Events
Xiadani Flores / Peninsula 360 Press
Richarda Morrow-Tait was first female pilot in accomplishing the feat of circumnavigating the globe in one year and one day. On September 19, 1949, she landed in England. She is considered an inspiration to many women, as she reminds us to chase our dreams to the sky if necessary.
Prudence Richarda Evelyn Routh was born on November 22, 1923 in England. During her elementary school years she attended a girls' school in Cambridge, but she had a dream: to be the first woman to circumnavigate the world.
Two months after the end of World War II, Richarda married Norman Robert Morrow - Tati on July 21, 1945 and when the ban on aviation was lifted Richarda, or "Dikki" as she was affectionately known, joined the Cambridge Aero Club and thus earned her private pilot's license.
She studied hard and worked hard to achieve her dream. That's how the Morrow-Tait family, along with Richarda's best friend, Michael Townsend, bought a plane in which they flew around the world.
The plane chosen was a Percival Proctor IV, registration G-AJMU, which she named "Thursday's child" after her daughter Anna's favourite lullaby. On August 18, 1948, Richarda began the great journey.
She left in her wake a tumult of scandal and negative comments as she had to leave her husband Norman and daughter Anna in Cambridge to fly east 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 navigator had to make some unplanned stops and survived a forced landing near Alaska in very unfavourable weather conditions as the sub-zero temperature had caused ice to form on the carburettor. These unforeseen expenses left Richarda almost bankrupt and Townsend returned to England.
At Christmas 1948, while Richarda was in Canada, she met Jack Ellis who joined her adventure and agreed to replace Townsend. Shortly after, Dikki got another airship and with a few adjustments was ready to continue the great journey; he called this one "Next Thursday's Child" and it took to the skies of the USA, Canada and back to England.
Once she completed her journey, Richarda became the first woman to fly an airplane and circumnavigate the world, but her feat was little recognized as people judged her to have abandoned the "maternal duties of a housewife" to pursue her dreams.
After the adventure, Richarda kept away from the media. However, it is known that she eventually married Michael Townsend, with whom she had been in love since before she married Norman.
This iconic pilot passed away on December 17, 1982 due to 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 of us women to fight for our dreams, no matter what anyone says, to make possible what is impossible, what is denied to us, what makes us happy and fills us with personal satisfaction.
