Bird in a biplane hits back at '˜false claims'
A BRITISH aviator who flew from South Africa to the UK has dismissed claims that she lied about being the sole pilot on the 8,000-mile expedition.
Tracey Curtis-Taylor retraced Lady Mary Heath’s trailblazing 1928 journey in 2013 – flying in a classic 1940s open cockpit Boeing Stearman biplane from Cape Town to Goodwood, Sussex.
And in July, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Portsmouth for her adventuring.
However, it was claimed she only flew a handful of the 36 legs alone, but the 54-year-old has hit back and denied she made ‘false assertions’, saying she will be taking legal action.
Ms Curtis-Taylor, the self-proclaimed Bird in a Biplane, spoke out after it was revealed an award she received for her flight has been rescinded.
She said: ‘I have never sought to mislead anyone about the way that my flights were undertaken.
‘It is clear from what I say about the Africa flight and subsequent expeditions that they were not solo flights and that I was accompanied by a support crew.’
At their annual general meeting the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) stripped Ms Curtis-Taylor of the Bill Woodhams trophy awarded for navigation following the allegations.