Amanda Harrison

Amanda Harrison

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Show notes

In this interview with Amanda Harrison we talk about her memoir, Solo2Darwin: In the Footsteps of Amy Johnson, in which she recounts her attempt to fly solo from England to Australia in her vintage open cockpit Tiger Moth. We also talk about the other themes shared in her book about grieving the loss of her father, her breast cancer journey, and the experience of navigating life with dyslexia.

I mention Elizabeth Wein’s historical fiction novels written for dyslexic and reluctant readers ages 13+ – The titles are: The Last Hawk, White Eagle, and Firebird.

Buy the Book: SOLO2Darwin

The blurb:

“In this easy-to-read book, Harrison takes the reader into the cockpit and to many interesting places when she unexpectedly found herself delayed.” -The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation

Whilst learning to fly, Amanda Harrison discovered a beautiful vintage Tiger Moth. After researching the amazing pioneers who flew this fragile aircraft, a spark was ignited, and Amanda dreamed of emulating their adventures. On 11th May 2019, she made that dream a reality, taking off from Biggin Hill with the aim of flying to Darwin, Australia in 20 days – just as her idol Amy Johnson had done in 1930. Solo2Darwin documents one woman’s exhilarating journey across the world. Indeed, the launch of her biplane, ‘Solo2Darwin’, received extensive press coverage including print features in The Times and The Telegraph and TV footage broadcasted on ITV and Channel 5 News respectively.

Faced with adversity, navigating through torturous mountain ranges covered in cloud, across seas, dodging thunderstorms and surviving engine failures, Amanda’s route had plenty of highs, lows and drama. Alongside this she also experienced the difficulties of solo-flying a biplane and having to navigate dangerous regions across the world. What makes Amanda’s expedition even more remarkable is that this was all undertaken whilst recovering from
cancer.

So strap in and prepare to go on a journey of a lifetime. Twelve countries, 2,600 miles, 46 flying hours, two engine failures, one airplane, one female pilot, all equals one amazing adventure!