Bird

by Tracey Curtis-Taylor

Tracey Curtis-Taylor is renowned as one of Britain’s foremost female adventurers – but she had to fight against the odds to make her dreams come true. Paying homage to two historic aviators, Curtis-Taylor made headlines all over the world with three epic flights in a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane, from Cape Town to Goodwood, Farnborough to Australia, and across the USA.



But it didn’t come easy. With searing honesty and breathtaking detail, Bird tells the remarkable personal story of how she overcame extreme adversity to complete her three remarkable journeys, which also feature in a forthcoming global film release.

From cheating death twice and saving her crew from a firing squad to overcoming a bitter campaign waged by a male-dominated aviation industry; from her relationship with a mysterious French spy to the shocking secret that drove her family apart.



This is the action-packed, inspirational story of a woman who fulfilled her high-flying ambitions, was brought crashing down to earth in more ways than one, yet still survived to tell the tale.

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2023

Reviews

[Chad Manske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first met Tracey in 2010 through a mutual friend while I was serving as the Commander of the US air base at RAF Mildenhall, UK. Her larger-than-life enthusiasm was contagious and her aviatrix nature was something to behold. My wife and I had the opportunity to fly with her in her Ryan PT-22 Recruit at Biggleswade while she was affiliated with the Shuttleworth Collection before we returned to the States, and it was a great thrill! As a renowned pilot and adventurer, Bird is essentially an autobiography of both her early years and upbringing while struggling to find herself. It details her odyssey as a waitress, model, and in other forms of employment while trying to nail down what a career in aviation might look like. It is very honest, real and raw and readers will be captivated by the transparency. Yet the gem of the story is also about her three historic flights over the last decade as a lone airman in the cockpit of a 1942 World War II Boeing Stearman biplane, appropriately named Artemis. Tracey wanted to first re-fly the solo 10,000 mile route flown by legendary Irish flier Lady Mary Heath in 1928. She did so in 2012, flying from Capetown, South Africa to Goodwood in West Sussex, UK. And the marvelous details are captured in Bird. The second mission happened two years later following the journey of another heroine of hers--Amy Johnson--who was the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930. Tracey's journey lasted three months and covered over 14,000 miles through 23 countries. In breathtaking detail, both of these missions captured the essence of Tracey's own spirit and they were not without drama and near-death experiences--both because of mechanical failures and those on the ground at various stops. She would tell of the highs she experienced like seeing the young girls in Pakistan flock to her and roll out the red carpet to great celebrations. From there the plane was shipped to the US where she would attempt a cross-country flight from the west coast, however, it would end early due to a harrowing crash in the Arizona desert. Fortunately, the plane was able to be repaired and the following year the trip was made in two weeks from Santa Monica, CA to New York. A movie is scheduled to come out that complements the book as Tracey didn't truly do this alone. There were technical people, filmmakers, and her trusty mechanic Ewald to assist in such gigantic undertakings. I have seen clips of the footage and you won't want to miss the inspirational message of the movie, and shouldn't wait to read Bird right now!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read and very well written