An adventurous British aviatrix is embarking on a 21,000-kilometre solo flight from Britain to Australia in a vintage open cockpit bi-plane.

Self-styled ‘Bird in a Bi-Plane’ Tracey Curtis-Taylor, 53, yesterday set off in her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis aircraft from Farnborough, Hampshire.

She will fly across 23 countries, making 50 refuelling stops over the next 14 weeks, before finally arriving in Sydney in early 2016.

Before starting her flight, Curtis-Taylor said: “For my whole life, I have been moved by the achievements of pioneers like Amy Johnson.

“My own flight to Australia is the realisation of a burning desire to fly my beloved Boeing Stearman around the world following in their footsteps.

“It has taken 30 years to arrive at this point, and now I not only have the desire to do it but also the resources and a huge network of support behind me.

Her route will take her across Europe and the Mediterranean to Jordan, over the Arabian desert, across the Gulf of Oman to Pakistan, India and across Asia.

She will follow in the slipstream of Amy Johnson, the pioneering British aviator who became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1930

She hopes to recreate the essence of Johnson’s era of flying, with an open cockpit, stick and rudder flying with basic period instruments and a short range between landing points.

But she is not unfamiliar with this form of flying. In 2013, she flew 13-km solo from Cape Town to Goodwood, West Sussex, to recreate the 1928 flight of Lady Mary Heath.

A small support crew will travel in a light modern aircraft to record her journey to Australia, and day to day news will be posted on an interactive website.

Her first day of flying will see her stop off in Le Touquet, France, before continuing on to Charleville in the Ardennes.

She said her first major stop will be Istanbul, which will mark the moment she will leave Europe and where she will learn about Turkey's first female combat pilot, Sabiha Gokcen, aged 23.