Inmarsat’s connectivity is being used to share Tracey Curtis-Taylor’s 20,931 km (13,000 miles) adventure, as she takes to the skies in an open cockpit biplane to retrace the 1930 epic solo journey of pioneering aviator Amy Johnson.
Modern-day aviator Tracey set off from Farnborough Airport in Kent, UK, on 1 October destined for Sydney, Australia.
The expedition is expected to take around 12-14 weeks to complete and will include 50 legs as she crosses 23 countries on her intrepid trip across the globe.
Tracey is undertaking the flight to celebrate the pioneering days of early aviation in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the achievements of revolutionary British aviator Amy Johnson.
Having flown across Africa in 2013, experienced pilot Ms Curtis-Taylor is no stranger to stick and rudder flying with basic period instruments in some of the most beautiful, challenging and dangerous places on the planet.
Speaking prior to departing Farnborough, Tracey Curtis-Taylor said, “For my whole life, I have been moved by the achievements of pioneers like Amy Johnson. My own flight to Australia is the realisation of a burning desire to fly my beloved Boeing Stearman around the world following in their footsteps.
“It has taken 30 years to arrive at this point. And now I not only have the desire to do it but also the resources and a huge network of support behind me. I am very, very grateful for this. It feels as if I am finally breaking free of the shackles of life and fulfilling a destiny which was always meant to be.”
Tracey will be sharing her adventure with fans around the world through regular social media and website updates, as well as sending back footage for a National Geographic documentary, thanks to Inmarsat’s satellite communications.
She will be shadowed by a small support crew travelling behind her in a light modern aircraft, who will be recording her flight across three continents to help keep history alive and inspire a new generation of aviation enthusiasts.
Regular rushes from the cameraman, as well as from the cockpit and wings of Tracey’s biplane, will be delivered to Leopard Studios in the UK via Livewire Digital’s M-Link solution and sent over Inmarsat’s award-winning satellite network using its reliable BGAN HDR streaming service.
As soon as the plane lands all the team needs to do is 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 a matter of minutes.
