Post by ErrolC on Nov 1, 2014 21:24:12 GMT 12
I was all ready to berate the RNZAF for not even mentioning this on their Twitter account, but it looks like it isn't hitting Facebook until tomorrow.
www.3news.co.nz/nznews/rnzaf-red-checkers-to-receive-new-black-aircraft-2014110109
By Dave Williams
The Royal New Zealand Air Force's famed aerobatic squadron, the Red Checkers, is to get new aircraft and a new name.
The public is being invited to suggest the name and it doesn't have to include the word red, because the new aircraft - the Beechcraft T-6C Texan II - are painted black.
The Red Checkers is also more a legacy name as the current aircraft are actually bright yellow.
The RNZAF officially accepted the first of its new pilot training aircraft, the Texan, in a ceremony at Base Ohakea on Friday.
By next year it will be flying 11 of the modern turboprops, which will replace the old CT-4E.
The Texan's engine is nearly four times more powerful and has a top speed of 585km/h - 200km/h faster than the CT-4E. The RNZAF expects to fly them for the next 30 years.
The chief of the air force, Air Vice-Marshal Mike Yardley, says the Red Checkers will also use the new aircraft. The team, of up to six aircraft cycled away from training duties, is due back in the air in 2016.
A competition has been launched to rename the team to fit their new aircraft.
"Our aerobatic team is one of the main ways the public see the air force flying," Air Vice-Marshal Yardley said.
The public would be encouraged to suggest a new name through the RNZAF's Facebook page, where suggestions will be received from Sunday.
The aerobatic squadron was formed in 1967 and initially flew Harvard trainers painted red and white, hence the Red Checkers name. It was retained despite the RNZAF adopting the yellow CT-4E trainers in 1994.
Some traditionalists might be reluctant to see a new name, but a lot of people were excited by the prospect of something new, an RNZAF spokesman told NZ Newswire.
The competition would also allow the public to have a say in an aspect of their own air force, he said.
The spokesman said the squadron would still be able to perform its signature "mirror" manoeuvre in the new aircraft, and would be looking to add more tricks to its repertoire.
www.3news.co.nz/nznews/rnzaf-red-checkers-to-receive-new-black-aircraft-2014110109
By Dave Williams
The Royal New Zealand Air Force's famed aerobatic squadron, the Red Checkers, is to get new aircraft and a new name.
The public is being invited to suggest the name and it doesn't have to include the word red, because the new aircraft - the Beechcraft T-6C Texan II - are painted black.
The Red Checkers is also more a legacy name as the current aircraft are actually bright yellow.
The RNZAF officially accepted the first of its new pilot training aircraft, the Texan, in a ceremony at Base Ohakea on Friday.
By next year it will be flying 11 of the modern turboprops, which will replace the old CT-4E.
The Texan's engine is nearly four times more powerful and has a top speed of 585km/h - 200km/h faster than the CT-4E. The RNZAF expects to fly them for the next 30 years.
The chief of the air force, Air Vice-Marshal Mike Yardley, says the Red Checkers will also use the new aircraft. The team, of up to six aircraft cycled away from training duties, is due back in the air in 2016.
A competition has been launched to rename the team to fit their new aircraft.
"Our aerobatic team is one of the main ways the public see the air force flying," Air Vice-Marshal Yardley said.
The public would be encouraged to suggest a new name through the RNZAF's Facebook page, where suggestions will be received from Sunday.
The aerobatic squadron was formed in 1967 and initially flew Harvard trainers painted red and white, hence the Red Checkers name. It was retained despite the RNZAF adopting the yellow CT-4E trainers in 1994.
Some traditionalists might be reluctant to see a new name, but a lot of people were excited by the prospect of something new, an RNZAF spokesman told NZ Newswire.
The competition would also allow the public to have a say in an aspect of their own air force, he said.
The spokesman said the squadron would still be able to perform its signature "mirror" manoeuvre in the new aircraft, and would be looking to add more tricks to its repertoire.
