Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand - News and Events

[Dave Homewood]

Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand - News and Events
This page is to promote the Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand's upcoming events and news, for you to post your photos and videos up from events where the Flight has appeared.

To also keep up with the Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand, Like and Follow their Facebook page here:
www.facebook.com/AirForceHeritageFlightNZ

[Dave Homewood]

Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand Event Alert

The Air Force Heritage Flight will be marking the 85th anniversary of the RNZAF as a separate service by conducting a series of flypasts in Central New Zealand on the day, Friday 1 April. They will fly over towns in the Manawatū, Wairarapa and Wellington areas, and then on to Christchurch and back to Ohakea by a different route in the course of the day. Other RNZAF aircraft will also be marking the occasion around New Zealand. The formation is expected to depart Ohakea at 0930.

[Dave Homewood]

A change of plan, from the AFHF Facebook page:

Due to the unfavourable weather forecast, the flypasts planned for Friday have been delayed until this Sunday, April 3rd. Consisting of the Avenger leading two modern Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs and the Spitfire, the Air Force Heritage Flight will be over the following locations at the times listed:
0930 Ohakea
0935 Feilding
0940 Palmerston North
0945 Woodville
0947 Pahiatua
0953 Masterton
1002 Trentham
1005 Lower Hutt
1008 Wellington
1020 Blenheim
1022 Woodbourne
1040 Kaikoura
1105 Amberley
1110 New Brighton
1113 Wigram
1115 Christchurch
1400 Christchurch
1405 Rangiora
1420 Hanmer Springs
1445 Nelson
1513 Paraparaumu
1518 Otaki
1522 Levin
1525 Foxton
1530 Ohakea
This intended schedule is weather dependant.
We are excited to help celebrate the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s 85th Birthday with the public of New Zealand. Be sure to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night, and to keep an eye out for us on Sunday!

[retiredav8r]

Lets hope they fly at an altitude you can see them, last show I attended the air force did a flyby and was so high they were "just another plane"

[Dave Homewood]

NORTH ISLAND FLYPASTS ADDED FOR 9 APRIL 2022
Auckland, we're coming your way!

Supporting the RNZAF's 85th Birthday celebrations, the Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand are excited to announce that we are planning another flypast event on Saturday 9 April. We will publish the full itinerary soon, however we are intending to have the formation team (consisting of the Avenger leading two Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs and the Spitfire) fly from Ohakea to Auckland and back. Capturing as many settlements, towns and cities as we possibly can, the formation will head North to Auckland via West Coast and Central locations such as New Plymouth and Hamilton. The return later that same day will be via Central and Eastern North Island locations including Rotorua, Taupo and Napier.
The event is weather dependant, and will be conducted in accordance with COVID 19 requirements.

[camtech]

Shame about the low cloud over Hamilton. Unfortunately, tradies working at home drowned out any chance of even hearing them.

[Deleted]

Excellent news about next weekend!

[Dave Homewood]

Sadly it looks like the AFHF had to drop Masterton's flypast from the route, I guess due to weather. But I have been watching on Flight Radar 24 and then just did a nice big circle over Wellington Harbour and a low run down the capital's waterfront, and now they're crossing the Cook Strait. The call sign is TEXGLD.

[retiredav8r]

Just flew directly over my house in Woodbourne, nice and low level. It is a shame they are not going to the deeper south and do a fly-past over Taieri that has a long history of RNZAF.

[Dave Homewood]

Only so much can be achieved in a day. This is not the only event they have planned so maybe a southern trip will follow sometime later.

[retiredav8r]

They have published a Northern route on the 9th but nothing for southern, however have heard they are going to send a Herc, that is like sending a Cessna. I admit the Herc is a good ac.

[johnnyfalcon]

After the formation took off from NZCH two Hercs departed South as a pair, at about 750 feet passing directly overhead my place in Prebbleton. TEXGLD, the Heritage flight, looked great in the postcard blue sky!

[baz62]

My brother Ken (Obiwan27), wife Teresa, the dogs and I walked round the corner and stood by the fence at the corner of Vickerys Rd and Lodestar Ave. Word had obvious got out as there were a heap of people along the fence line along Vickerys and Lodestar. The Avenger was certainly the loudest and I could only just make out the Spitfire's merlin. Took me by surprise a bit as usually they come from the south and fly along the old flight line but they came from behind us from the city and flew almost right over us. A shame Wigram got just a single fly over but they headed straight into Christhcurch Aiport so timings and fuel state were probably part of that descision. A family connection here too as Jim Rankin (flying the Avenger) is related to my father in law. Small world.
And around 2ish I heard another cool sound and saw the two Hercs tail chasing heading south. Great stuff!

[planewriting]

Good to see that both sets of aircraft overflew the Women's Cricket World Cup final at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. They were definitely targeting the cricket ground and not just passing by in the distance. Great stuff.

