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Article  •  31 July 2023

 

5 Amazing Aircraft Featured in From the Pilot's Seat

Take a sneak peek at 5 impressive aircraft featured in From the Pilot's Seat!

This beautiful Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (41-13570), restored by Pioneer Aero is based at Ardmore, Auckland. It was shot down and crashed into a lake west of Murmansk, Russia in World War Two and recovered on 31 August 1997.

 

This top dresser, Transavia PL-12 Airtruk, featured in the 1985 movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. The one pictured is owned by Stephen Death, flying at the Temora Aviation Museum, NSW, Australia.

 

SCOTT 'MACKA' MCKENZIE pictured in the pilot’s seat of the rare Royal Aircraft Factory BE 2c-1L. Reg ZK-CBE. Powered by The Vintage Aviator’s 1a V8 engine. 

 

This F-35 Lightning II is the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) premier 5th Generation fighter. A very agile, versatile, high-performance, 9G capable, multi-role fighter that combines stealth, sensor fusion and unprecedented situational awareness. 

 

The 1944 PBY-5A Catalina, a World War Two amphibious flying boat. One of only a few operational Catalinas left in the world and the only one able to carry passengers. 

 

Read more about these aircraft and their pilots in From the Pilot's Seat.

 

Photos credit to Gavin Conroy 

From the Pilot's Seat Fletcher McKenzie

Enthralling tales from New Zealand pilots - both men and women - who fly a variety of aircraft around the world in a range of situations, from the domestic to the heart-stopping.

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