In an industry still dominated by men, Tracey Curtis-Taylor is paving the way for female pilots to do extraordinary things. At 53, she has embarked on a 13,000 mile solo flight from Britain to Australia in a vintage open cockpit bi-plane. Her journey is both a nod to great women of the past and a sign to young girls that even a dream as gigantic as this is possible to fulfill. 

She's following directly in the footsteps of Amy Johnson, who was the first female pilot to make the same flight 85 years ago. Back then, much of the route was over the British Empire. Curtis-Taylor took off yesterday from Farnborough, Hampshire and will fly across 23 countries. Soaring over Europe, the Arabian desert, India and Southeast Asia, she is due to arrive in Sydney in early 2016.

A small support crew will follow her in an aircraft to record the flight. Follow her journey here.