Few pilots can say they’ve flown everything from jet fighters to combat helicopters to wide-body airliners, and even fewer can trace that journey back to a massive Rhodesian cattle farm. In this week’s episode, we sit down with Steve Murray, whose aviation story spans continents, wars, aircraft generations, and eras of aviation history.
Steve’s pathway to the cockpit wasn’t straightforward. Long before he would find himself pushing a Mirage through Mach 2 or flying complex fire-force missions in the Rhodesian bush war, he was a farm kid mesmerized by aircraft passing overhead. His fascination eventually grew into determination, even when his school grades and early career hurdles threatened to shut the door to pilot training.
Steve was raised on a sprawling Rhodesian farm, where British jets sweeping low across the property first ignited his imagination. The farm’s owner even had a Bonanza that ferried family members to town, helping normalize aviation as something accessible, not distant. But academically, pilot training seemed out of reach.
So Steve started in the Air Force as an instrument technician, unknowingly setting the foundation for his flying career. Working closely with Hawker Hunters, he learned the aircraft inside and out and even got so good on the old Hunter simulator that pilots joked he could fly the real jet. That hands-on understanding would become crucial later.
Despite multiple rejections, and even a broken ankle that delayed an earlier acceptance, Steve refused to give up. His persistence paid off. When he finally entered pilot training, he surprised even himself with how quickly he excelled in the air.
The early days involved flying the Percival Provost and then moving into the Vampire, a first-generation jet that demanded finesse. It was heavy on the controls, offered little margin for error, and lacked the safety features of modern fighters. But mastering these machines built the foundation for what came next.
Steve earned his wings just as the Rhodesian bush war escalated. Now flying the powerful and elegant Hawker Hunter, he quickly transitioned from training sorties to real operations.
His first major strike involved a coordinated attack with Special Forces and multiple aircraft types. The Hunter’s formidable 30mm cannons and rocket load outs proved devastating, and from that moment on, Steve understood the full weight and reality of flying in combat.
As South Africa upgraded its fleet in the 1970s, Rhodesian pilots were invited to train on the Mirage III, the same iconic delta-wing jet flown by the Israelis during the Six-Day War. Steve was selected unusually early in his career to join this elite program.
The Mirage was a different beast entirely: faster, sleeker, more demanding, and capable of supersonic flight. Dogfighting became a passion for Steve, especially after being exposed to instructors connected to the origins of the U.S. Navy’s Top Gun program.
He describes the Mirage as “a Hunter on steroids,” and even decades later, pilots who flew both still call it “the Beast”, a machine that rewarded skill and punished mistakes.
His Mach 2 run, climbing above 40,000 feet before pushing through the transonic drag rise, remains one of his most vivid memories from this era.
Despite the glamour of high-performance jets, the war back home needed helicopter pilots. Steve transitioned to the Alouette III, flying some of the most intense missions of the conflict.
He became part of the famed fire force operations: rapid-response assaults involving troop drops, gunship support, and extremely low-level flying in hostile territory. These missions demanded coordination, precision, and bravery from both pilots and ground troops, and they became one of the defining tactical elements of the conflict.
Helicopters also brought moments of levity and freedom; from landing on remote mountains for barbecues during training, to surprising beachgoers while flying along the South African coast.
After combat operations, Steve became a flight instructor, discovering that teaching was one of the most rewarding phases of his career. He trained new pilots in high-performance aerobatics and basic fighter maneuvers, trying to keep alive the “fighter pilot mindset” even as the war shifted priorities toward helicopter operations.
Eventually, Steve transitioned to commercial flying, moving from light twins like the Seminole into large airliners such as the Lockheed TriStar. He spent 21 years with Qantas, flying internationally and training new captains.
Those years came with their own stories, including the legendary curved approach into Hong Kong’s old Kai Tak Airport, which pushed airline pilots and aircraft to their limits.
During COVID, grounded like so many aviators, Steve turned to writing and completed a book about his life in the skies.
Steve Murray’s career traces aviation history across multiple eras, from first-generation jets to modern airliners. His story showcases perseverance, adaptability, and a lifelong love of flying.
To hear Steve tell the story in his own words with far more detail, humor, and heart listen to the full episode now.
Check out Steve’s book:
The Joy of Flying