aerobatics
Do you
harbour a secret desire to be a top gun fighter pilot? Perhaps
even fantasize about a dogfight with the Red Baron or Snoopy?
Aerobatic action flights are a relatively new development on the
adventure tourism scene. This is moderate to extreme adventure
for thrill seekers and would be fly boys and
fly girls. Looping the loop in a Pitts Special stunt
plane is not for the faint hearted. Shooting the breeze in the
open cockpit of a Tiger Moth trainer is less daunting - until the
pilot does a triple roll over.
Wanaka steals the show in the vintage aircraft scene with its
superb Skyshow and Warbirds Museum. The town boasts the largest
collection of airworthy WWII fighter aircraft in the Southern
Hemisphere. Put yourself in the drivers seat with the dual
control Mustang or Harvard for a special treat - the skies the
limit. Chug along in the more sedate Chipmunk or dabble in a
daring dogfight in the simulator suite.
Other centres have aerobatic and vintage aircraft to enable you
to experience the unique feeling of open cockpit flying. Auckland
has a good selection of vintage cloud-riders, as does
Rotorua. In the South Island, local airports at Nelson, Tekapo,
Queenstown and Te Anau are amongst those that invite visitors to
experience adventure aviation. Gore, in Southland, has an
impressive collection of vintage planes.
This has to be an opportunity thats too good to miss. You
can fly by the seat of the pants just like the great
aviators of history - those incredible men in their flying
machines.
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