Disappointed by the imbalance and inspired by other pilots she had met during the process, she has now created her own event – the Heritage Air Rally – which will feature at least one woman in every plane.
Mrs Thurston Tiefenthal said that she felt she had to do something after meeting so many amazing female pilots during the application stages of the Vintage Air Rally – a 9,000-mile race between Argentina and Florida in vintage planes.
‘There was an aerobatics pilot, a woman who flew for the French Air Force and a Muslim airline pilot from Indonesia,’ she said.
‘I got in touch with them all after we had all been rejected for not fitting the criteria, which seemed to be “male”. I don’t want to seem all “bah humbug” but I was disappointed because it seemed that they had chosen people based on what the TV company filming the rally wanted, which was not adventurous pilots, but inexperienced people who would struggle and make for good reality television.
‘Women were a large part of the pioneering days of aviation and I wanted to create a rally that would reflect that.’
Mrs Thurston Tiefenthal’s Heritage Air Rally, which will be held in spring 2019, will follow the famous trading route known as the Northern Silk Road, a gateway between China and the west.
It’s theme will be a celebration of the importance of traditions, micro-enterprise and community projects in the growing face of globalisation.
Each plane entered into the six-week rally must have been built before 1950 and will hold two people – one of whom must be a woman.
‘I don’t believe in exclusion, so it won’t be all-female but every plane must have at least one [woman],’ said Mrs Thurston Tiefenthal.
‘It is not a competition or a race, but a chance to explore a fantastic route which played such an important part in building our global network of trade and communication. We will also be stopping in Muslim countries, so there will be opportunities to promote women’s rights and hopefully give locals a helping hand.’
The route covers more than 5,000 miles and will include stops in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Any companies or individuals interested in learning more or sponsoring the rally can get in touch with Mrs Thurston Tiefenthal at kat.tiefenthal@gmail.com.
