the gigs up and her goose is cooked for future sponsors or speaking fees. She was scamming herself into a lucrative career and didn't want you, Satco or Sam running interference, unfortunately for her that is exactly what happened and rightfully so.
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It's all just a case of being methodical. The information is out there and some of the pointers from posters on here has been invaluable. There are still many lines to look at yet. :-)
As for legal action, well, there are no direct claims on here that cannot be supported by factual evidence. If TCT wants to play ball then so be it - her opening gambit of "I never intended to mislead" will be blown out of the water with just one video, supported by the e-mail from the Telegraph and the Women's Institute statement; all nicely overlaid on the "Alone in an open cock-pit" (sic) powerpoint slide. That's all before we get started on the back-story which shows her penchant for embellishment and clouding the real story. I have quite a collection of historical screenshots that show the rate of website editing (BiaB and Wiki page) once the story broke. We can then look in great detail at the Robinson munching and desert crunching "incidents" which, like all of this, are shrouded in vague TCT generated stories, before closing with the fact that a majority of her peers decided 2:1 to rescind one of her awards as they saw through the charade, and that was BEFORE they saw her own lies at Herne Bay ( I really do wonder how the vote would have gone had that been available to the LAA). Will it ever come to that? I don't know,personally I would hope not because it would not end well for her but at least we would get the answers to our questions under oath. All we ask are the answers to the questions I shall repeat again below. There is no shame in showing some contrition. Once those are answered then the awards standing or being removed would be between TCT and the organisations in question to resolve. -What is the reconciliation between Ms Curtis-Taylor's well documented claim to have flown her African flight "solo" (Please see the video clip published earlier in this thread in which she personally makes that claim) and her subsequent public statement that the flight was not solo? -Given the above, what was she doing in the picture of her published earlier in this thread standing in front of a huge picture claiming she had been "Alone in an open cock-pit [sic] plane"? -By what authority, and with what qualification, does she wear RAF wings? ******* In addition I would like answers to the following - When exactly did the sponsorship requests begin? - What did the investors THINK they were getting? - When was it decided that these would not be a solo flights? - Why was the solo aspect dropped? - Were the sponsors informed of this material change? - If so, when? - Why was it felt necessary that the front seat would be occupied for the vast majority of the journey by Ewald? - What steps did TCT take to correct the many SOLO headlines? - Where is the evidence to show this even happened? - Why, many months after the return to the UK, was TCT perpetuating the SOLO claim? |
She never actually did any aerial photography or mapping according to Canopener who is a solid gold reputable source of info regarding her NZ claims.
She worked in a ground based role for a company which sold aerial pictures. Her 'instructor' role in Auckland was on a class three commercial ticket. That is just above a ppl and and no one has come forward to say they were trained by TCT. However why let the truth get in the way of a good story:= |
Perhaps I'm a bit slow but there's one thing I cannot figure out and it's this, The same words or phrases keep popping up in various citations and articles about TCT.
Since these citations and articles are originate from different places I find it odd that there is such similarity to the wording. Wording like; Shortly after her return Tracey migrated to New Zealand and began flying in earnest. She gained her private pilot’s license, commercial license and an instructor rating, and unusual for a woman, was trained by military pilots to fly World War II airplanes with the New Zealand Warbird Association. In tandem with her love of flying, an interest in geology, landscape and imagery led to Tracey pursuing another career in aerial photography and mapping, which was to hold her in good stead for her future flying pursuits. |
If I may, with reference to the list of questions above.
I believe it is now imperative that the so-called "outreach" activities are put under the spotlight, because in the "duck & weave" mentality of the Bird in a Biplane, her acolytes, and the award-giving collective, these now justify their actions following the volte-face on her flying activities. There is evidence of outreach type activity on her various IOT (internet of things) channels, but to put that in perspective, I have done WAY MORE tangible "outreach" than she has ACTUALLY EVIDENCED to date. And nothing I've done merits anything more than a well done and pat on the head. it's what decent folk do without any expectation of recognition. Her desire to over-embellish her flying can be passed off to a degree to misguided enthusiasm - there is something distinctly smelly and dark about passing yourself off as a leader for the underprivileged and unfortunate, without solid, tangible and substantial evidence that supports your case. Note the pathetic (I would use other language, but in the interests of the thread, I'll pass) oration above... Alongside pursuing her interests in flying and adventures, Tracey and Bird in a Biplane Ltd are committed as part of their work to support a structured outreach programme to support related causes and organisations such as Services charities, education and young people, and women in aviation to name just a few. To "name but few"...pardon me oh academic great ones...you didn't NAME ANY. And here's the thing if it's "structured" - your words - there will be records, accounts, thank you letters etc etc. These will be public documents (because they are charities and charities are accountable - in England, to the Charity Commission for example) so get out from under your Data Protection B/S. So for my part another question should be Please publish FULL details of your outreach programme including depth, commitment, duration and external sources/organisations that can be referenced or something like that |
Women in aviation are a "cause"? :ugh::ugh::mad: How :mad: patronising is that. :mad::ugh:
Also if she had really wanted to emulate Amy Johnson she would have had to complete the flight before getting the money. |
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Well she has done some excellent work for Aerobility - by work I mean recounted her epic 9,000-mile solo journey from Capetown to Goodwood in her Stearman, ‘The Spirit of Artemis’.
Does that count?;) |
Another (uncorrected) SOLO claim :ugh:
Tracey Curtis-Taylor recounts her epic 9,000-mile solo journey from Capetown to Goodwood in her Stearman, ‘The Spirit of Artemis’. |
What an interesting contrast between the two speakers at that event.
