Weird plane spotted at airfield turns out to be a James Bond movie star
Published on Oct 06, 2025 at 4:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Grace Donohoe
Last updated on Oct 06, 2025 at 10:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
An odd-looking plane spotted at an airfield has turned out to have a secret superstar past, having appeared in a classic James Bond film.
When it comes to spotting aircraft, many aviation fans know their stuff – but this one initially had people stumped.
After seeking advice from other aircraft enthusiasts, the aircraft turned out to be more than a simple cargo plane.
In fact, it once starred in a major film from the iconic spy franchise.
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The plane’s James Bond movie star status
Aviation advancements have hit new highs in recent years, but decades ago, engineers were already pushing boundaries with unusual designs.
One of those was the ATL-98 Carvair, which an enthusiast spotted at an airfield.
Boasting a strange shape, the plane baffled social media users, causing confusion when it came to actually identifying the make and model.
So, the spotter took to social media, and a movie scene unraveled before his eyes, as it turned out the plane was actually used in a classic James Bond movie, Goldfinger.
“No idea what plane this is, but it definitely stood out to me. My friend who is a pilot can also not determine exactly what it is but super interesting aircraft none the less,” explained Reddit user Calm-Surprise-1910.
The spot left the user wondering how the plane was able to fly, until footage of it being boarded in the Bond film showed up via the comment section.
“The first Carvair flew on 21 June 1961 and entered service in March 1962,” explained aerospaceweb.
The site also detailed that over 20 of the planes were reportedly converted from 1961 to 1969, and over 30 years later, just two were thought to be operating.
You can watch the Bond carrier in action above and see the plane in all its original glory.
Aircraft enthusiasts couldn’t believe the discovery of the star vehicle
“It makes an appearance in Goldfinger,” said one social media user.
“Fun fact, the Carvair came before the 747! This is just a really effective way to design cargo aircraft,” commented another aircraft fan.
“Was Auric Goldfinger’s car carrier in Goldfinger,” added a third social media commenter.
Carriers are seriously powerful pieces of engineering, with a variety of capabilities, that travel both in the air and at sea.
In fact, a Boeing 747 was modified to carry a NASA space shuttle in the ‘world’s greatest piggyback ride’.
Plus, the US Navy even turned an aircraft carrier into a $5B floating car transport full of sweet rides.
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