Tracey Curtis-Taylor Following The Flight Path Of Lady Heath From Cape Town, South Africa To Goodwood In The U.K.

She had wanted to be back in the U.K. in time for Christmas, but Tracey Curtis-Taylor, the U.K. pilot who is recreating the historic flight of Lady Heath from Cape Town to Goodwood in Sussex is waiting for a break in the weather in Croatia.

Six weeks ago, Curtis-Taylor set off to fly a Stearman biplane named The Spirit of Artemis from Cape Town, South Africa to Goodwood, as did Lady Heath, a 31-year-old female pilot, in 1928. The trip was planned in 32 legs through Africa and now across Eastern Europe as she attempts to make it home. Her airplane is a restored 1943 Stearman. While Heath navigated using pages torn from an atlas, Curtis-Taylor has the advantage of GPS and modern communications equipment.

But that should not detract from her accomplishment. The U.K. newspaper The Telegraph reports that she has flown much of the journey at an altitude of around 200 feet, allowing her to enjoy the African scenery.

On her Facebook page last updated on December 21, Curtis-Taylor said that she was waiting for a break in the weather to allow her to fly out of Croatia, and that she would not reach the end of the journey until after Christmas. Freezing Fog, rain, and low clouds were making a departure impossible. She had previously been delayed by weather in Egypt, where a storm with 50-knot winds and "huge sheets of water" made flying inadvisable.

A documentary film crew is traveling with Curtis-Taylor.

(Facebook image of Spirit of Artemis in flight)

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