Judy Leden
| Judy Leden | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 1959 (age 57–58) London |
| Spouse | Chris Dawes |
| Relatives | Yasmin (daughter) Cameron (son) |
| Aviation career | |
| Famous flights | Crossing English Channel in hang glider. Dropped from a balloon from 40,000ft over Jordan. |
| Awards | MBE. Royal Aero Club Gold Medal. Hussein Medal for Excellence. Star of the First Order. |
| Website | |
| Judyleden.com | |
Judy Leden, MBE (born 1959) is a British hang glider and paraglider pilot. She has held three world championships, twice in hang gliding, once in paragliding.
Judy Leden's flying career began while she was at university in Cardiff in 1979. 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, Judy has been asked to take part in a range of airshows, most recently 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. Unfortunately the strong winds made conditions unsafe for flying hang gliders
Judy has landed many sponsorship deals including Citroën. 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. Involved at Airways Airsports from the start, Judy is the senior instructor proficient in every form of free flying
Judy's father was one of the children saved by Sir Nicholas Winton prior to the outbreak of World War II. She has taken him flying in a microlight on a number of occasions including a flight on his 98th and 100th birthdays.
In 1989 Judy 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 even featured in an episode of Spitting Image.
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Wikipedia