Flight Check Omnibus»
Jason Walls flies on RNZAF flight NPB659 to Fiji, with the Prime Minister, en route to Tuvalu for the Pacific Islands Forum
If you’re travelling aboard the RNZAF Boeing 757, you might get a visit from a high-powered traveller. “[Jacinda] Ardern did come around and talk to each of us individually — not something you would get on a regular flight,” writes Jason Walls.
The plane: A RNZAF Boeing 757 — owned by the NZ Defence Force. It’s the aircraft the New Zealand head of government often state uses when going overseas.
Flight time: A little more three hours. We take off on time, just after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has boarded the aircraft.
My seat: The NZDF’s 757 is divided into three sections: The First Class section reserved for the Prime Minister and her closest advisers; the Business Class section where travelling media and any business or other delegations sit; and the Economy section, where NZDF personnel sit. I’m at seat 10A — there is lots of legroom and a large, comfortable seat.
For journalists, this trip is a bit of a treat — usually when we travel on a 757, we’re in the Economy section.
How full: I’m in with four reporters and a cameraman plus a few officials from the Chilean embassy in New Zealand who are hitching a ride to the Pacific Islands Forum. The premium section has Ardern and a few officials. There are just a handful of NZDF personnel at the back of the aircraft.
Entertainment: Unfortunately, for this trip it’s BYO entertainment. No individual TV screens or inflight magazines, which is to be expected on a Defence Force plane. Although Ardern did come around and talk to each of us individually — not something you would get on a regular flight.
Food: In a word: incredible. Lunch is roasted pork belly with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy. It comes with a bread roll and salami, olives and pickles on a stick. I’ve been on a lot of flights, but the meal on the 757 takes the cake for the best in-flight food.
Drinks: A good selection of juices, coffees and teas with sparkling or still water. They have a stash of New Zealand wines and an array of beers but, as the plane landed before midday, I didn’t get into them.
The toilets: Just like a regular plane, except not used as much, given there were only a few people on the flight. The Prime Minister has her own private loo in the front.
Did it fly? It did. This may not be a question most people have to worry about when getting ready to embark on a flight. But the last time I was meant to fly on the NZDF’s 757, we were told it had mechanical issues before we took off and had to sort our own flights back to Auckland from Melbourne. Not the case this time, it was smooth flying all the way to Fiji. How was the Herc? After landing in Fiji, reporters, the Prime Minister and her staff and other officials transferred to a Hercules C130 for Tuvalu.
It’s loud — so loud we’re given earplugs to prevent damage. We all sit in the back of the plane, next to the cargo, on seats around the side. It’s bumpy, the temperature changes drastically but the NZDF personnel hand out snacks, which makes it better. Not the most comfortable two and a half hours of my life, but sometimes you’ve just gottago with the Herc.