Sunday, April 1, 2012

RNZAF 75th Anniversary Air Show

This weekend was the Royal New Zealand Air Force's 75th Anniversary Air Show at Ohakea air base. I chose not to buy film for my SLR and just shoot with the digital camera as I already have a large number of aircraft photos. This is a choice that I now regret as the conditions were perfect for photographing aircraft in the air with a bright blue sky dotted with crisp white clouds. Digital cameras without view-finders should be illegal. They are impossible to follow moving objects with and it can be impossible to see their screen in certain bright lights. However here is what I managed.
This first photo shows the cockpit of one of the RNZAF's new NH90 helicopters.
This is the cockpit of one of their new A109 helicopters, built by Agusta Westland.

A Royal Australian Air Force C 17 Globemaster.

The Armee de l'air (French Air Force) displayed a CASA 235-200M which originates from Spain.

Wings, tailplanes, tailfins and people.

Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Another C-130, this time from the Royal Australian Air Force.

The enthusiasts queue up to view the interior of the Hercules.

A nicely kept DC-3....

...and an even nicer example in RNZAF livery.

The Britten-Norman Trislander BN.2A MkIII-2 is a strange looker.

RNZAF NH-90.

From Wanaka Helicopters in the South Island comes this Eurocopter EC 130 B4.

Four Yakovlev Yak 52s in an aerobatic display. The red and white one (ZAH) belongs to well known TV weatherman Jim Hickey, but not flown by him in this display.