He discovered a passion for flying somewhat late in life.
But Harrison Ford embraced it with gusto and claimed to fly his planes as much as he drove his vintage
The actor was 52 when he first seriously started flying lessons and over the years the Indiana Jones star
The experienced and respected pilot keeps the aircraft at the Santa Monica Airport – which is golf course
The Ryan PT-22 Recruit with its silver metallic body and eye-catching yellow trim was built in 1942
Ford was regularly seen flying it in and out of Santa Monica Airport and was last photographed in
In an interview with The Mail On Sunday back in 2010, the Blade Runner and Star Wars actor talked about some of the planes in his collection and the reasons he loves flying so much.
‘Flying is like good music: it elevates the spirit and it’s an exhilarating freedom.’ he said. ‘It’s not a thrill thing or an adrenaline rush; it’s engaging in a process that takes focus and commitment.
Ford, 72, has a long range jet, a Citation Sovereign, a turboprop aircraft capable of operating on unimproved airstrips; and a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver single engine bush plane.
He also has a 1929 Waco Taperwing open-top biplane, an Aviat Husky, which is a two-seat fabric-covered bush plane, and a Bell 407 helicopter.
In 1999, Ford was flying his helicopter along the Lake Piru riverbed, north-east of Los Angeles, when it went down in a hard landing during a routine training session.
After landing hard the aircraft began skidding forward in the loose gravel before one of its skids struck a partially embedded log and flipped onto its side
Neither the actor nor his instructor were hurt although the helicopter was severely damaged.
He later joked the incident gave him the opportunity to buy a new helicopter.
Ford once described crashing a plane as being like scraping a bumper and said he used his planes as much he used his cars.
‘I’m so passionate about flying, I often fly up the coast for a cheeseburger,’ he said in 2010.
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