Judith Chisholm Becomes Fastest Woman to Fly Solo Round-the-World
Born Judith Margaret Lowe in England in 1947, Judith Chisholm (wife of Colin Chisholm) would
aspire to become a qualified professional pilot of corporate jet aircraft. She was one of the
first women to be trained in Britain to become an air traffic controller and to be appointed as
a controller at Heathrow Airport in London. Judith had dreams and followed those dreams with
accomplishment. Her path was not without difficulty. She had to finance herself through a four
year course to qualify as an air traffic controller including her flying tuition to obtain a
private pilot's licence.
Determined to advance in her love of flying, she obtained her instrument rating, instructor's
licence and eventually her Airline Transport Pilot's licence. She acquired her first plane, a
16 year old French-made Jodelle which she enjoyed flying from the UK to France and on one occasion
to Africa. Judith was motivated by other women pilots before her. She rose above male prejudice
and proved herself to do what few have done, to fly solo faster than others round-the-world and
she did this over her vacation. Her solo flight round-the-world in her Cessna T-210 Centurion
took 360H 22M 23S and broke 28 world speed records.
Her love of flying, her sense of adventure and her courage are left with us now as models for
others to follow. Judith lost her battle with cancer and died in her own cottage on July 8, 1988,
eight days after her 41st birthday (newspaper). She has been immortalized by her mother,
Audrey Lowe, in a book of Judith's life, her accomplishments and her epic journey in "Stardust."
Itinerary:
Departed London, England 11/18/80
Larnaca, Cyrpus 11/19/80
Colombo, Sri Lanca 11/20/80
Djakarta, Indonesia 11/21/80
Port Hedland, Australia 11/22-23/80
Sydney, Australia 11/24-25/80
Auckland, New Zealand 11/26-28/80
Honolulu, HI 11/29-30/80
San Francisco, CA 12/01/80
Winnipeg, Canada 12/02/80
Goose Bay, Labrador 12/02/80
Arrived London, England 12/03/80
Judith set 28 world records during various legs of her round-the-world flight. Visit the
International Women's Air & Space Museum.
