Mystery KC

[Splitpin]

This guy left the show on Sunday (from Ohakea) and was spotted by Jonno later the same day in CHC.
Not sure what was going on , but when I left Ohakea on monday, the F-16's were still there ... I know one had airframe issues, but why the 135 came south is a mystery.
Fill me in if you know.

[Ian Warren]

Could be a training sortie with the 'Operation Deep Freeze' , even a cargo supply, simply used the occasion , but it dose give credit to the age of the Boeing 717/KC family , this one looks like a 1960 hull, can't see the number , buzz code is Kadena .. maybe fresh shrimp.

[Lindstrim]

Not 100% sure but have got 2 theories,

1. Parking and or guest rooms on base were tight so they moved it down here,
2. More runway in CHC allowing more fuel to be taken and therefore passed to the F-16's on the trip to Avalon.

Other than that possibly a piss trip?

Edit: Ian it's 62-3561 I think

[Ian Warren]

Cheers Lindy, A 1962 hull , going well , the mod's done to these aircraft, mind you in saying that , be interesting to see the airframe hours on it , they don't fly like airliners , quite impressive to read low hour B-52s from the same era , spend more time getting updated than actual flying.

[Aviator 1]

I was talking to the pilot of the KC the plan was to leave on Sunday after the airshow departing to Christchurch with the two F-16s to fuel up. Then departing to Australia for the airshow over there.

[Charl]

Seems the bunch at Ohakea will mostly appear at Avalon.
Great news, I hope to catch them there on Saturday.
I believe the F-22 also will fly, and they have scooped a pair of F-35's!
(Static display as they haven't learned to fly them yet)

The airshow conundrum: you go there to see and feel the thunder.
But if you are taking pictures, you miss the show!
Decisions decisions...

[Ian Warren]

New Jets and not sure how to drive them ... don't worry Charl , if ever we got a Strike force again .. we would be in the same boat.

[emfrat]

y, and they have scooped a pair of F-35's!
(Static display as they haven't learned to fly them yet) .

Be that as it may, there has been something zipping around my place the last couple of days. A light jet, nowhere near as roary as the F/A 18s, or as quiet as a C-17
Haven't seen it yet

[Charl]

Haven't seen it yet

Egads... the Stealth Jet works!

[Ian Warren]

The radars are not tuned onto old planes sorta like a vacuum value TV sets picking up stealths in the night.

[Area51]

The original intent was for the F16's to fly down to ChCh on the Sunday at the conclusion of the show @ Ohakea. The weather at ChCh though blah so it seems they deferred their plans with one of the aircraft blasting off for a local jaunt to Taranaki/Central Pleateau then back to Ohakea. Then it seems possible one went tech as on Monday the same jet that flew Sunday took another scenic, this time around the South Island. Funnily enough he used the non-standard military callsign "COORS01" aka American beer. They departed VFR Tuesday for Avalon meeting up with the KC135 enroute and of course the four-holer needed the longer ChCh runway to uplift the required fuel payload.

As an aside, the F16's on arrival into NZ airspace on the Friday evening conducted a North Island scenic from just south of Auckland down over the volcanoes before making their post sunset landing.

[Aviator 1]

That explains there flight plan. I knew the Kc-135 and F-16s were tanking up in Christchurch before flying across the ditch but certainly a change of plans. I was told that the Kc-135 will have another
50 years left flying and when it retires it will be just over 100 years old.