‘Bird in biplane’ stripped of prize after claims she did not fly solo
Aviator lauded for lone voyage from Cape Town to UK said to have benefited from male instructor’s help
A SELF-STYLED “bird in a biplane” who became the poster girl for female flyers has been stripped of an award amid claims she used a co-pilot on a solo mission.
The Light Aircraft Association (LAA) has rescinded a trophy given to Tracey Curtis-Taylor in 2015 for flying from Cape Town to Britain.
Ms Curtis-Taylor, who is a close friend of Prince Michael of Kent, has made a career of flying vintage planes around the world.
But the 54-year-old was unceremoniously stripped of the Bill Woodhams Trophy during an LAA annual general meeting at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire at the weekend.
Members of the group claimed that she had misled the public and voted for her to be stripped of the trophy by a majority of nearly two to one.
It is thought to be the first time such an award has been withdrawn.
Ms Curtis-Taylor, who attended the meeting in an attempt to head off the motion, has been mired in controversy after flight instructor Ewald Gritsch came forward to say that he had occupied the forward cockpit of her vintage biplane for most of the legs of her “solo” journeys.
Speaking in the wake of the disclosure, Ms Curtis-Taylor previously said: “For the avoidance of doubt, I have always been the sole pilot.”
She later said that she had never claimed to be flying solo and insisted that Mr Gritsch had simply been a passenger.
However, her logistics manager, Sam Rutherford, said the airman gave her vital flight instruction and helped with engineering.
He also accused her of embellishing the truth and said that she had only flown four of the 36 legs from Cape Town to Goodwood on her own.
Barry Tempest, a veteran member of the LAA, who suggested that her award be withdrawn in the light of the claims, said: “I am delighted the award has been rescinded and her name will be removed from the annals of the Light Aircraft Association.
“I have the greatest of respect for women pilots, but I think Tracey Curtis-Taylor has not done a lot to further their cause.
“I think she is a boastful lady who needs bringing down a peg or two. She
‘She is a boastful lady who needs bringing down a peg or two. She made claims that were not true’
made these claims about flying solo, or at least that is what we were led to believe, and now it has come out that they were not that at all. Far from it. I believe the integrity of the LAA has been restored.”
On the surface, the former waitress’s trips in her 1942 Boeing Stearman mirrored some of history’s greatest exploits by solo female flyers.
The trip from Cape Town to Goodwood, West Sussex, was first completed solo by Irish aviator Lady Mary Heath in 1928.
Ms Curtis-Taylor completed the 36leg, 10,000-mile-flight in 2013, and in 2015 received the award from the LAA as a result.
Mr Gritsch, who comes from Aus- tria, was also on board for parts of her trip from Farnborough to Sydney, where she arrived in January after a flight that covered 23 countries over 50 legs.
The route was the same as the 1930 journey made by Amy Johnson, the first female pilot to fly solo from Britain to Australia.
When Ms Curtis-Taylor crashed in Arizona earlier this year on the third leg of a round-the-world flight, Mr Gritsch was seen scrambling from the wreckage.
His presence triggered widespread protest on respected flight forums Flyer and the Professional Pilots Rumour Network.
The controversy has also caused concern among the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, which awarded Ms Curtis-Taylor a Masters Medal earlier this year.
The LAA said it would respect the vote of its members.
Steve Slater, the chief executive, said: “This issue has divided opinion but it is not for me to decide.
“I am happy that the members feel able to air their views and it’s down to the members to decide.
“The award was made in good faith but in the light of what has emerged since we made the award, it is fair to say maybe we would have made a different decision.”
Ms Curtis-Taylor was unavailable for comment last night.