Sheila Christine Hopkins was born on April 27, 1927 in Worcester,
Worcestershire, England. After attending a Worcester boarding school, Sheila
became a nurse trainee at Haslar Naval Hospital where she tended the wounded during
WW-II. She married becoming Sheila Scott and early on she had a dream. She wanted
a grandstand seat in life to view the unfolding magical scene of endless changing
colors in the boundless sky. She became a pilot and chose to fly barefoot. The earth
was to become her paper and Myth her parable.
Any plane that she flew would have the name Myth attached to it. Eventually,
she purchased a Piper Comanche 260 and named it, "MythToo." Between 1965 and 1972
she would be breaking more than 100 light-aircraft records. In 1966 she and her
"Myth Too" would fly solo round-the-world in an easterly direction. She departed
London on May 19, 1966 and returned there on June 20, 1966 setting a new light
aircraft speed record for flying solo round-the-world.
She lamented, "each flight is a triumph, not only over machinery, weather and
terrain but over oneself."
In 1969/70 she would fly solo round-the-world for a second time in "Myth Too."
On December 20, 1969 she took off from Gatwick Airport in London in the "England to
Australia Air Race." Her "Myth Too" had been jinxed by someone and with severe
weather out of Singapore, she became lost but finally was able to land in Makassar,
Celebes Islands. She got back on course and after making the required Australian
landings arrived in Sydney on January 3, 1970. She didn't win the race but was
awarded fourth in her class. Sheila commented, "I entered a race and had an
adventure." Sheila decided to continue flying east round-the-world in a relaxed
fashion. Her air tour took her over the Pacific to Los Angeles, CA, across the US to
New York City and then via Gander, Newfoundland across the Atlantic back to London.
In 1971 in her new Piper Astec plane, "Mythre" Sheila would fly solo
round-the-world for her third time but adding a flight over the North Pole in her
circumnavigation path. Sheila was often alone but was never lonely. She passed away
quietly in London on October 20, 1988.
Itinerary:
Departed London, England 12/20/69 Start of Race
Athens, Greece
Karachi, Pakistan
Calcutta, India
Singapore
Makassar, Celebes Islands
Sumbawa, Indonesia 12/25/69
Kupang, Timor
Darwin, Australia
Alice Springs, Australia
Adelaide, Australia 01/01/70
Griffith, Australia
Sydney, Australia 01/03/70 End of Race (won 4th in class)
Brisbane, Australia 01/xx/70 Start of Tour
Noumea, New Caledonia
Nandi, Fiji
Tawara Atoll, Gilbert & Ellice Isles
Johnston Island
Honolulu, HI
Los Angeles, CA
El Paso, TX
New York, NY
Gander, Newfoundland
Shannon, Ireland
Arrived London, England 01/xx/70 End of Tour