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More Kiwi T-6s transit Australia on ferry

written by australianaviation.com.au | October 7, 2014

Two RNZAF T-6Cs visited Tamworth on Oct 7 while on their ferry flights from Wichita to Ohakea. (Andrew McLaughlin)
Two RNZAF T-6Cs visited Tamworth on Oct 7 while on their ferry flights from Wichita to Ohakea. (Andrew McLaughlin)

Two more Beechcraft T-6C advanced trainers have transited Australian skies on their ferry flights on their way to the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

The aircraft, build numbers 4 and 5 of 11 the RNZAF have on order, arrived in Darwin from Bali on October 5 and, after overnighting in Brisbane, paid a visit to the BAE Systems Australia-run ADF Basic Flying Training School at Tamworth on October 7. The aircraft are nearing the end of their epic ferry flight from Wichita in Kansas to Ohakea near Auckland, which has travelled via Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the UK, Italy, Greece, Jordan, the UAE, India, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Beechcraft Chief Pilot JD O’Malley said the aircraft have had no technical issues en route. He said after arriving in New Zealand, these aircraft and the two which were delivered in late August will complete a series of final acceptance flights before being formally handed over to the RNZAF on October 31. Aircraft number 3 has been retained in Wichita for further trials and will be delivered at the end of the batch.

The 11 T-6Cs were ordered in January, and the first two were delivered barely seven months later. All 11 are scheduled to have been delivered by the end of March 2015, by which time RNZAF training on the aircraft will have commenced.

The T-6C forms the basis of the joint BAE Systems Australia, CAE and Beechcraft bid for Australia’s AIR5428 pilot training system project, a decision on which should have been made by Christmas.

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The configuration of the aircraft being bid for AIR 5428 is almost identical to the Kiwi T-6C except for a Basic Product Upgrade (BPU) currently in development which will incorporate ADS-B, an enhanced cockpit voice recorder, the ability to fly inverted for 60 seconds, an operating environment capability of up to 50 degrees C, and other improvements.

For the ferry flight the aircraft have been fitted with underwing auxiliary fuel tanks giving a ferry range of about 1,600km, although most planned legs have been about 1100km in length.

Further deliveries to NZ are expected in November, while Beechcraft hopes to bring the final pair of RNZAF T-6s to the 2015 Avalon Air Show from February 24 to March 1 next year.

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Comments (8)

  • ChrisC

    says:

    Awesome! All we kiwis need now is to have a whip around and source a few 2nd hand F16s.

  • Paul

    says:

    For sure then we could contribute like the RAAF against ISIL…

  • Raymond

    says:

    The Key Government has just been re-elected, so you might have a chance yet…

  • Raymond

    says:

    Step 1: Introduce new advanced trainers (T-6) – in progress

    Step 2: Increase defence spending from a measly 1% of GDP to a ‘normal’ level of at least 1.5%

    Step 3: Order advanced jet / lead-in fighter trainers (e.g. M-346 or Hawk)

    Step 4: Order fighters to reinstate the air combat capability that should never have been taken away, that all sovereign nations should possess as a non-negotiable essential, especially in an increasingly dangerous and unstable world, and as a first-world nation with treaty obligations (e.g. F-16 or Gripen)

  • Paul

    says:

    I agree with Raymond Block 60 F16 or Gripen NG – but would be better to pay the RAAF though for Advanced Jet Training in the short term. Hmm if the Govt bit the bullet for 10-14 F35’s then the RNZAF could save $$$ by paying RAAF for training to that level allowing more money to buy a modern aircraft in the first place, then conduct joint operations alongside the RAAF.

  • Michael

    says:

    NZ are fairly pacifist country that don’t feel the need to have a fast jet fleet as they are outside the power projection capabilities of potential adversaries and don’t go jumping out of their seats to join the yanks in warmongering at every opportunity like we do. Last time I checked they were an independent country and not part of our federation so have a right to set a foreign and defence policy fully independent of ours. Should a potential adversary like China for example start projecting its power further into the pacific then this could change.

    However, from memory the decision to disband the fast jet squadrons was made before some people flew some planes into buildings in the US. I was wondering what the plan was if someone attempted something similar during the Rugby World cup or in a potential future Winter Olympic games that gets brought up from time to time. I do believe they still have around 9 of their Aermacchi trainers in storage. With this in mind I think it would be prudent of them to reactivate these and equip them to carry Sidewinders and basic air to ground munitions. The cost of this shouldn’t be too great.

  • Steve Riley

    says:

    Why not just contract the RAAF for fighters and maybe two C-17s complete with crews.?
    It might be cheaper in the long term and would provide extra training opurtunities for the Aussies whilst providing financial benifits.
    I’m just putting it out there.

  • BDT

    says:

    I assume Beechcraft will be selling these aircraft to RNZAF at second hand prices after such an epic ferry flight? Makes one wonder about the relative merits of a bulk freight delivery instead. I guess someone has done the maths?

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