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Ken Wallis MBE.Flies his AutoGyro for WMFC.

Tucked away inside a small north Queensland hangar are two planes that belong to a bygone era, flown by men with a deep appreciation of the past. With their bright retro colours and open cockpits, the World War II-era Tiger Moth biplanes almost look out of place in modern-day Mackay. They have been kept in pristine condition by the sons of Fred Christiansen, who once used them to ready fighter pilots for combat. Before and after the war, Mr Christensen worked in the sugar cane industry around Mackay, and he eventually settled in the "sugar city". He also passed on his love of flying to his two sons. One of them, Greg Christensen, 69, a founder of the Mackay Tiger Moth Museum and himself a pilot, recently reluctantly hung up his pilot's cap and goggles. But he's urging others to get involved, saying it's important to many descendants of local war veterans to preserve these moving memories of their past. "There's other blokes that are quite a bit older — a couple of guys are in their 70s," he said. "That is the only volunteer-based museum [housing Tiger Moths] where there's no profit going to... the pilots and the ground crew." As well as preserving the air crafts and their history, the Mackay Tiger Moth Museum has given passengers a unique glimpse of Mackay through an open cockpit.(Supplied: Mackay Tiger Moth Museum) WWII training aircraft The De Havilland Tiger Moth was first manufactured in the United Kingdom in 1931. During World War II, Tiger Moths were used as military training aircraft in Commonwealth countries, including Australia. According to the Royal Australian Navy, almost 1,100 of the planes were build in Australia between 1940 and 1945. The two Tiger Moths were purchased by the museum in the 1970s, to prevent them being sold overseas. The Tiger Moth Museum has been run by volunteer crew and pilots for decades.(Supplied: Mackay Tiger Moth Museum) Mr Christensen flew them for about 40 years. "My father was an instructor during the war, teaching people to fly in Tiger Moths. "My brother... was our first chief pilot and he taught most of us to fly the Tiger Moths." Mr Christensen completed his last flight in recent months, before moving south to be with family. "I did in excess of 1,500 joy flights around the town, so I got to see a fair bit," he said. He made sure his final passenger was someone special. "My wife was onboard. [She] was looking after the kids while I was playing with those things. It was quite nostalgic," he said. WWII descendants among museum pilots The Tiger Moths have been a common sight in Mackay's skies for more than 40 years.(Supplied: Mackay Tiger Moth Museum) Many volunteers and pilots at the Mackay Tiger Moth Museum are descendants of WWII veterans. Mr Christensen now hopes younger pilots will step up to the controls. "The aeroplanes are in great nick...[they] will outlast the people," he said. "It'd be great to see the younger people get enthused and get as much out of it as we have. One of the museum's Tiger Moths was built in 1943 and the other in 1942. Both have undergone expensive repairs and refurbishments over the years. The team of volunteers sells joyrides, with the proceeds invested in maintenance of the planes. Mr Christensen said the historic aircraft had long surpassed people's expectations and would still be gracing Mackay's skies for a long time to come. "They were supposed to go five years. That's what their life expectancy was," he said. "They'll go on forever."