Aviation · World Record Attempt

This Girl Flies

One small aircraft. Forty-eight states. Tess as pilot in command, Morag navigating - a Guinness World Record attempt to fly the fastest journey by plane through every contiguous US state, raising money for Wings for Warriors along the way.

The attempt

One small aircraft, forty-eight states

In August 2019, Tess and Morag Morris-Paterson left the UK for a Guinness World Record attempt to fly the fastest journey by plane through every contiguous US state. Tess flew; Morag - her wife and the other half of the planning team - navigated, never more valuably than during the final urgent emergency landing. The plan: around 10,000 nautical miles in a borrowed Cessna 150, flying up to seven hours a day for three weeks, camping under the wing between legs.

Every mile flew the flag for Wings for Warriors (registered charity 1148093), which helps wounded veterans retrain as pilots.

Cessna 150 · N552RA~10,000 nm48 states#ThisGirlFlies
Tess and Morag Morris-Paterson with the Wings for Warriors flag beside the Cessna 150 at the start of the This Girl Flies attempt
Departure

London to New York State

After final preparation flights from Fairoaks Airfield, the pair flew out of Heathrow for New York to collect N552RA from Rochester Air Center at Canandaigua - then pointed its nose at New England and started the clock.

Tess and Morag departing London Heathrow for the start of the This Girl Flies world record attempt
The route

Follow the flight

Every stop and flight time below is drawn from the actual logbook - twenty-eight states, four engine problems and three emergency landings (paused in red) in under three weeks. Watch the route unfold, and tap a pin to revisit a stop.

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Raised for Wings for Warriors
Ready for departure - Canandaigua, NY
Day 1 - Canandaigua, NY - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Day 1 - Canandaigua, NYWheels up in N552RA, a Cessna 150 from Rochester Air Center. Tess at the controls, Morag navigating. First stop: Vermont, by night.
Rutland, Vermont - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Rutland, VermontFirst camp of the attempt, pitched beside the airfield.
Portland, Maine - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Portland, MaineEmergency landing No.1 - the muffler blew off the aircraft. N552RA in for repairs, four states down.
New England swept - This Girl Flies world record attempt
New England sweptSeven states logged in the first days - sunset off the wing over Connecticut.
Westminster, Maryland - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Westminster, MarylandFuel for the aircraft - and pancakes for the crew.
Sikeston, Missouri - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Sikeston, MissouriEngine trouble No.2 - a high idle RPM before take-off put N552RA in for repairs. Eighteen of forty-eight states.
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Poplar Bluff, MissouriEmergency landing No.2 - the hired Piper Warrior's engine failed on take-off during the check-ride. They borrowed another Cessna 150 instead (and met a Black Hawk on the ramp).
Atmore, Alabama - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Atmore, AlabamaA hurricane was pushing into Florida - the weather building on the horizon. Decision made fast: dip in and out of Florida via Alabama, then swing west.
Monroe, Louisiana - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Monroe, LouisianaHosted by the women of the US Air Force - and past £1,600 raised for Wings for Warriors.
De Queen, Arkansas - This Girl Flies world record attempt
De Queen, ArkansasSunset over the Cessna after another seven-hour flying day.
Batesville, Arkansas - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Batesville, ArkansasA dawn start to carry the borrowed Cessna back north.
Walnut Ridge, Arkansas - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Walnut Ridge, ArkansasBack in the air at last - 'guess whose plane now works?!' N552RA repaired, spirits up, heading west.
Paris, Arkansas - This Girl Flies world record attempt
Paris, ArkansasEmergency landing No.3, after smoke over the Ozark National Forest: a dead cylinder, a stuttering propeller, and an approach over powerlines and a busy road onto a 2,700 ft strip. Journey's end - with the local sheriff on hand.
Snapshots

More from the journey

Final preparation at Fairoaks Airfield before the This Girl Flies attempt
Final prep - Fairoaks Airfield, UK
Forces radio and television interviewing the crew at Fairoaks Airfield
Forces radio & TV at Fairoaks
Reviewing airspace over charts with CFI Joe Songin before departure
Airspace planning with CFI Joe Songin
N552RA, the borrowed Cessna 150, on the ramp
N552RA - the record aircraft
The Northeast Air team at Portland who repaired the aircraft
The Portland dream team who patched N552RA up
Sleeping mats on the floor - accommodation during the record attempt
0515 alarm - luxury accommodation
Welcome to Poplar Bluff Airport sign with the crew
A Poplar Bluff welcome, Missouri
N51147, the second borrowed Cessna 150, being checked over at night
N51147 - the second borrowed Cessna, checked by night
T-6 Texan military trainers taxiing at Monroe, Louisiana
Military trainers on the move - Monroe, Louisiana
Aircraft silhouetted at dusk on the Walnut Ridge ramp the evening before the final flight
Walnut Ridge at dusk - the evening before the final flight
The ending

Safety made the call

The engines never stopped testing them: a muffler blown clean off the aircraft at Portland, Maine; a high idle at Sikeston, Missouri; a hired Piper Warrior whose engine failed on take-off during the check-ride at Poplar Bluff. Then, heading for Texas via Oklahoma, the fourth and final act - smoke over the Ozark National Forest, a cylinder giving out, the propeller stuttering as the aircraft lost power. Tess flew the approach low over powerlines and a busy road for a short-field landing at Paris, Arkansas - where the local sheriff collected two record chasers and their kit.

Three emergency landings was the line. No record. No regrets. As every pilot learns: it's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.

Tess and Morag Morris-Paterson heading home after the This Girl Flies attempt
Recognition

The Faith Bennett Navigation Cup

The British Women Pilots' Association awarded Tess the Faith Bennett Navigation Cup for the attempt - named for one of Britain's pioneering women in aviation, and awarded for exceptional feats of navigation.

And the fundraising didn't stop when the propeller did: the campaign raised £2,395.55 (plus £528.25 in Gift Aid) for Wings for Warriors.

Faith Bennett Navigation Cup£2,395.55 raisedWings for Warriors
The Faith Bennett Navigation Cup awarded to Tess and Morag Morris-Paterson
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