Precious Metal: Classic Fighters in New Zealand

The popularity of the fighter aircraft used in World War II is huge in New Zealand, as evidenced by the enormous crowds that turn up for events such as Warbirds over Wanaka - over 80,000 people attended the 2010 event. New Zealand is extremely lucky that there are a wide range of airworthy WW II-era classic fighters remaining in the country, the subject of this superb new book of aviation photography. Author Gavin Conroy has had unparalleled access to New Zealand's classic fighters, and specialises in close-up air-to-air photography, which captures so much of the character and appeal of these extraordinary machines. Included in the book are all of the important aircraft flying in New Zealand. Included are the Supermarine Spitfire, the P-51D Mustang, the P-40 Kittyhawk, the FG-1D Corsair, the Hawker Hurricane, the P-40B Tomahawk, the Yak 3, the Lavochkin La-9, and importantly Germany's great fighter, the Focke Wulf 190. For all of the fifteen aircraft featured, there is a short, but informative text. A high-quality, comprehensive book on photographs of classic fighters has never been produced in New Zealand before, and it is certain that this book will find its way onto the bookshelves of the thousands of passionate warbird enthusiasts.

Author Biography

Gavin Conroy has a long standing interest in aviation, first gaining his pilot's licence at the age of 16. He moved seriously into aviation photography six years ago, and since then has spent hundreds of hours planning and flying to put together the collection of photographs that form the basis of his book. When not taking photographs he works in the timber industry, and is based in Blenheim.