An aviator’s journey of a lifetime

Tracey Curtis wants to recreate a pioneering British female aviator's flight from Britain to Australia in 1930

KARACHI: Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a flying saucer! NO!  It's a plane… and a woman is flying it.

After much anticipation, the female aviator Tracey Curtis arrived in Karachi on Tuesday and how. The adventurer landed her plane, Spirit of Artemis, at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport runway and was escorted by military personnel to the Hajj Terminal for a press conference.



"It's an honour to be here with such warm people," she said on the occasion. "Many people warned me about the security concerns in Pakistan, but I have never received such hospitality in any other country."

Tracey Curtis is a Canadian national who wants to pay homage to Amy Johnson, the pioneering British aviator, and Johnson's epic solo flight from Britain to Australia in 1930.  The 53-year-old aviator set out for the 13,000-mile solo flight in a vintage open-cockpit biplane on October 1, 2015. Speaking about her journey, Curtis said, "I cannot achieve what Amy Johnson did." She was the real adventurer.

Bird's eye view

"I was mesmerised by the beautiful landscapes of the country I saw from my plane," she said. "I have always heard about how beautiful Pakistan's northern region is. Now I can testify to that."



On the occasion, John A Tucknott, British deputy high commissioner of Pakistan, said that he is delighted to welcome Curtis to Pakistan. "I have been living in Pakistan for the last two years, and I find it to be one of the most colourful and culturally rich nations." Curtis's flight teaches us a lesson in overcoming odds to achieve our life goals, he added.

Women empowerment

Addressing the media, Air Marshal Salman Ahsan Bukhari said that Curtis is a brave woman and her mission should be a great inspiration for women all across the globe.

"Today, we celebrate women empowerment," said Engro chairperson Hussain Dawood. "Curtis is a role model for us all and I wish she keeps on inspiring our youth."



During her short stay in Karachi, Curtis will visit Dawood Public School and interact with more than 2,000 female students today. The event is being organised by Engro Corporation, Habib Bank Limited and the Dawood Foundation.

Curtis' flight is expected to take 12 to14 weeks with her arrival in Sydney planned for early 2016. She took a journey across Europe and the Mediterranean to Jordan, over the Arabian Desert, across the Gulf of Oman to Pakistan. Now, she will travel to India and on to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia before crossing the Timor Sea to Australia.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2015.