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Air Force Display, Wabirds 1998

The New Zealand Air Force displayed several aircraft, including the A-4 SkyHawk jet fighters which did a re-fueling run. When the A-4 made its surprise fast, low run over the runway a Falkland Islands war vet commented he last heard that sound when the Skyhawk was flown by the Argentinean Air Force against the British forces!

As well as the A-4, the RNZAF flew the Iroquois helicopter and the Andover transport aircraft. There was also a spectacular display by the parachute team who trailed smoke from a high altitude jump over the airfield.

The McDonnell-Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was the smallest operational jet to have ever served with the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers. It was introduced in 1955 and remained in operational service in the U.S. for almost twenty years (N.Z. still used them until recently when the RNZAF fighter arm was disbanded). Production finally ceased in 1979. the A4 was a very successful aircraft because it achieved good performace due to its light weight and could be upgraded with new avionics as they became available. Around 3,000 were built.

The Skyhawk has a length of 39' 4" (12m) and a height of 15' (4.57m). The wingspan is 27' 6" (8.4m) and the wing area is 260 sq ft (24 sq m). The empty weight is 8400 lbs (3810 kg), the gross weight 14875 lbs (6746 kg) and the maximum weight 20000 lbs (9070 kg). Propulsion comes from 1 Wright J65-2-4 engine of 7700 pounds (3492 kgs) thrust giving a maximum speed of 664 mph (1069.00 km/h or 578 knots).

Update: According to a contact with RNZAF, their aircraft have updated Pratt and Whitney J52 P8B engines producing 9300lbs thrust and giving a top speed of 670 mph at sea level, a cieling of 49,000 feet and a loaded range of 920 miles. Thanks for the correction.

Use the controller above to watch the A4 fly past (this requires Quicktime, and is a moderately large movie). I apologise for the poor quality of this movie but it was originally encoded in the "early days" of internet video!

This general purpose helicopter has an overall length of 17.37 meters (57 feet), a height of 4.55 meters (14' 11") and a wing (rotor) span of 14.63 meters.

It was manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Texas and first flew in 1964. It has an overall length of 17.37 meters (57 feet), a height of 4.55 meters (14' 11") and a wing (rotor) span of 14.63 meters (48 feet). Its gross weight is 4081 kg (8998 lbs). It is powered by a General Electric T58-GE-3 engine producing 1272 horsepower giving it a maximum speed of 225 kph (140 mph, 122 knots), a cruise speed of 198 kph (123 mph), and a celing of 7,570 meters (almost 25,000 feet). Its rate of climb is 647 meters per minute (2123 feet per minute).

Use the controller above to see the Iroquois fly past and listen to the distinctive "thump" of its rotor (this requires Quicktime). I apologise for the poor quality of this movie but it was originally encoded in the "early days" of internet video!