Hobbit movie director's plane used in search of missing jet
Wellington - A high speed jet owned by Sir Peter Jackson, director of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, is being used in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
A spokesman for Jackson confirmed his Gulfstream G650 jet had been chartered to authorities to help in the search for the missing Boeing777-200.
Radio New Zealand said Jackson, who directed the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" movies, had personally approved the use of his Gulfstream G650 in the search.
The plane is being used to relay communications between military aircraft involved in the search. The jet was not donated to help in the search effort, rather the company which operated the jet had accepted a charter offer, the report said.
MH370 disappeared on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Ten planes and 10 ships from seven nations are continuing to search for the plane, which carried 239 people, in the southern Indian Ocean west of Perth.
Jackson bought the Gulfstream in March last year for a reported 80million New Zealand dollars (69 million dollars). It has a top speed of about 1,140 kilometres per hour, close to the speed of sound, anda range of 12,960 kilometres, enabling it to fly from New Zealand to Los Angeles without refueling.
