Heroes of the Skies

A love of aviation has seen one of Australia’s most talented comic writers share the real-life stories of Australian airmen from World War 2

Most aviation buffs can point to a particular aircraft or incident that helped ignite a lifelong passion for aircraft. For the author, it was the sight and sound of an Ansett F27, whirring madly on the darkened tarmac of Mildura Airport. Picture an eight year old boy with obsessive tendencies peering intently into the well lit cockpit as the aircraft’s flightcrew went through their after-landing checklist as beacon lights pulsed and the whine of the Darts split the night. The love of a lifetime was born.

And so it was with acclaimed comedian, writer and broadcaster Michael Veitch, whose own aviation epiphany occurred aboard a Dart-powered Vickers Viscount in the sky between Melbourne and Canberra – more on that later.