Post by vgp on Mar 20, 2008 8:57:53 GMT 12
Enthusiast gets high on 'aerial Ferrari' thrills
By DAVID WILLIAMS - The Press | Thursday, 20 March 2008
For multiple New Zealand aerobatic champion Steve Taylor it will be a "privilege" to pilot an aerial Ferrari at the Warbirds over Wanaka airshow this weekend.
The car salesman will sit behind the controls of one of only eight known airworthy Hurricanes in the world.
The Hurricane was the workhorse of the Royal Air Force's Fighter Command during 1940's Battle of Britain.
Taylor described the experience of flying one as someone saying "here are the keys to my Enzo Ferrari, take it for a spin down the southern motorway".
"This is probably worth more than an Enzo," Taylor, of Auckland, said of the Hawker Hurricane P3351.
A Warbirds regular, who has been flying since he was 15, Taylor said there was an overwhelming sense of history or of being in a movie while flying a World War 2 fighter such as a Spitfire, Hurricane or Mustang.
"It's such a great privilege. Most people never ever get the chance and I don't even have to write a cheque for $4 million to buy one," he said.
Taylor's borrowed aircraft was rebuilt over six years by Air New Zealand Engineering Services and Britain's Hawker Restorations. It is now part of the Alpine Fighter Collection in Wanaka. "There's a sense of responsibility when you fly these, especially because someone else owns it," Taylor said. "You treat it well -- you don't thrash it.
" Hopefully, it will outlast me and several more generations."
Show commentator Ian Brodie said ticket sales for this year's Warbirds were on a par with previous years. However, he was surprised at the number of people already wandering around the venue.
As Taylor's Hurricane flew past the grandstand, an enthusiast took his eye from behind his camera's viewfinder and jabbed his finger at the disappearing aircraft.
"Most people say the Spitfire won the Battle of Britain, but it didn't. That plane did," he said.
"I wish it was me in there instead of him."
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4445755a6009.html
By DAVID WILLIAMS - The Press | Thursday, 20 March 2008
For multiple New Zealand aerobatic champion Steve Taylor it will be a "privilege" to pilot an aerial Ferrari at the Warbirds over Wanaka airshow this weekend.
The car salesman will sit behind the controls of one of only eight known airworthy Hurricanes in the world.
The Hurricane was the workhorse of the Royal Air Force's Fighter Command during 1940's Battle of Britain.
Taylor described the experience of flying one as someone saying "here are the keys to my Enzo Ferrari, take it for a spin down the southern motorway".
"This is probably worth more than an Enzo," Taylor, of Auckland, said of the Hawker Hurricane P3351.
A Warbirds regular, who has been flying since he was 15, Taylor said there was an overwhelming sense of history or of being in a movie while flying a World War 2 fighter such as a Spitfire, Hurricane or Mustang.
"It's such a great privilege. Most people never ever get the chance and I don't even have to write a cheque for $4 million to buy one," he said.
Taylor's borrowed aircraft was rebuilt over six years by Air New Zealand Engineering Services and Britain's Hawker Restorations. It is now part of the Alpine Fighter Collection in Wanaka. "There's a sense of responsibility when you fly these, especially because someone else owns it," Taylor said. "You treat it well -- you don't thrash it.
" Hopefully, it will outlast me and several more generations."
Show commentator Ian Brodie said ticket sales for this year's Warbirds were on a par with previous years. However, he was surprised at the number of people already wandering around the venue.
As Taylor's Hurricane flew past the grandstand, an enthusiast took his eye from behind his camera's viewfinder and jabbed his finger at the disappearing aircraft.
"Most people say the Spitfire won the Battle of Britain, but it didn't. That plane did," he said.
"I wish it was me in there instead of him."
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4445755a6009.html
