Step into the cockpit of Liberté, a restored Yakovlev Yak-7B fighter and the first aircraft operated by Liberté Flights.
Built with two cockpits and dual flight controls, the Yak-7B offers something far more engaging than a traditional passenger flight.
Through the controls you feel the fighter come alive — the surge of power, the pull of a turn, and the rare opportunity to fly the aircraft yourself.
Liberté will soon fly from Tauranga on New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty as the first aircraft operated by Liberté Flights, once final certification for commercial adventure flight operations is complete.
Register early to receive exclusive launch discounts when bookings open.
A rare opportunity. The only dual-control WWII fighter experience in New Zealand.
An Allied Fighter Few Have Flown
Yakovlev Yak-7B Fighter Aircraft
Liberté belongs to the Yakovlev family of fighters flown by the Normandie–Niemen regiment during the Second World War.
The aircraft flying today has undergone more than six years of meticulous restoration, stripped back to the original airframe structure and rebuilt piece by piece.
Today the aircraft flies again — not in combat, but as a living warbird.
Experienced from the cockpit
Heritage
In 1942, a group of French fighter pilots escaped occupied France to continue the fight for their country– and for their freedom.
They formed the Normandie–Niemen regiment, flying Yakovlev fighters alongside Allied forces on the Eastern Front.
Over the course of the war they flew more than 5,000 combat sorties and claimed 273 aerial victories, becoming one of the most successful Allied fighter units of the conflict.
The aircraft they flew carried more than weapons. For the pilots of Normandie–Niemen, they carried the chance to fight for their freedom.
Liberté carries markings inspired by those aircraft — a tribute to the pilots who flew them and the machines that carried them into history.
Not a passenger. A participant.
Most historic aircraft flights place passengers in the back seat to simply watch.
The Yak-7B was originally developed as a two-seat training fighter, with full flight controls in both cockpits.
Here, you take the controls.
You feel the aircraft move beneath you — the engine pulling, the aircraft banking, the unmistakable character of a wartime fighter in flight.
It’s a level of participation rarely available in historic aviation.
The Experience
Your experience begins at the airfield in Tauranga.
You climb into the cockpit and the aircraft comes to life.
You feel the power of the 1,200-horsepower engine as the fighter accelerates down the runway and lifts into the sky.
The Bay of Plenty coastline spreads out below — one of the most beautiful landscapes in New Zealand to experience from the cockpit of a historic fighter.
Flights can include:
- Scenic flying along the coastline
- Low-level terrain flying
- Aerobatic manoeuvres
- Interaction with the aircraft controls
Be Among the First to Fly
Liberté Flights is preparing to launch New Zealand’s only dual-control WWII fighter experience.
Register now to receive:
- Early booking access
- Exclusive launch discounts
- Notification when flights begin