The Human Swan: Sacha Dench’s Impossible 7,000km Flight

What does it take to face your deepest fear, strap a propeller to your back, and follow swans 7,000 kilometres from the Russian Arctic all the way to the wetlands of Britain?

In this inspiring episode of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, host Sam Penny sits down with Sacha Dench — biologist, conservationist, adventurer, and the woman known worldwide as the “Human Swan.”

Sacha once admitted she was terrified of flying. Yet instead of letting that fear define her, she leaned into it, learned to fly, and turned it into the backbone of one of the most extraordinary conservation projects of our time: Flight of the Swans. Along the way, she became the first woman to cross the English Channel by paramotor and showed the world that bravery isn’t about fearlessness — it’s about choosing to fly anyway.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Overcoming fear: How Sacha turned a near-death flight in Panama into the catalyst for mastering aviation.
• Flight of the Swans: The inside story of her 7,000 km journey alongside Bewick’s swans, facing storms, freezing equipment, and solitude.
• Resilience and ingenuity: From knee injuries in remote Russia to makeshift paramotors tied together with string, hear how setbacks became solutions.
• Conservation without borders: The powerful impact of her expedition — from hunters in the Arctic to power companies in Estonia — and how it helped reverse a 25-year decline in swan numbers.
• Everyday bravery: Lessons you can apply in your own life about breaking down the impossible into achievable steps.

Why This Episode Matters

Sacha’s story isn’t just about records or paramotors. It’s about ordinary people doing extraordinary things when they say yes to a cause bigger than themselves.

If you’ve ever wondered how to:

• Push through fear,
• Turn a wild dream into reality, or
• Make a meaningful impact on the world around you,

this episode will leave you with practical insights and unforgettable inspiration.

Key Quotes

• “This is not just a story about birds. It’s about what happens when an ordinary person says yes to the impossible and discovers she can fly.” – Sam Penny
• “Most people have dreams they put on the back burner. Dare to map yours out, step by step. That’s how impossible things become possible.” – Sacha Dench

About Sacha Dench

• Nickname: The Human Swan
• First woman to fly across the English Channel by paramotor
• Founder of Conservation Without Borders
• Former freediving record holder and passionate biologist, dedicated to protecting migratory birds and ecosystems.

Follow Sacha’s work at Conservation Without Borders
and on her social channels. Instagram LinkedIn

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