Solo aviator touches down in jakarta

Solo aviator touches down in jakarta

JAKARTA (Reuters): An Australian aviator recreating a flight from London to Darwin in northern Australia in a single-engine aircraft 70 years ago landed in Jakarta on Thursday, and was greeted by a tropical thunderstorm.

"We've had a lot of bad weather, it was raining all the way, as you can see I am soaked and wet," said Lang Kidby on his arrival from Singapore.

"I haven't seen a blue sky for ages," he said.

Kidby, 50, has been en route to Australia from England for the past two months, taking almost the same route that pioneer Australian aviator Bert Hinkler followed 70 years ago.

Kidby's 70-year-old Avro Avian aircraft -- the same model that Hinkler flew -- is the only one left in the world.

"In many ways my flight is more difficult than Hinkler. Bert Hinkler didn't have a passport and the problems we've had have all been related to bureaucracy...borders, clearances and all that."

"I had to produce 62 papers at one airport in India for one aeroplane," he said

Kidby is scheduled to leave for the holiday isle of Bali on Friday and stop in West Timor before making his way back to Australia.