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Modern-day aviator journeys into history

Congratulations to modern-day aviator, Tracey Curtis-Taylor, who has journeyed into history in an open cockpit vintage biplane, successfully recreating Amy Johnson’s epic 1930s solo flight from Great Britain to Australia.

Setting off on 1 October 2015 from Farnborough, UK, flying over 23 countries, covering 13,000 miles and making 50 refuelling stops, Tracey landed in Sydney, Australia on 9 January 2016 in her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis aircraft.

Throughout her flight, Tracey has been able to rely on Inmarsat’s connectivity to share the amazing adventure on her interactive website and social media channels, using our reliable BGAN satellite communications service.

Streaming service

As soon as the plane landed, no matter how remote the location, the team was able to connect a laptop to the highly compact and lightweight BGAN Explorer 710 terminal, supplied by Cobham SATCOM, to receive simultaneous voice and broadband services, within minutes.

Tracey was also shadowed by a small support crew travelling in a light modern aircraft, who recorded the flight across three continents and sent back footage for a National Geographic documentary, using Inmarsat’s BGAN HDR high data streaming service.

Her hope is to educate a new generation of aviation enthusiasts and help keep history alive through the documentary, which is being made by Leopard Films.

Greatest adventure

Speaking of her incredible experience, Tracey said: “This is the greatest adventure in the world – this is flying through some of the great iconic sites: the Dead Sea, the Arabian desert.

“This is old fashioned stick and rudder flying, open cockpit, you get buffeted around – I’ve come through monsoons, thunder storms, turbulence, flying through the Australian outback in 45 degrees of heat.

“To fly something like this, low level, halfway around the world seeing all the most iconic landscapes, geology, vegetation – it’s just the best view in the world.”