Lachlan Smart - Does He Deserve An HCAP or LAA Award?
 

I am suggesting this young man deserves some serious awards from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the Light Aircraft Association.

18 year old Lachlan Smart is the youngest pilot to ever cross the Pacific and Atlantic and has done the latter the long way via the Azores.

He is spending around 11 days in the UK while the S22 has a check.

With so much bad news around today this is uplifting.
(Appeal to mods.. can we keep this in Private Flying and not ANZ & Pacific where it will get lost?)

Lachlan has landed at Biggin Hill
 

I have just spoken to customs at Biggin and Lachlan has landed having flown direct single pilot from the Azores today.

It appears to me no one is interested in this 18 year old record breaking guy because he is not making a song and dance about his exploits.

However the fact remains tonight he has become the youngest person to have ever flown solo from Australia to the UK.

He also now holds the record for youngest pilot to ever fly across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

You are a true inspirational pilot and aviator Lachlan:ok:

You have rather transparently only promoted his efforts (admirable as they are) as part of your campaign against TCT (reprehensible although she is).

Best of luck to him, but there are numerous other people out there, all the time, doing long trips. He's obviously talented, but also very well resourced from other people's efforts than his own.

I hope that he has a fantastic trip, and goes onto bigger and better things. I can't however get all that excited about it.

G

Sorry Jay, there is no way he's getting an award from HCAP (sic), he was solo.
Just not the sort of thing they give awards for I'm afraid.

I am full of admiration for that young fellow.
At his age, I was flat out trying not to bend a Traumahawk.
More power to your elbow, Lachlan. :ok:

I really have to agree with this. I carry no torch for Ms Curtis-Taylor; but this trip, whilst long and potentially dangerous given that it involves flying a SEP for long distances over water, really isn't that difficult given the nature of the aircraft he is flying.

The flight that Ms Curtis-Taylor CLAIMS to have made (as opposed to what she appears ACTUALLY to have done) is, IMHO, a much more difficult aviation challenge.

Well done Lachlan ! No doubt he had a GPS (or possibly two as any sensible chap would have a spare as a precaution) but that does not seem to be a barrier for getting a navigation award at the very least.


The Russian balloonist and the crew of the solar powered aircraft also made some very notable circumnavigation flights.


All three should be candidates for crossing large amounts of blue on their maps in very credible circumstances. Everything was above board and nobody carried their bags to the luxury hotels while they searched for a hairdresser.

I started this thread to highlight the low key press coverage of a very young man who has broken records for long distance flying.

I agree there are plenty of wealthy pilots doing their Earthrounders trips but Lachlan is only 18 and not from a wealthy family. If it is so easy why has no other 18 year old ever done it.

His efforts appear to have been dismissed because he is not a famous personality or has a well oiled PR machine.

Had Richard Branson just flown a small two seater single engined aeroplane from Australia to the UK across the Pacific and Atlantic there would have been hundreds of media people and a few B list Royals awaiting him at Biggin.

The story would have been on all the news channels and fronts pages.

Lachlan had less of a welcome than most of the minor celebs that enter the UK every day in their chauffered jets.

Indeed talking to a few friends in the national media the consensus is that he is not from the UK so there is no story and there will not be a round of high profile receptions.

If you bother to read his blog his ancestor's came from the UK and did their duty in WW2.

He also illustrates how he got his dream moving alone.

However, being an Aussie,Lachlan will have to wait until he returns down under to get recognition for his amazing achievements.

I emailed all the key people at HCAP but none have got back to me.

Here is the dismissive Press Association story.

A young man in a fully equipped plastic fantastic is not really a newsworthy event. As Ghengis says it's just another thinly disguised pop at the person starring in other discussion.

It actually just demeans what the ying guy has done to be honest.

To nominate someone for an award in order to further a campaign against a particular person is wrong; which sure is how this is coming across, JS.

His achievement is laudable yes, and good on him. However, it's been done many times before. The only difference is his age.

A pretty important difference, I would say.......!! All credit to him.

I'm not saying it's not creditable. What I'm saying is that his achievement shouldn't be hijacked to score points against she-who-shall-not-be-named.

Any connection would be to either Alcock and Brown or Charles Lindberg who flew broadly similar routes, or maybe Sheila Scott who completed a round the world flight.

Now someone who does deserve awards, in my opinion, is Colin Hales.

KR2 World Tour

My favourite photo from the site:
http://kr2worldtour.co.uk/wp-content...5465380259.jpg

Trans-Atlantic in that ... wow!!

OC619

Jay Sata,

Highlighting the issues surrounding Tracey Curtis Taylor's trip, her apparent deceits and what many believe to be wholly underserved awards made by HCAP, the LAA and others to her was commendable work. You gave it a good shot and generated publicity that was eventually picked up, and as a result you have undoubtedly left egg on many faces.

Many here agree entirely with your view that TCT has not been entirely honest in her attempts to convince the masses that she has achieved great feats of airmanship and navigation. The memorable photograph of her standing in front of the claim that she was "alone in an aircraft" for xxx miles during her Africa trip adequately demonstrates the outright lie she passed off.

Despite this however I really do agree with others here that by nominating someone else for an award, as deserved as it may be, in order to pursue your attack on TCT is most certainly NOT the best way to further your argument.

I don't see what all the fuss is about. Rolf Harris and the Jimmy Savile nonsense was years ago, but people are allowed to freely discuss if they want to.

Yes, if an award was between an 18 year old in a plastic fantastic, whom has been open and honest with his endeavours OR a 'connected' Walter Mitty whom has been rather economical with the facts, the award would have to go with the former IMHO.

That said, I think others are more deserving, like the recent Russian balloon pilot.

Another vote for the Crazy Ivan!

That KR2 and the area immediately around it remind me of a student's bedroom for some reason.......................................

SND

I vote for the crazy Ivan !!!!!!

There is a lot of choice this year but to fly a balloon around the world and pass over the point of take off takes some doing.

Forgive my ignorance but one question puzzles me.

Does such a circumnaviation record have to equate to the girth of the world? eg around 25'000 miles?