The Aviatrix

Two women... one dream - to fly the length of Africa in an open cockpit

In 1928, Lady Heath became the first person to fly solo from Cape Town to London. Eighty-five years later, Tracey Curtis-Taylor sets out in a vintage biplane to retrace her flight. Her extraordinary eight and a half week journey from Cape Town to Goodwood is nearly 10,000 miles long and takes her through 15 African countries. From the beauty of the wilderness to the challenge of flying through war torn nations, Tracey faces many of the same challenges as her aviatrix predecessor. With aviation fuel scarce and with a top speed of only 95 miles an hour, her progress is slow and at times frightening. Accompanied in the aircraft by another pilot, her aircraft was fitted with satellite navigation which made the trip far safer.