Phoenix Aviation, based in Nairobi, Kenya, will use one of its Cessna Caravans as the 'chase plane' to follow Tracey Curtis-Taylor in her Boeing Stearman biplane on a solo journey from Cape Town, South Africa, to Goodwood, UK, to commemorate the same journey carried out 85 years earlier by pilot Lady Heath. In 1928, Mary Heath made front page news around the world as the first pilot, male or female, to fly an open-cockpit biplane from Cape Town to London.

“Phoenix Aviation is delighted to help Tracey and her team succeed in this exciting but very challenging adventure,” says Ingrid Strahammer, vp of marketing for Phoenix.

The 'Flying Spirit of Artemis' is the open cockpit plane Curtis-Taylor will be using. She will be exposed to the elements and the flight represents a formidable physical and logistical challenge. The cockpit and wings of the biplane will be fitted with cameras and a film crew in the chase plane will follow her throughout her journey.

In all, Curtis-Taylor will cover 7,000 miles in 32 legs over six weeks in an aircraft designed in the 1930s, with a top speed of 85 mph.