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Kiwi Blue   Black Falcons   (Up to OJB's Warbirds 2000 Page)

RNZAF

The Royal New Zealand Air Force always put on a good show and this year was no exception, from the first fly-past of the show - a surprise, high speed, low level flight from some SkyHawks - to the biggest aircraft at the show, the mighty C-130 Hercules, to the precision of the parachute team, Aeromacchis and Red Checkers.

Kiwi Blue

Go to this page to see a movie of the Kiwi Blue parachute team jump from the back of the C-130 Hercules and land on the runway, including a patriotic display of the New Zealand flag trailed by one of the parachuters!

Kiwi Blue Movie

Black Falcons

Go to this page to see a movie of the Black Falcons aerobatics team fly their Aeromacchi jet trainers with absolute precision.

Black Falcons Movie

Hercules

The Hercules was designed during the 1950s and has been an incredibly versatile transport aircraft ever since, performing tasks such as low level attack, refuelling, Antarctic supply, fire fighting, and surveillance. The first flight was in 1954 and it is still in production and used in 60 foreign countries. New Zealand operates 5 C-130H Hercules which were delivered between 1965 and 1969. They have been returned to the manufacturers several times for upgrades to keep them up to date.

C-130H Specifications. Powered by four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops of 4,591 prop shaft horsepower each. Length: 97 feet, 9 inches (29.3 meters), height: 38 feet, 10 inches (11. 9 meters), wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches (39.7 meters). Cargo compartment: length 40 feet (12.31 meters), width 119 inches (3.12 meters), height 9 feet (2.74 meters). Rear ramp: length, 123 inches (3.12 meters), width 119 inches (3.02 meters). Speed: 366 mph (Mach 0.52) at 20,000 feet (6,060 meters). Ceiling: 23,000 feet (7,077 meters) with 42,000 pounds (19,090 kilograms) payload. Maximum Takeoff Weight: 155,000 pounds (69,750 kilograms). Maximum payload: 42,000 pounds (19,090 kilograms). Crew: two pilots, navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster.