Richarda Morrow-Tait

Prudence Richarda Eveleyn "Dikki" Morrow-Tait (, 22 November 1923 – 17 December 1982 ) was an English pilot and the first woman to pilot an aircraft around the world, accomplishing the circumnavigation in a year and a day.

Early life Morrow-Tait was born in Ickleton, near Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. She was the first person to receive a post-war civilian pilot's licence in the UK.

During the World War II, she was assigned as a temporary stenographer to assist an aeronautical mechanical engineer, Norman Morrow-Tait. On 21 July 1945, she married Morrow-Tait. In October 1946 they had a daughter, Anna. Despite some criticism, Morrow-Tait continued to fly following her daughter's birth. The trip was intended to take six to eight weeks. She initially flew a single-engine Percival Proctor IV G-AJMU. She named the aircraft "Thursday's Child" (who "has far to go" in the nursery rhyme "Monday's Child"). For a navigator she was accompanied by childhood friend and Second World War RAF navigator Michael Townsend. The 25-year-old Townsend was then a University of Cambridge geography undergraduate student.

Their departure was not without controversy due to the social norms of the time, and the overwhelming reaction to her endeavour was a negative one. There was outrage that she would leave her 18-month-old girl behind. The press mockingly dubbed Morrow-Tait the "flying housewife."

They travelled by the south-eastern route. Passing south through France, then along the Mediterranean, through the Middle East to India and on to Vietnam, before turning north-east to Hong Kong and Japan. There were rough landings in Marseille (causing minor damage) and finding and getting approval for extra fuel tanks to be installed in the fuselage for the long flight across the Pacific Ocean.

On reaching Japan, they were denied permission to cross Russia or use Russian airfields, lengthening their Pacific crossing. With winter approaching, they were offered an escort by an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress from Japan. They made the Pacific crossing on 9 November 1948; however, poor weather and radio issues meant they lost contact with their escort. They eventually reached Shemya Air Force Base in the Aleutians 13 hours and 20 minutes later, perilously low on fuel. The Royal Canadian Air Force sent a Avro Lancaster from Nova Scotia to escort them and see that they complied. But Morrow-Tait had other ideas and in-flight turned towards Bluie West One in southern Greenland, followed all the way by the Lancaster. they reached Croydon.

There was little in the way of public notice of the completion of the journey with the press reporting "only a few persons" were at Croydon.

Later life

During the trip, Townsend and Richarda Morrow-Tait had an affair, and eight months after their return, Townsend and Morrow-Tait had a son, Giles Townsend. On 2 February 1951, Norman Morrow-Tait was granted a divorce. Townsend and Richarda Morrow-Tait married on 27 March 1951.

She maintained her pilot licence until 1960 and died on 17 December 1982 of a blood disease aged 59.

Until 2022 Morrow-Tait was the youngest woman pilot to circumnavigate the globe. As of 2024, she remains the youngest woman pilot to circumnavigate the globe with a navigator.

In 2024, a blue plaque was placed at Cambridge City Airport in honour of the 75th anniversary of her flight around the world.