Tracey Curtis-Taylor touches down as tribute to Amy Johnson complete.

Here at Flightstore we previously looked at some key milestones in the history of aviation, and noted that as the sheer scope of the subject covers such a staggering amount of heroes, iconic aircrafts and records, it was inevitable for there to be key omissions. One such milestone we weren’t able to touch upon was the 1930 flight of British female pilot, (or in the vernacular of the time ‘aviatrix) Amy Johnson, who successfully flew solo halfway around the world from Croydon to Darwin, Australia - covering 11, 000 intercontinental miles in just 19 days, an absolutely astounding feat of the time. Johnson’s favoured ‘Gipsy Moth’ G-AAAH aircraft faithfully carried her across southern Africa as well as almost all of Southeast Asia, a journey as dangerous as it is serene. Although unable to claim the world record they were initially chasing, Johnson touched down on the 24th May to a rapturous audience of onlookers. This monumental flight ensured that Amy Johnson remained both a British hero and a revered pioneer of the skies to this day. Through the magic of the world wide web, we’re able to listen to Amy Johnson herself describe the epic adventure in her own words: 85 years on, Johnson’s heroic efforts were commemorated by another British aviatrix, Tracey Curtis-Taylor. So inspired by her countrywoman achievements, Curtis-Taylor decided to pay tribute by retracing the steps of the Gipsy Moth piloted so ably by Johnson. Departing in October of last year in a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane, named the ‘ Spirit of Artemis’, Curtis-Taylor touched down in Sydney after an odyssey of her own, which saw her overcome abject weather conditions over Romania, and the challenges of being open to the elements in a vintage plane for such long periods of time.

Finished @SydneyAirport! End of huge adventure, thank you everyone who supported me. Stay tuned for updates #GBtoOz pic.twitter.com/TDjEcDBcjU

— Tracey Curtis-Taylor (@biplanebird) January 9, 2016

Next on her agenda is a flight which will take the Spirit of Artemis across the United States as part of Boeing’s centenary celebrations. Stay tuned to Flightstore to find out what else Boeing have in store to celebrate their 100th year. We’d love to know about your dream adventures! Would you take to the skies like Johnson and Curtis-Taylor, or see in the world in another way? Let us know by leaving a comment below or getting in touch with Flightstore on social media via the social buttons underneath this post!