The 2017 US Transcontinental Flight in the renamed 'Spirit of Victory' was successfully completed in July.

Tracey Curtis-Taylor flew into the American Airpower Museum at historic Republic Airport, New York on July 9 in her Boeing Stearman to a fantastic reception from the aviation community and well-wishers. Several other Stearman aircraft were there to meet her on the tarmac, and she was piped in by the local school band St Johns High School Bagpipers, in bright yellow and black kilts. At the reception, Tracey was thrilled to meet members of the 'Ninety Nines', the international organisation of women pilots which was established in 1929 by Amelia Earhart and see the exhibition dedicated to the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of WW2.

Tracey left Los Angeles on June 22 and flew the 3,000mile route across America to New York in 13 legs over two and a half weeks with various stops en route for filming and sight-seeing. There were many highlights including a visit to the Boeing Apache helicopter production plant in Phoenix, a poignant return to Winslow where she crashed last year; two glorious days of nostalgia visiting the old Boeing factory in Wichita where Tracey's Stearman was built in 1942; and seeing old friends at Galesburg Municipal Airport, home of the Stearman National Fly-in, where Tracey was guest speaker last year. The finale flight was up the Hudson River past the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline in a golden sunset. A fitting end to the global expeditions which have taken Tracey and her Boeing Stearman across five continents.

The US Transcontinental flight was supported by her usual fantastic crew Ewald Gritsch, Max Sherman and cameraman, Simon Fanthorpe, pictured below.

Special thanks to all the people and organisations who pitched in with such boundless enthusiasm and generosity to help make this flight a triumph: The Boeing Company, Dr Randy Sherman and everybody at Santa Monica Airport, the incomparable Clay Lacy and helicopter ace, Steve Stafford; the Commemorative Airforce at Falcon Field, Phoenix; Dwayne Clements and Stearman Field,Wichita; the Kansas Aviation Museum and Spirit Aerosystems, also based in Wichita; Creve Coeur Airport in St Louis, Philip Wolford and his team at Jet Air, Galesburg Airport, Kevin Daniels in Santa Fe and Kenny Roller in Cleveland, and the delightful and dedicated team at the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport. Click here to go to photo galleries for 2016 and 2017 US Transatlantic flights. To contact Tracey please click here.