Military Choppers over Auckland

[ardypilot]

Have any other Auckland residents heard the low RNZAF Seasprites flying low under the cover of darkness these last few nights?

They begin coming over my area (sounds like directly over my house) at about 7pm and continue to about 11pm.

They sound extremely low and make the windows rattle in their panes with the very load THUD THUD THUD of the chopper blades.

I wonder what they are doing so low at night. Anyone got any ideas?

[creator2003]

no idea but i do stay in devonport sometimes and they sure do sound good when flying past
they are proberly trying to get some of there night gear working
ill be up that way staying in devonport soon i just lov the active aircraft up there
and are sure to see these kamans going past (cant wait )
oh and another thing they arent coming past my way (hamilton ) so they must be operaing missions only up there in auckland .
i wonder ?

[Zöltuger]

it may be related to the exercises the other day, where they blocked off fort street and the racecourse on sunday for training. don't know anything else sadly, they seemed to be scrambled messages on the scanner.

they're flying really low. i certainly wouldn't fly one of those in a battlezone- the enemy would know you're coming a few minutes out.

[omitchell]

Ain't heard anything out in Te Atatu (Tho we regularly get a drunken herc pilot blowing the shingles off our roof at just on 100 feet)

[ardypilot]

I was just speaking with a RNZAF pilot who told me right now No. 5 Squadron are practicing night vision flying in their helicopters and are making landings onto Auckland skyscrapers in the middle of the night just using night vision goggles B)

[Zöltuger]

i spotted the navy helicopter flying over Auckland city about half an hour ago, probably the same exercise.

[creator2003]

oh so they are fixing them up or they have been fixed with there night vision problem,
hhhhhmmmm nice place to train , over the city landing on busy city rooftop helipads with just a nightvision ,(sounds real safe) cool sounds like something id do but on the sim ,
are there more helipads around there that i dont know about ?
mike

[ZK-KAG]

Sorry bit past the point,

But I spoke to a father of a pilot who was involved and the Iroquois (2 of em) were doing an exercise at night in combat config (no external lights and live ammo on board) over Howick. It was part of a week long exercise with the SAS, that night being Urban hostage recovery, they landed in the howick domain twice and did several orbits and such around the place for at least and hour and a half. (NVG were also being used)

Calls over Auckland City Traffic were "City Traffic, Iroquois * operating Howick 1000ft" although I can vouch for alts of lower than 500ft... hehe

Just thought Id share my info..

~KAG~

[SUBS17]

oh so they are fixing them up or they have been fixed with there night vision problem,
hhhhhmmmm nice place to train , over the city landing on busy city rooftop helipads with just a nightvision ,(sounds real safe) cool sounds like something id do but on the sim ,
are there more helipads around there that i dont know about ?
mike

They are just trainning, that sort of trainning can be used in many applications including rescue operations as well. Its good to have pilots trainned in this ability.

[SUBS17]

it may be related to the exercises the other day, where they blocked off fort street and the racecourse on sunday for training. don't know anything else sadly, they seemed to be scrambled messages on the scanner.

they're flying really low. i certainly wouldn't fly one of those in a battlezone- the enemy would know you're coming a few minutes out.

Using terrain masking it can be difficult to detect a helicopter until its right on top of you. Modern helicopter gunships now are designed to be quiet. It may be difficult to believe when you consider the noise an Iriquois makes but if you read up on some air strikes carried out by gunships in the Gulf war and in Afghanistan vs the Mujahedin in the 80s even loud old designs can take people by surprise if they use the terrain the right way. And the results can be quite deadly if the pilots know the exact location of the target.

[Naki]

THe Iroquois have only a three years left in service and will be replaced in 2009/10 by NH-90s whcih are a lot bigger and probably a lot quietier. The RNZAF is also getting smaller choppers - possibly Agusta A109s (twin engine) which would be ideal for SAS operations. Thse will partially replace the Iroquois and totally replace the Siouxs.

When I was working in Auckland at the ASB Tower the Iroquios use (or still do) to use the pad on the roof for night operations on occasions.

Cheers

Paul