The Mail on Sunday

That crash won’t stop me, vows the Bird in a Biplane

- By Jonathan Petre

forward visibility from this aircraft. It’s distressin­g and embarrassi­ng. It’s really difficult to operate in this sort of environmen­t. Happily there is no damage to my engine and I am still good to go in October.’

The MoS featured Miss CurtisTayl­or’s planned flight last month and will publish exclusive reports of her journey across Europe, the Middle East, India, Burma, Indonesia and Australia, which is expected to take up to three months. DARING aviatrix Tracey CurtisTayl­or has vowed to maintain her plan for a solo flight to Australia – despite the small matter of crashing her vintage aircraft.

The self-styled ‘Bird In A Biplane’ is set to recreate the journey of heroic 1930s aviator Amy Johnson later this year.

However, calamity struck during a test run when her 1942 Boeing Stearman collided with a stationary helicopter while taxiing at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex. The 51-year-old’s plane took damage to the propeller and two small rents in the fabric-covered wings, while the helicopter was written off.

Miss Curtis-Taylor said: ‘I’m just thankful no one was in the helicopter. I was taxiing through a very restricted area and there is no

 ??  ?? SETBACK: Tracey Curtis-Taylor, right, and the aftermath of the crash
SETBACK: Tracey Curtis-Taylor, right, and the aftermath of the crash

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