Tired Hercules.

[camtech]

Just a thought - recently we have seen NZ7004 and'05 many times on our screens or social media.
Question is - where are the other three? Depot level maintenance, structural repairs, beyond economic repair?
I did see a comment that one ('02?) has been retired and is now a source of parts at Woodbourne.

[tbf2504]

Interesting if NZ7002 has been retired after the prolonged upgrade it had at Woodbourne to the current standard with several threats then of retiring it

[nz104]

From memory 03 has been parted for spares as it also was the first for the life extension program where as 02 was one of the last to be done. However there retirement order is down to which one is next due for its group servicing as apposed to there age which may be contributing factors to it.

[planewriting]

Sept 20, 2021 23:00:35 GMT 12 camtech said:

Just a thought - recently we have seen NZ7004 and'05 many times on our screens or social media.
Question is - where are the other three? Depot level maintenance, structural repairs, beyond economic repair?
I did see a comment that one ('02?) has been retired and is now a source of parts at Woodbourne.

I find that interesting about 05 and 02. At Warbirds over Wanaka 2018 "some-one" (don't remember who but I think they were in the know on such matters) told me that 02 was the best in the fleet and that 05 was a dog. Based on that, 02 has had its day and the dog apparently hasn't. 05 did a series of nice low passes over my place at Tauranga a few weeks back so I cherish the moment. 

[camtech]

Well the dog (7005) is certainly wagging its tail - did the Afghanistan run, and just done a run to the ice.

[machina]

So all in all, does this mean we have 2 airworthy/operational Hercs total?

[camtech]

Sept 21, 2021 19:47:40 GMT 12 machina said:

So all in all, does this mean we have 2 airworthy/operational Hercs total?

Well, no one appears to have sighted the other three in the air recently.

[Dave Homewood]

Have you checked TradeMe?

[ams888]

I flew into Blenheim last week and there were 3 Hercs there. I didn't get close enough to see any serial numbers but one of them was missing its entire Tail assembly and 2 engines. One was also doing taxiing runs up and down the runway.

[sputnik767]

I want to go for drive by Whenuapai on a week day when I can, but I suspect there will be very little to see based on the the comments about Woodbourne. I have also heard a similar story about the Sea Sprite and numbers on the flight line.
Is there a planned date for the arrival of the J models?

[mcmaster]

If that's true really quite a sad state of affairs and quite demoralizing for the men and women in the RNZAF. Wouldn't help to maintain that critical mass of skills for when the Js arrive. That is unless they have been posted OS to other operators. Hopefully not a big cyclone season coming in the Pacific too. One arrived (and was only activity) when I was at Amberley a few years back just shows given how few there are how much they do manage to get around.

[Dave Homewood]

Maybe some of the ground staff are in the US on courses working with the C-130J's?

[machina]

Sept 22, 2021 15:05:58 GMT 12 sputnik767 said:

I want to go for drive by Whenuapai on a week day when I can, but I suspect there will be very little to see based on the the comments about Woodbourne. I have also heard a similar story about the Sea Sprite and numbers on the flight line.
Is there a planned date for the arrival of the J models?

A fair bit of flying over/around Whenuapai a few weeks ago, but every time I checked Flightradar24 it was 5 (maybe 4 a couple of times but the memory fades). But of Orion activity at the same time. Heaps of circuits/touch and go’s together.

[gibbo]

My understanding is that we only ever effectively have 2 flyable, with maybe a 3rd for short periods, based on maintenance schedules that are obviously more onerous with a small, 50+ year old fleet...maybe 02 is just in a cycle of deep maintenance & the other 2 seen at Woodbourne are cycling thru with their own issues. Whatever the case it's a bloody embarrassment and clear evidence we stopped 'pulling our weight' quite some time ago. 

[Naki.]

When do the new Hercs start arriving?

[nz104]

Scheduled for sometime 2024 at this stage & there are options available should our existing ones don't make there scheduled retirement dates for various reasons age, serviceability etc.

[Dave Homewood]

Sept 23, 2021 8:49:11 GMT 12 gibbo said:

Whatever the case it's a bloody embarrassment and clear evidence we stopped 'pulling our weight' quite some time ago. 

The RNZAF is, I'm sure, as busy as always, if not busier, completing both its regular tasks and scheduled operations and exercises, as well as those tasks that arise suddenly like the Afghan evacuation recently. And all this is being done with the stress of operating older aircraft on some squadrons, and more importantly depleted staff due to so many members of NZDF being tied up with the COVID response at MIQ and other related roles. Rather than embarrassing, I think they are doing their country proud. Give them a break.

[camtech]

I believe 7001 is flying north at the moment.

[delticman]

Sept 23, 2021 16:02:17 GMT 12 camtech said:

I believe 7001 is flying north at the moment.

Just spotted 7001 doing a shakedown out of BHE along east coast of Wairarapa. On Flight Aware and FR24.

[nige]

NZ7001 back up in the air on FR24, just overflew Ohakea a moment ago after earlier departing Blenheim and overflying Wellington etc!