The allure of retro aeroplanes

For those who have always wanted to climb inside the cockpit of a vintage aeroplane, now is the time, says Chris Carter.

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Now's the time to pick up a vintage aeroplane
(Image credit: Credit: Jon Davison / Alamy Stock Photo)

Harrison Ford is well known for his love of flying. His collection of historic aeroplanes includes a 1929 Waco Taperwing open-top biplane, and a metallic silver 1942 Ryan PT-22 Recruit, which the Indiana Jones actor ploughed into a Santa Monica golf course in 2015. Not one to be outdone, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has also amassed an impressive collection of mostly World War II aircraft, which he opened to the public in 2004. But you don't need a budget the size of theirs to start your own vintage aeroplane collection. Indeed, now's "the ideal time to get started", says Mark Huber in Barron's Penta magazine. "It's a buyer's market for many models."

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.