16 February 2026
Take one low-hour private pilot flying solo, add a 622nm flight crossing the English Channel not once but twice in the same day, and that’s how Karen Locatelli came to win first prize in the Pooleys Dawn to Dusk International Challenge.
The long list of awards in the 2025 Dawn to Dusk (published in full below) was announced at a celebration earlier this month at the RAF Club in Piccadilly, London.
Top, winning the Duke of Edinburgh Award, was Karen with her story of flying from the UK to Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, then onwards to St Michael’s Mount, off the coast of Cornwall near Penzance, and back to her base at Wycombe Air Park.
Second was an international entry, this time Belgians Wendy Janssens & Petra van Mulders whose entry was New Wings over Old Lands. Third, regular entrant Nic Orchard with A Distracted Search for a Fantasy Hangar Home.
Some flights are logged in hours and nautical miles. Others are measured in meaning.
On Sunday 27 July 2025, I set out from Wycombe Air Park with a simple but deeply personal objective: to link two of Europe’s most iconic tidal islands — Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy and St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall — within a single day’s flying.
Born French and proudly British since 2024, the journey felt like the perfect airborne tribute to my dual nationality.
That same transformative year, I had achieved two milestones that reshaped my life: becoming a British citizen in June and earning my Private Pilot Licence in October. By the summer of 2025, with 49.4 hours Pilot in Command, it felt like time to create a flight that celebrated both identities.
The Pooley’s International Dawn to Dusk Competition is about far more than flying from sunrise to sunset. It invites pilots to craft journeys with intention — flights that connect stories, geography, and imagination.
I first discovered the competition on Boxing Day 2024. What began as casual browsing quickly turned into obsession. At the time, I had just 18.9 hours PIC and no certainty that such an ambitious international flight would ever be realistic. But aviation has a curious way of turning “what if?” into “why not?”
The theme came naturally: two islands, both crowned by medieval monasteries, both dedicated to the Archangel Michael, yet separated by the English Channel and hundreds of miles of sea and land.
Mont Saint-Michel represented my French beginnings. St Michael’s Mount symbolised my British life.
Aircraft: Cessna 172S Skyhawk
Registration: G-OJAG
Pilot: Solo
The route would consist of three legs:
On paper, it was straightforward. In reality, it demanded careful preparation — particularly for a low-hour pilot.
International VFR procedures, Channel crossings, weather margins, fuel planning, airspace transits — every element required thought. I devoted special attention to the Channel Islands Class D transit, seeking guidance from instructors to ensure the plan was both legal and sensible.
With fewer than 50 hours PIC, my strategy was simple: conservative decision-making at every stage.
Diversion options were mapped in advance, including Lee-on-the-Solent, Bembridge, Caen, Dinard, Jersey, Guernsey, Plymouth, Exeter, Land’s End, and Newquay. Overwater segments were designed to minimise time beyond gliding distance where possible, while higher cruising altitudes extended both glide range and psychological comfort.
I wore a life jacket during the Channel crossings and refreshed my ditching procedures. Flying over water can be mentally demanding, especially solo. Confidence — in the aircraft, the planning, and the procedures — proved invaluable in managing workload and stress.
Endurance was another consideration. One leg exceeded three hours airborne, so hydration and snacks became as important as navigation logs.
In total, the day delivered:
The flight strengthened my navigation, sharpened my planning discipline, and built invaluable experience in international operations and controlled airspace. It also marked a licensing milestone, qualifying as my CPL cross-country requirement.
The Pooleys Dawn to Dusk International Challenge for 2026 is now open. It’s free to enter. Click here for full details.