[oj]

The RNZAF have always championed women's celebrations. As I have said elsewhere, in the 1960's the week-end Ohakea duty crews would dispatch the Royal Dak to Wellington to pick up the Governor General and fly them to whichever town/school required them to open a new girls toilet block while the crew went and played a round of golf ...

[Dave Homewood]

Apr 3, 2022 16:28:40 GMT 12 baz62 said:

A shame Wigram got just a single fly over but they headed straight into Christhcurch Aiport so timings and fuel state were probably part of that descision.

Lunch was probably getting cold!

[nuuumannn]

Went down to the airport, there were quite a few people on the bank next to the runway opposite the terminal. Got a few shots.

_DSC4784

_DSC4785

_DSC4787

_DSC4791

_DSC4792

A few of some usual traffic. It was a beautiful day in Nelson.

_DSC4750

_DSC4756

_DSC4764

_DSC4765

_DSC4777

More images here: www.flickr.com/photos/147661871@N04/albums/72177720297821067/with/51977905072/

[tbf2504]

Great pictures of the formation !

[Dave Homewood]

Superb shots there Grant!

[Dave Homewood]

NORTH ISLAND FLYPASTS SATURDAY 9 APRIL 2022

We're coming North!

The Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand is excited to detail below this Saturday's itinerary for our formation display team. Supporting the RNZAF's 85th Birthday celebrations, the Avenger will be leading two modern Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs and the Spitfire over the locations listed. We hope that you enjoy the mix of rural and urban locations:

0930 Ohakea
0938 Wanganui (Victoria Ave)
0940 Kai Iwi Beach
0946 Waverley (SH3)
0947 Patea (SH3)
0952 Hawera (High St)
0955 Eltham (SH3)
0957 Stratford (SH3)
0958 Midhirst (SH3)
1001 Inglewood (SH3)
1004 New Plymouth (East along waterfront from Ngamotu Beach)
1008 Waitara (McLean St)
1010 Urenui (SH3)
1013 Pukearuhe
1017 Mokau (Mokau River Inlet)
1025 Piopio (SH3)
1028 Te Kuiti (SH3)
1032 Otorohanga (SH3)
1036 Te Awamutu (SH3)
1039 Cambridge (Victoria St)
1042 Hamilton Airport
1043 Hamilton (following the Waikato River)
1046 Horotiu (Thermal Explorer Highway)
1047 Ngaruawahia (Thermal Explorer Highway)
1048 Taupiri (Thermal Explorer Highway)
1049 Huntly (Thermal Explorer Highway)
1052 Te Kauwhata (town centre)
1054 Meremere (town centre)
1056 Pokeno (town centre)
1059 Drury (town centre)
1101 Ardmore Airport
1102 Whitford (town centre)
1104 Howick (The Esplanade)
1107 Auckland CBD (waterfront)
1108 Te Atatu (waterfront)
1109 Whenuapai

The Team will refuel (both aircraft and crew!) before departing for the following:
1400 Whenuapai
1403 Okura River Moth
1404 Torbay (waterfront)
1404 Browns Bay (waterfront)
1405 Mairangi Bay (waterfront)
1406 Lake Pupuke
1407 North Head (Maungauika/North Head Historic Reserve)
1407 Mission Bay (waterfront)
1408 Achilles Point (waterfront)
1408 Musick Point
1410 Beachlands (waterfront)
1411 Omana Beach (waterfront)
1411 Maraetai (waterfront)
1413 Kawakawa Bay (waterfront)
1414 Orere Point (waterfront)
1417 Whakatiwai
1417 Kaiaua (waterfront)
1422 Ngatea (town centre)
1430 Morrinsville (town centre)
1434 Matamata (SH24)
1444 Rotorua (War Memorial Park)
1454 Wairake Village (town centre)
1456 Taupo (Lake Terrace)
1517 Napier (Marine Parade)
1519 Hastings (SH51)
1526 Otane (town centre)
1527 Waipawa (SH2)
1528 Waipukurau (SH2)
1531 Takapau (town centre)
1536 Dannevirke (SH2)
1541 Woodville (SH2)
1543 Ashhurst (Ashhurst Domain)
1549 Ohakea

Please note that this event is highly weather dependent - especially considering how precious the Avenger and Spitfire are to New Zealand's national heritage. The fly pasts will be conducted in accordance with Civil Aviation Rules, which allow flight down to 1000 feet over a built-up area.

For the technically minded the formation will be operating at 330kmh. This is a comfortable cruising speed for the Avenger and Spitfire, however it is quite slow for the Texan which operates more efficiently at 440kmh. For this reason the flights listed are typical of the maximum range available for the formation as a whole, and was the limiting factor for determining the route. Whilst this means that many places are unable to be included, Tauranga was notable for being just ever so slightly too far.
This event will be conducted in accordance with COVID 19 requirements.