The arrival of Charlie Shahin to Aileron, a vast cattle station about 90 minutes north of Alice Springs, is like a scene out of a Hollywood movie. A bright silver jet roars and zooms above our heads in the deep blue sky, trailing a sleek shadow across the rocky outcrops and Martian-like landscape.

The jet does a wide loop, passing over a shrub-filled paddock where a group of camels is grazing, then flies low over the 17-metre-high statue of Anmatjere Man – a local Aboriginal artwork and landmark – perched on a hill overlooking the station’s homestead. The plane lands smoothly on a runway that trails off into the distance.