Ford started flying in the early 1960s, though he didn’t complete his training until much later because he couldn’t afford the $15-an-hour fees. 

Finally, aged 53, he got his coveted licence and since then the actor has accumulated thousands of flying miles and a hanger full of aircraft. 

The 1929 Waco Taperwing is his earliest antique. This vintage biplane, powered by a 225 horsepower Wright J-6-7 engine, 

weighs less than 800kg and was one of the sportiest planes in the sky back in its day, lauded for its wasp-like handling and aerobatic prowess. 

Gotta say, being upside down in an open-top nonagenarian prop-plane would make us feel pretty Frantic.

Known during the Second World War as the PT-22, the ST3KR trained the US Army Air Corps for battle.

 After the war, those that weren’t scrapped were sold to private aviators. You may have seen this gleaming aluminium monoplane in pictures before, dug firmly into the fairway of Los Angeles’ Penmar Golf Course. The engine failed after takeoff and Ford – who was flying (Han) solo – was lucky to survive the resulting crash with only a couple of broken bones, a gash to the head and an angry green keeper. Bravely bringing the plane down where he did, rather than attempt to return to Santa Monica’s runway, averted what would likely have been a major disaster.

On the ground, Mr Ford’s preferred LA transport is a very pretty kitty. Jaguar’s XK140 was the near-identical successor to the more famous XK120, with improved brakes, suspension, shocks and steering, plus increased power and interior space for 6ft 1in leading men. What Lies Beneath that beautifully stretched bonnet is a 3.4 litre straight-six, delivering 190bhp, although a handful were fitted with the C-Type’s cylinder head, which produced an extra 20 horses. A top speed of 125mph and acceleration to 60mph in 8.4 seconds helps the driver keep up with the Joneses.

Harrison has owned many other propeller-planes, including a Beechcraft, a Grand Caravan and a Pilatus PC-12, but the de Havilland Beaver remains his favourite and he flies this more than any other. He’s particularly fond of the whirring noise of its Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine, we’re told. According to the actor, his plane was flown in the CIA’s Air America operations (which became a 1990 action comedy of the same name, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr) and was riddled with bullet holes that had to be patched up. Ford is a long-time supporter of the Experimental Aircraft Association and has taken hundreds of school children on their very first flights. As chairman of the Young Eagles programme, Harrison’s predecessor was General Chuck Yeager and his successor is Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Not bad company to be in, if you’re an aviation nut.

Ford grew up in Chicago and was an enthusiastic boy scout (he now holds the rank of Life Scout, as does the character Indiana Jones). Many of the skills he learnt from his Akela may have come in handy when piloting his VW Camper across America’s Midwest. Aged 22, he graduated from Wisconsin’s Ripon College, where he studied philosophy, and drove the V-Dub (known officially as the Type 2) to Hollywood, hoping for voiceover work, a talent he’d honed as his high school’s radio sportscaster. He signed a $150-per-week contract with Columbia Pictures, but didn’t think much of the roles he was offered and quit to pursue a career in carpentry. We’re confident the worktops and fittings in the Camper were magnificent. Recently, a grey-bearded Harrison was papped kicking the tyres of a red Kombi with a “for sale” sign on it, so maybe he’s looking to start a new project. Ford’s acting career might be many decades long, but not as long as the Type 2 VW’s – 63 years, until production ceased in Brazil on New Year’s Eve 2013.

Maintaining his link with Wisconsin, Ford and his wife, Calista Flockhart, spend much of their time on their 800-acre ranch in Jackson Hole. In the garage, you’ll find another example of open-top British engineering in traditional racing green, this time courtesy of Austin Healey. The quintessential 1960s sports car, its body was made by Jensen Motors and it was assembled in Abingdon at BMC’s MG Works. The 3000 was a huge hit in America in particular, with Harrison’s MkIII squeezing 150bhp from its three-litre engine. It’s charming and timeless, like the original Sabrina. No need to remake this one, HF.

The Jaguar and Austin Healey are best enjoyed with one’s elbow on the windowsill, but for more aggressive switchback work Harrison has a mid-1990s bright yellow Daytona 1200. Rather inelegant-looking compared to 21st-century superbikes, it is, nonetheless, a demon. Weighing 228kg and with nearly 150bhp on the rear wheel, you need to be an action hero to keep it under control. The 1200 represented the long-awaited return of the Triumph brand, a bit like a two-wheeled Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, but without the questionable CGI.

Without question one of the 1990s’ sleekest automobiles, Mercedes’ advertising strap for the SL read: “It’s better than it looks.” Certainly, the V8 and V12 engines were phenomenally well built. It still looks achingly cool; driving this down Rodeo Drive would make anyone look like a movie star and Ford has never felt the need to part with his. A future classic, like Cowboys & Aliens, perhaps.

The high-wing two-seat Husky is built in Ford’s adopted Wisconsin and it was in this that he got into hot water with the Federal Aviation Administration in both 2017 and April this year by misunderstanding radio communications from the tower and straying into the path of other aircraft, one of which was a passenger 737. Air traffic control identified Harrison as A Clear And Present Danger, but let him off both times with a warning. The actor-aviator apologised profusely for being in the wrong.

Fellow Star Wars alumnus Ewan McGregor rode a BMW R1200GS the Long Way Down from John O’Groats to Cape Town. Ford has one too and let’s not forget he’s played the world’s most famous fictional adventurer, but with this bike he tends to stick to his patch. The R1200GS is perfect for threading one’s way through LA’s horrendous rush hour traffic, be it en route to the Paramount lot or Harrison’s personal hanger at Santa Monica Airport.

The star of Harrison’s hanger is his twin-engine $18.8 million Citation Sovereign jet, which is capable of a 3,200 nautical mile range and a top speed of 525mph – not the Millennium Falcon, but not far off. This aircraft requires two pilots in the cockpit, so whenever Harrison flies he needs to find someone with a licence and a Chewbacca costume.

The actor is also trained to fly helicopters, although things didn’t augur well at the start. In 1999, Ford was having a lesson in a Bell 206L4 LongRanger when he lost control and hit the ground near Santa Clarita, flipping the whirlybird on its side. Neither Ford nor his instructor were injured, but the chopper was a write-off. Not to be downhearted, Ford bought his own $3m rotor-Blade Runner a few years ago and had it painted in the same green, white and gold livery as his Citation. He has since offered his rescue services to the state of Wyoming, picking up stranded climbers and hikers. One, who was lost and dehydrated before Ford and the rescue team found her, vomited all over the aircraft as she boarded. She later told people: “I can’t believe I barfed in Harrison Ford’s helicopter!”

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