Ephemeris
Xiadani Flores / Peninsula 360 Press
Richarda Morrow-Tait was first female pilot in achieving the feat of going around the world in a year and a day. On September 19, 1949, he landed in England. She is considered an inspiration to many women, as she reminds us to pursue our dreams to heaven if necessary.
Prudence Richarda Evelyn Routh was born on November 22, 1923 in England. During her years of basic education she attended a school for girls in Cambridge, however, she had a dream: to be the first woman to go around the world.
Two months after the end of the Second World War, Richarda married Norman Robert Morrow -Tati on July 21, 1945 and when the ban on aviation was lifted Richarda, or "Dikki" as he was affectionately called, joined the ranks of the Cambridge Aero Club and thus obtained his private pilot's license.
She studied hard and worked hard to achieve her dream. That's how the Morrow-Taits, together with Richarda's best friend, Michael Townsend, acquired a plane on which they flew around the world.
The plane chosen was a Percival Proctor IV with the registration G-AJMU which he called "Thursday's child" after his daughter Anna's favorite lullaby. On August 18, 1948, Richarda began the great journey.
She left behind a tumult of scandals and negative comments as she had to leave her husband Norman and daughter Anna in Cambridge to take the flight eastward and around the world, Dikki became the first "flying housewife".
His flight was a compilation of adventures including two minor accidents, a 6-week forced stay in India for plane repairs and an illegal escape from India.
The Pilot and the navigator had to make some unplanned stops and survived a crash landing near Alaska in very unfavourable weather conditions since the temperature below zero had caused the formation of ice in the carburettor. These unforeseen expenses left Richarda almost broke and, for the same reason, Townsend returned to England.
At Christmas 1948, while Richarda was in Canada, he met Jack Ellis who joined his adventure and agreed to replace Townsend. Shortly thereafter, Dikki got another aircraft that with a few arrangements was ready to continue the great journey; this one he called "Next Thursday's Child" and flew across the skies of the United States, Canada and back to England.
Once her journey was completed, Richarda became the first woman to fly a plane around the world, but her feat was little recognized as people judged her to have abandoned her "maternal duties as a housewife" to pursue her dreams.
After the adventure, Richarda stayed away from the media. However, it is known that she finally married Michael Townsend, with whom she had been in love since before she married Norman.
This emblematic pilot died on December 17, 1982 from a blood disease, however, before she died she made sure to write her memoirs. In the book Thursday's Child: The Story of the First Flight Round the World by a Woman Pilot tells us about his life and his adventures around the world.
Richarda's story inspires many women to fight for our dreams, no matter what they say, to make the impossible possible, what is denied us, what makes us happy and fills us with personal satisfaction.