Capt. Lorraine Taylor talks about her career leading up to and as a British Airways 747 Captain. ‘’I have flown this type for 18 years. I have almost 20,000 flying hours, racked up over 35 years. In my 25 year career with BA, I have also flown the Tristar, and the Classic 747 - both with Flight Engineers. I did an 18 month secondment with Air Lanka in 1991 - at that time I was their first and only female pilot.” Tracey Curtis-Taylor recounts her epic 9,000-mile solo journey from Capetown to Goodwood in her Stearman, ‘The Spirit of Artemis’. After eight weeks and 9,825 miles, CurtisTaylor, British-born but raised in Canada, completed her epic adventure in January: a recreation of Lady Heath’s 1928 record-breaking flight from Cape Town to Cairo. The route took her through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Egypt – before finally touching down at Goodwood in West Sussex |
TOFO, a very good point. A casual review of her twitter feed and web site reveals a few school visits on the way. There is no evidence to substantiate any kind of "programme," other than that which might have been added as padding to support the application for sponsorship.
Use of the word "extensive" when describing her outreach is, like much that has been written about her, an audacious exaggeration. |
Deefer, you could ask her for details of her "outreach" programme via the "contact" system on her own website.
Having said that, from first hand experience, your question will be acknowledged, with a personal promise to get back to you as soon as possible. However, if it's not convenient (as per my question about her entitlement to wear an RAF flying badge), chances are it will be otherwise ignored. |
I've often found the comment
British-born but raised in Canada |
I know I sound like a broken record but the "outreach" is the real scam here. I'll hazard a guess as to the extend of the outreach.
1. Piggyback on anything Boeing had going but only to the extent of giving a talk or showing up for some ceremony, nothing concrete or tangible and certainly nothing that is going to change a disadvantaged persons life. 2. Dropped in at schools along the way of her flight, again for a talk and mostly about herself which benefited her PR efforts more than it did the talk recipients. Interestingly those schools and girls groups do have genuine outreach programs for STEM etc. and list the accomplished female mentors helping the girls. TCT is not listed as one. 3. I bet if you flipped thru the BIAB and Artemis expedition chequebook it would be slim pickings for the amounts and frequency that a cheque was written to a charity or for anything else that would count as outreach. 4. Attaching her name to service charities much in the same manner she attaches her name to true pioneering female aviators from the past as a way of legitimize her activities in the eyes of the public. As I said, the outreach is all smoke and mirrors just like the solo thing. |
British-born but raised in Canada I quite agree with: adds nothing but to suggest that the subject is perhaps more interesting than first appears. |
Step Turn, I too would rather she drop her claim to being "part Canuck", mind you ,I doubt she knows what a "Step Turn" is as it seems she hasn't claimed is a float endorsement!
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Originally Posted by Reverserbucket
(Post 9638590)
I've often found the comment
British-born but raised in Canada In the intro to the Museum of Flight talk (also available on YouTube) she says "I love the old world, I love the old colonial world". I have noticed this theme in a number of interviews and take it to be a yearning for a bygone era. |
#3312 "There must be a video of that oration" - there is ! See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLdnB8PlNAc - FF to 10:50. Watched it once - no mention of the S word that I heard ?
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I love the old colonial world Another reason for me to discount what TCT says! |
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Cheer up, it could be worse. You could have ended up as TCT's luggage carrier.
Even after the Pilots escape crash without injury ? The Tribune-News |
You could have ended up as TCT's luggage carrier I do some advanced training for newer pilots, and I choose my clients. For the right person, I'll haul luggage - 'cause they would equally haul mine! It's about doing the job which needs to be done, without whining, or seeking accolades for it. I've learned, the not so easy way, that some pilots just do not [yet] have what it takes to handle a more advanced 'plane, or flying environment - or worse, both together. I have had to tell a few pilots that they did not have what it took, while wondering about how they got this far. My job might have been to train them, but sometimes it was just not going to work out - they just did not get it, or would not take it seriously. I know only of TCT what I have read here, but my experience tells me that she would be an "avoid" for advanced type training. I would not be available to carry her luggage. |
Of those diligent souls gathering evidence, has anyone listened to her interview on BBC R4's Women's Hour a couple of months ago?
At the time, I though I detected her adjusting words in mid sentence, along the lines that have been repeated so often here. Perhaps it was me hearing what I expected to hear. Perhaps it will help understand her a little more. I'm afraid I don't know how to get the recording from the Beeb. |
I think this might be it 460 BBC Radio 4 - Midweek, Adam Henson, Tracey Curtis-Taylor, Paul Spike, Joe Langdon.
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460 / Yotty thank you. It is one of many such audio clips that I have suffered.
Having just watched that video posted by LeicesterH (Islandlad and I were mid private message him having found it and me trying to locate it):ok: Does it sound familiar? Of course it does, it was the text on the biog page on her website as far back as feb 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150204...lane.com/biog/ Basically she (or Tim Kelly) wrote the nice words that the Uni said about her and then tagged on a paragraph or two about this wonderful outreach programme. Seems she has given up horticulture and her "non-stop journey across China" has been downgraded to "a journey across China". So embellishment is evident during other events too. Another poster has pointed out to me (thanks NF) that all of the press reports that were wrong carried the same text, factual errors and grammatical errors. All points to one thing: BiaB / TCT / or Tim Kelly were feeding the media and organisations the same misinformation. |
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