Texans and falcons join air force
Texans have been let into the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The new aircraft – 11 T-6C Texan IIs – are said to be a huge step up from the current almost 20-year-old Airtrainers.
The $154 million package purchase by the Royal New Zealand Air Force included the turboprop aircraft, ground simulators and classroom and computer-based training packages.
The turbo-prop planes handled absolutely beautifully, Squadron Leader Anthony Budd said, and the upgrade reflected the changes in the aviation world.
‘‘A decade or two ago, or more, we were after real hands and feet pilots, pilots that could use an aircraft right to its limit without breaking it and be able to assess a scenario or a mission just by fairly rudimentary gauges and listening to the aircraft,’’ he said.
‘‘This aircraft today helps you not break any limits, it looks after its own engine, it tells you exactly what’s going on, all its parameters, and it also gives you a scenario or a map . . . The data it has available is just amazing.’’
The Texans will be used to take trainee pilots through to getting their ‘‘wings’’, and the first course to go through on them will start in 2016.
The planes could also fly longer distances between refuelling stops, Wing Commander Richard Beaton said. ‘‘It’s a huge step up.’’ They will be used by the RNZAF formation aerobatic team, newly named the Black Falcons thanks to suggestions from a social media competition.
In celebration, two Texans flown in to Tauranga Airport on Wednesday were met by Mojo the falcon from Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust.
And the public will be able to see the Black Falcons – of the mechanical variety – in formationflying action at the RNZAF Air Show in the Manawatu in 2017.
The previous show in 2012 attracted about 60,000 attendees, project manager Wing Commander Richard Beaton said.
They were expecting similar numbers at the 2017 show, which would celebrate 80 years of service.
The show would be one of the biggest in New Zealand and include RNZAF and international aircraft, plus a look at what goes on around the Ohakea base, Beaton said.
The RNZAF Air Show is scheduled for February 24-26, 2017, at the Ohakea Base.
The Black Falcons will also fly a week earlier at the Wings over Wairarapa Air Show.