DescriptionCaptain Fred Ladd and Pat Burstall with fish caught while trolling from the float of the Cessna 185, Lake Taupo (25387178184).jpg
On 31 March 1967 maverick pilot Fred Ladd illegally flew his Widgeon amphibian aircraft under the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
He was not convicted for this. Before this stunt Ladd had flown in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Second World War and worked as a pilot for the National Airways Corporation. He formed Tourist Air Travel in the 1950s and became a household name on the Hauraki Gulf flying tourists, freight, emergency cases and even the Duke of Edinburgh. A quirky character, he was popular with his clients and was known for his use of rhyming couplets – one of his more famous was “A shower of spray and we’re away.” This was his way helping nervous passengers who were alarmed as the waters surged around the aircraft during an amphibious take off. In 1971 he moved to Rotorua, establishing Captain Fred Ladd’s Volcanic Wunderflites. He racked up over 21,000 flying hours during his long career as an aviator.
This image shows Fred Ladd (left) trout fishing from the float of his plane on Lake Taupo in 1970 .
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