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Saturday, 9 January 2016

Tracey Curtis-Taylor finishes UK to Australia biplane flight



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  • From the section UK
Tracey Curtis-TaylorImage copyrightReuters
Image captionTracey Curtis-Taylor arrived in Sydney, completing her 13,000 mile trip

A British adventurer has arrived in Australia, having completed an epic 13,000-mile solo flight from the UK in a vintage open cockpit bi-plane.

Tracey Curtis-Taylor, 53, set off in her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis aircraft from Farnborough, Hampshire, in October.

She retraced pioneer Amy Johnson's 1930 flight, flying over 23 countries and making some 50 refuelling stops.

After landing in Sydney she tweeted it was the end of a "huge adventure".

Ms Curtis-Taylor - the self-styled "Bird in a Biplane" - also thanked "everyone who supported me".

'Best adventure'

Speaking to the AFP news agency after her three-month journey, Ms Curtis-Taylor joked that she needed "a drink".

She admitted she had "lost my rag several times dealing with people on the ground" during frequent refuelling stops, but added: "The flying has been sensational and that's why you do it.

"To fly something like this, low level, halfway around the world seeing all the the most iconic landscapes, geology, vegetation - it's just the best view in the world. 

"It's the best adventure in the world."

Flying the open cockpit biplane had given her an "insight" into what Ms Johnson went through getting to Australia, she added.

Her route had taken her across Europe and the Mediterranean to Jordan, over the Arabian desert, across the Gulf of Oman to Pakistan, India and across Asia.

Ms Curtis-Taylor attempted to recreate the essence of Ms Johnson's era by flying with an open cockpit, with basic period instruments and a short range between landing points.

Tracey Curtis-TaylorImage copyrightReuters
Image captionShe celebrated her arrival at Sydney's International Airport with a glass of Champagne
Tracey Curtis-Taylor's biplane over Bagan, in MyanmarImage copyrightEPA
Image captionShe has flown across 23 countries, including Myanmar - formerly known as Burma
Bi-plane flying past UluruImage copyrightReuters
Image captionMs Curtis-Taylor piloted her bi-plane past Uluru, in central Australia
Amy JohnsonImage copyrightPA
Image captionAmy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930

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