Silver Queen Over Africa

To rekindle the spirit of aviation's infancy and remind the world of it's early aviator heroes, three adventurers retrace the steps of the first African air passage of 1920 from England to South Africa.

Flying an exact replica 1918 Vickers Vimy biplane bomber (the largest airworthy biplane in the world), two pilots dust the famous aerial trail of South Africans Pierre van Ryneveld and Quintin Brand who opened the African sky. The journey spans 11 countries, 8,500 miles, narrowly avoids two wars, endures exorbitant heat, rain and snow and survives a minor wing tip crash. Despite the use of modern maps and avionics, the adventure lasts 58 days - 15 days longer than the original flight.

For crew member, writer, and Aurora photographer Peter McBride, the journey was the trip of a lifetime. Coming from a family of aviators, this low and slow aerial adventure offered an unique perspective of the African continent while reminding the world of the remarkable advances aviation has enjoyed in just 80 years. After your PhotoVoyage...learn more on this story at: www.vimy.org.

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