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A Kenyan pilot has soared to fame after she pulled off an incredible landing at Heathrow in 80mph crosswinds whipped up by Storm Eunice.
Ruth Karauri, a Kenyan Airways pilot, was at the helm of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying from Kenyan capital Nairobi to Heathrow on Friday evening.
With the airport being battered by Storm Eunice and the runway experience crosswinds of over 70 knots (80mph), many pilots were forced to abort their attempts at landing.
But Ruth expertly manoeuvred flight KQ 100 out of the sky, bringing the huge jet safely down on the tarmac of Heathrow’s westerly runway despite the treacherous conditions.
Little did she know, her approach had been filmed by YouTube channel Big Jet TV, where hundreds of thousands of people were watching live.
That figure quickly turned to millions as word of the amazing aviator’s feat spread.
Her miraculous feat inspired an outpouring of congratulations, including from the likes of the UK high commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott and the governor of Kenya’s central bank Patrick Njoroge, and earned her extensive media coverage in her native country.
CEO of SportPesa Ronald Karauri – Ruth’s wife – also tweeted his congratulations, albeit jokingly.
‘2nd best pilot in Kenya,’ he tweeted in response to the video of her exceptional landing.
Despite running Africa’s largest sports betting company, Ronald is also a former Kenyan Airways pilot. The pair met while flying together and share two children.
Kenyan pilot Ruth Karauri has skyrocketed to fame after she pulled off an incredible landing at Heathrow in 80mph crosswinds whipped up by Storm Eunice
With the airport being battered by Storm Eunice and the runway experience crosswinds of over 70 knots (80mph), many pilots were forced to abort their attempts at landing
But Ruth expertly manoeuvred flight KQ 100 out of the sky, bringing the huge jet safely down on the tarmac of Heathrow’s westerly runway despite the treacherous conditions (pictured)
Little did she know, her approach had been filmed by YouTube channel Big Jet TV, where hundreds of thousands of people were watching live. That figure quickly turned to millions as word of the amazing aviator’s feat spread
Ruth remained the epitome of professionalism following the impressive landing, recording a short video from the cockpit of the plane before making the return flight to Nairobi.
‘The flight conditions were strong gusting winds and it was quite a bumpy ride,’ she said.
‘However, thanks to the training we have had at Kenya Airways, particularly in the simulator, it prepared us for such a scenario.
‘We used all our training expertise and skills that we have managed to learn over the years at Kenya Airways and we handled the learning expertly.
‘It was a pleasure flying all our amazing passengers into London Heathrow!’
Marriott congratulated the pilot in Swahili, writing: ‘Hongera Capt. Ruth Karauri on the successful landing in #StormEunice!’, while Njoroge tweeted proudly: ‘You’ve seen the videos of planes struggling to land at LHR yesterday with #StormEunice.
‘The exception was KQ’s Capt. Ruth Karauri who landed the 787 like a boss!’
CEO of SportPesa Ronald Karauri – Ruth’s wife and himself a former pilot – also tweeted his congratulations, albeit jokingly. Despite running Africa’s largest sports betting company, Ronald is also a former Kenyan Airways pilot (Ruth and Ronald pictured with their daughter)
‘2nd best pilot in Kenya,’ Ronald wrote in response to the video of his wife’s exceptional landing. The pair met while flying together and now share two children
Ruth aspired to be a pilot from the age of eight after she saw an advert for Kenyan Airways on TV, according to See Africa Today and Who Knows Kenya.
She was vocal about her desire to fly planes as a child and throughout her teenage years, but her family was unable to afford the training required.
She was on the verge of giving up the dream in her twenties when she came across a Kenyan Airways advert for trainee pilots in a local newspaper – and the rest is history.
Meanwhile, the creator of Big Jet TV, Jerry Dyer has also enjoyed a big boost in popularity, having filmed Ruth’s landing.
Standing atop a Ford Transit van with a camera trained on Heathrow’s runways, Dyer live streamed the day’s action for hours, all the while providing enthusiastic and amusing commentary which has delighted viewers.
The number of users subscribed to his YouTube channel has doubled since Friday, soaring from 142k to 288k as of this afternoon.
Meanwhile, the creator of Big Jet TV, Jerry Dyer has also enjoyed a big boost in popularity, having filmed Ruth’s landing (Dyer pictured on This Morning, Feb 21, 2022)
Standing atop a Ford Transit van with a camera trained on Heathrow’s runways, Dyer live streamed the day’s action for hours, all the while providing enthusiastic and amusing commentary which has delighted viewers. The number of users subscribed to his YouTube channel has doubled since Friday, soaring from 142k to 288k as of this afternoon
He told the Sunday Times that he is now in negotiations with NASA to cover a rocket launch thanks to his popular presenting style.
‘We’re going to do a rocket launch live with Nasa. That biting-your-fingernails moment: even for one carrying a satellite, not people, there’s always that anticipation,’ he said.
‘Is this thing going to go up a couple of hundred feet and come back down, barrel into the launch pad and blow up into a massive mushroom cloud?’
Dyer also told The Sunday Times his astonishment at Ruth’s impressive landing amid the torrid conditions.
‘It was a bumpy landing. The airstrip was covered in dust and mud and trees. There were aircraft on both sides of the runway that had crashed and they had been literally been bulldozed over to the side of the runway.’
‘I felt as if I’d been in the gym for six hours,’ he said after his marathon live stream.
Source: dailymail
