Voyage To The Ice
By Polly Vacher 2004
Facing challenges has always been an essential driving force in Polly’s life. At the age of 45, she did a tandem skydive to raise money for charity. This changed the direction of her life, as she was personally challenged to become a proficient skydiver. This was achieved in 1990 with a total of 245 jumps.
Then, Polly gave up skydiving as a hobby in favour of flying. In 1994 she gained a her UK Private Pilot's License, just before moving to Australia for 18 months in connection with her husband's work. Having held a flying license for only a few months, Polly hired a light aircraft and flew with her husband Peter, around the circumference of Australia.
From 1997 Polly has been one of five people, and the only woman, on the selection board for the "Royal International Air Tattoo Flying Scholarships for the Disabled.
In 1997 Polly flew solo in a single engine Piper Dakota across the North Atlantic in 1977. Peter joined her in America and together they flew around the periphery of the United States and Canada. Then Polly flew on her own back across the Atlantic.
On 17th May 2001, after 124 days of circumnavigating the globe through four continents, twenty countries and spending 232.45 hours in the pilot’s seat, Polly entered into aviation history as the woman who circumnavigated the world in the smallest plane via Australia and the Pacific.
Being true to her self, full of energy and desire to make a further contribution to her favourite charity, to stretch herself even more and support scientific research, towards the end of 2001 Polly created the new challenge: another journey around the world but this time via the Arctic and Antarctic, places where no women have flown solo in light aircraft.
The lecture covers the research, preparation, planning, sponsorship search and organisation of the challenge following by the events that took place during the 358 day journey of over 60000 nautical miles in length, which is recorded in history of aviation as:
The first women to fly solo:
- In a single engine light aircraft over the North Pole
- In a single engine light aircraft over Antarctica
- Around the world via all seven continents
while generating thousands and thousands of pounds for funds for The Royal International Air Tattoo Flying Scholarship for the Disabled in Memory of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader. (Registered charity no. 1070281)
The MIRCE Akademy proudly sponsored Polly and her GFRGN on both, record braking, flights around the world.