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Dawn to Dusk Trip a Fly-Away Success
Intrepid
aviators Steve Bridgewater and Amanda Harrison flew into the
record books on Friday 14th August when their Take Flight
Dawn to Dusk Airshow Challenge flew into town.
Flying a small Piper Cherokee aeroplane Steve and Amanda took off at 05.15 with the intention to visit as many current and former airshow venues as possible in a single day. By the time they returned to their base at Wellesbourne Mountford, near Stratford-on-Avon, at 20.55 they had clocked up nearly twelve and half hours in the air and visited 25 aerodromes.
"We set ourselves a target of 1,000 miles" says Steve, "but actually flew 1,126 miles. It was hard work but tremendous fun. We were exhausted but elated when we got home and the champagne corks popped - it really was the best day's flying we've ever shared!"
The duo also used the flight to establish three new UK National
Speed Records. These are (subject to ratification) point to
point records from the Isle of Man to Doncaster, Duxford to
Newquay and Newquay to Kemble, near Cirencester.
Steve and Amanda, who have been flying together as friends
for the last three years, used their flight to raise the profile
of fly2help.
"There were so many highlights during the day" adds Amanda, "but our abiding memory is of the amount of help and support we received from the airports we visited and the air traffic controllers we spoke to en route. Everybody went out of their way to help us complete the flight as quickly as possible. We would also like to thank our sponsors, Take Flight Aviation at Wellesbourne, without whom we would not been able to compete."
The duo will have to wait until January to learn how the judges marked their entry into the Dawn to Dusk competition. They came third in the world last year but were hoping to win outright in 2009.
Full details and statistics from the flight can be found at www.awyr.co.uk
Steve and Amanda's flight was sponsored by Take Flight Aviation
Amanda and Steve Visit Kemble
