FORMER Countdown star Carol Vorderman was flying high as she piloted a plane
solo for the first time today – and achieved a broadcasting first.
The Loose Women star is training for her pilot’s licence with a view to flying
around the world single-handed to follow the intended flightpath of aviation
pioneer Amelia Earhart.
Prior to her flight she said: “I’m absolutely excited, excited, excited, but
nervous, nervous.”
Her trip, during which she climbed to 1,000 feet, was monitored by a
helicopter which was shadowing her overhead and filming her progress.
Before taking the controls on her own she had been practising with instructor
Debra Ford, who said: “She’s been so enthusiastic and when you’re
enthusiastic and you’re calm, it’s very easy to learn.”
Vorderman, 52, aims to fly 29,000 miles around the world single-handed next
year and wants to set a world record for the fastest progress from solo
debut to global flight.
Vorderman took about three months to get to the stage where she was ready to
fly solo, and has spent time in the air with her boyfriend, Graham Duff, a
former Red Arrows squadron leader.
Afterwards, she gushed: “I’m so excited. I’m going to tell everyone, I’m going
to tell everyone in the supermarket.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for 35 years – I’m still only 32,
obviously,” she joked.
Vorderman said she talked to herself throughout the flight , setting out what
she needed to do next.
“That calmed me down. But It was so beautiful up there today and the wind was
perfect,” she added.
She hopes to gain her private pilot’s licence by the end of September.
