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.