Judy Leden's flying career began while she was at university in Cardiff in 1979.[2] She started competing in 1982 and broke many records in 1983. She currently holds world records for both hang gliding and paragliding. Leden turned professional in 1988, becoming the only woman to earn a living as a hang glider and paraglider pilot. Her work includes films, stunts, flying displays, teaching and writing. She is a friend and supporter of Flyability, the BHPA charity to help disabled people to fly hang gliders and paragliders.
As a display pilot, Leden has been asked to take part in a range of airshows. She was asked to fly at the Imperial War Museum display at Duxford as part of their 2011 Spring Air Show themed Celebrating Women in Aviation.[3] Unfortunately the strong winds made conditions unsafe for flying hang gliders.[4]
Leden has landed many sponsorship deals, including Citroën. Her competitive success includes winning the Women's World Hang Gliding Championships in 1987 and again in 1991. She has been British Women's Champion six times and in 1995 she won the Women's World Paragliding Championship.[1] Involved at Airways Airsports from the start, Leden is the senior instructor proficient in every form of free flying.[5]
Leden's father was one of the children saved by Sir Nicholas Winton prior to the outbreak of World War II. She took Winton flying in a microlight on a number of occasions including his 98th and 100th birthdays.[6][7]
Achievements
In 1989 Leden became the first woman to fly over the English Channel by hang glider following a launch from a hot air balloon at 13,000 feet. The flight received substantial press attention and was featured in an episode of Spitting Image.[1][8]
For the Channel 4 documentary Cotopaxi Dream she climbed and flew from the top of Cotapaxi, at 19,600 feet the world's tallest active volcano.[1][9][10]
Leden undertook the "Flight for Life" flight from London to Amman, Jordan, for a cancer research campaign with Ben Ashman, which was inspired by—and in memory of—hang glider pilot Yasmin Saudi, who died of cancer at the age of 24. The flight succeeded in raising over £100,000, and it was filmed en route and released as a video.[1][13][14]
In 1996, Leden's autobiography Flying with Condors was published.[1] This title was also used for a BBC 1Natural World documentary in which Leden and her husband Chris Dawes travelled to Patagonia to fly with Andean condors using hang gliders, paragliders and paramotors.[15][16][17]
Leden's wide experience with various aircraft, adventurous nature and low body weight has resulted in her being asked to test fly a number of unique aircraft. In 2003, she was asked to test fly a replica of a Leonardo da Vinci glider[18][19][20] and in 2009 the makers of a replica of the first aircraft to fly in the UK recruited Leden in an attempt to get their replica Roe Triplane airborne.[21]
Taking off from Wadi Rum, Jordan, Leden was flown to an altitude of 41,300 feet (12390m) by world class balloonist Per Lindstrand.[27] This flight was filmed for the Discovery documentary Stratosfear[28][29][30] by Matt Dickinson[31]
12 January 1997
HG
W
Tandem flight to goal
Steve Varden and Leden made flight to goal of 36.3 km from Kuruman, South Africa (Multiplace World, National)[23][32]
94.4 km, Bradwell Edge to Grasby, Ozone Vulcan[35]
17 March 2004
PG
UK
Straight distance (F)
125.0 km, Bradwell Edge to Spilsby, Ozone Vibe[35]
9 December 1992
PG
W
Straight distance (F)
128.5 km, Vryburg (South Africa) to, Firebird Apache[22][35]
20 July 1994
PG
W
Distance around a triangular course (F)
Sarah Fenwick, Judy Leden, 50.3 km, Piedrahita, Nova Sphinx & Edel Rainbow[22][35]
20 July 1994
PG
W
Speed over a triangular course of 50 km (F)
Piedrahita, 15.8 km/h, 20 July 1994, Edel Rainbow[22][35]
Media appearances
(1989) ITN news reports on crossing the English Channel landing on the beach at Calais.[1]
(1991) Cotopaxi DreamChannel 4 documentary. The first ever hang glider flight from one of the world's highest active volcanoes – Cotopaxi in Ecuador, which rises 19,600 feet.[1][9][10]
(2003) Woman's Hour - two interviews with presenter Jenni Murray discussing Leonardo's Dream Machine and flying with Sir Nicholas Winton[10][37]
(2003) Blue Peter presenter Matt Baker taught to fly & makes successful tandem world record breaking flight with Airways instructor Judy Leden.[33][34]
(2006) An extract from BBC's Great British Summer. Airways instructor Judy Leden flying Tandem with Cloud Appreciation Society founder Gavin Pretor-Pinney, showing him what its like to fly through the clouds on a hang glider.
[38]
(2010) BBC Breakfast sports presenter Mike Bushell and BBC Disability Sport reporter Tony Garrett flew tandem with Airways instructor Judy Leden to experience hang gliding and to demonstrate the benefits of aerotowing for disabled students.[40]
^Leden (September 1983), "In search of world records", Wings, p. 11
^Williams (June 1989), "Judy Leden sets new hang gliding distance record", Skywings, p. 11
^Leden (June 1989), "Beating the Women's distance record", Skywalker, p. 21
^Dougherty, Sean (December 1994), "News From Europe"(PDF), National Newsletter THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA, p. 21, archived from the original(PDF) on 27 March 2012, retrieved 23 February 2012
