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JENNIFER MURRAY  Jennifer Murray, 65, is U.S. born and UK educated. She entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1997 as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter, raising over $100,000 for Save the Children. In 2000, Jennifer and Colin broke more records by flying around the world in their respective craft faster than anybody else. In 2001, Jennifer and Colin flew the London Sydney Air Race, setting a new world speed record. Jennifer has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Awards & Honours
1997 Silver Medal - Royal Aero Club, Guinness Book of Records
2000 Britannia Trophy - Royal Aero Club, Guinness Book of Records
Brabazon Cup, Harmon Trophy, Inducted in Forest of Friendship
2004 Postage stamp issued in The Gambia in her honour
2005 Inducted into the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame Biography | 1940 | Born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Mother American, Father British. Moved to UK in 1944. | | 1946-1958 | Educated in the UK. | | 1958-1961 | Central School of Arts & Crafts, London. Graduated in Textile Design. | | 1961-1963 | Travelled & worked in USA. Drove car to Fairbanks, Alaska. | | 1963-1966 | Freelance textile designer in London. | | 1966-1969 | Married Simon Murray, moved to Thailand, started her own textile company, printing & selling wholesale Thai silks and cottons Son Justin born Sold textile company on moving to Hong Kong Daughters Suzanna and Christy born in Hong Kong. Formed new textile company | | 1978 | Trekked Nepal | | 1982 | Ran the London Marathon | | 1989 | Trekked in Bhutan | | 1993-1995 | Exhibitions of her own watercolour paintings in Hong Kong & Switzerland. | | 1994 | Helicopter Pilots Licence. Hiked the Maclehose Trail. Completed 100km race | | 1997 | First woman to pilot a helicopter around the world with co-pilot Quentin Smith. | | 1998 | Lecture tours. Preparation starts for solo circumnavigation of the world. | | 1999 | Ran Hong Kong marathon and Kenya marathon for Operation Smile. Preparation for solo circumnavigation of the world. | | 2000 | First woman to fly solo around the world in a helicopter.
First person to fly solo around the world in a helicopter without auto pilot | | 2001 | Took part in The London to Sydney Air Race 11March–8th April and came 3rd.
Spent two months in Morocco on film set, ferrying movie personnel and actors to locations – desert and Atlas Mountains.
Book ‘NOW SOLO’ published by Mainstream telling the story of her 2000 world record. | | 2003 | Along with Colin Bodill, they became the first pilots to fly a single engine helicopter across the Drake Passage.
Also flew the first single engine Civilian helicopter to the South Pole.
G-MURY, the R44 helicopter flown on both world trips, was installed in the new Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington DC
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We talk to pilots about their hopes, fears, and what they plan to do next Q: During the trip what do you talk about?
A: We talk endlessly about what’s over the horizon and what we’re going to do about it. You need
to be constantly alert, on the look-out and prepared. Q: During the trip what are you least likely to say… ?
A: “I give up” Q: Who do you most admire and, briefly, why?
A: My husband Simon – I got lucky, I married a very special person – and after forty years of marriage I
still think so.. Q: If you could take along a third person in your helicopter, who would it be and why?
A: Someone who speaks Spanish – neither of us do and none of the domestic airports in Argentina speak
Spanish. Last time we had Anibal Perrara from the World Wildlife Fund accompanying us through
Argentina. He was perfect - he not only spoke Spanish but he knew about everything we were flying
over and was fascinating to listen to. Q: What part of the trip do you enjoy most, and why ?
A: The polar regions, the greatest adventure of all – the beauty, the isolation, the risk and the challenge. Q: What part of the trip do you enjoy least, and why?
A: Getting up at 5am - and the hours spent at some airfields, traipsing from one building to another filling
in countless forms only to find the weather has closed in and you can’t take off. Q: What is the most dangerous part of the trip, and why?
A: When there’s a weather or mechanical problem – and that can be anywhere. A great deal of our
journey is over hostile terrain – places where there is nowhere to land, like jungles and mountains and
of course the sea.
Q: Do you take any luxury item along, and why ?
A: A thermos and English teabags – there’s nothing like a cuppa when the going gets tough. Q: What is an indispensable piece of non-technical kit that you take along?
A: My St Christopher medallions that I have worn on all my global flights Q: What do you crave/miss most when you’re away?
A: I miss my wonderful family, my lovely garden and my own bed. Q: What 4 words would your friends use to describe you?
A: They don’t usually restrict themselves to four words, but the general gist of their flow is along the lines
of crazy, brave, mad, brilliant. Q: The trip means you and Colin travel very intensely together – what keeps you amicable when
the going gets tough ?
A: We stop talking and get on with the job Q: What are the two of you most likely to disagree on?
A: The choice of music we play in the helicopter as we fly along. Q: What do you like to listen to when you’re flying?
A: Classical, but Colin says it sends him to sleep – so we have a problem. Q: Once you’ve completed this world record, what will your next ambition/goal be?
A: To enjoy my family, my grandchildren, and to make a start on sorting a 10 year backlog of photos and
get back to painting watercolours – and perhaps a little flying! Q: If you weren’t setting helicopter world records, what sort of world records would you like to
set?
A: This is ‘the big one’ – so no more record attempts for me. Q: When you were a child, what did you want to grow up to be?
A: I guess I lived pretty much for the present, it certainly didn’t stretch to being a pilot. Flying only
entered my life at the grand old age of 54 when my husband bought a half share in a helicopter and
said that he didn’t have time to learn so I better have a go.So I did.
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