News
This from the RNZAF P-3K2 – Orion fly past.
Hey there team, keep your camera’s handy and keep an eye on the skies for this flypast this afternoon. Note the times could be approximate.
ORION FLYPAST ALERT
The last two of our P-3K2 Orion fleet are heading for Base Woodbourne today following a close formation flight of the South Island. As of tomorrow, the entire fleet will be retired after nearly 60 years of service.
The route is highly dependent on the weather around the Southern Alps, especially for those towns and cities between Invercargill and Hokitika. If the weather is poor, expect a delay of 15-20 minutes for those towns on the West Coast, and 30 minutes to an hour at Woodbourne (depending on turbulence). The flight plan and approximate times are as follows:Base Auckland – 1000Christchurch – 1150-1200Dunedin – 1349Gore – 1407Invercargill – 1415Riverton – 1419Nightcaps – 1426Mossburn – 1431Athol – 1436Kingston – 1439Queenstown – 1445Cromwell – 1451Wanaka – 1458We’ve employed the six P-3K2 Orions for airborne surveillance and reconnaissance of Aotearoa New Zealand’s areas of economic interest, exclusive economic zone, the South Pacific, and the Southern Ocean including Antarctica.Over the past six decades crews have found hundreds of missing people drifting in vessels in the Pacific and have been the first to arrive at scenes where natural disasters have struck, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and in our neighbouring Pacific Islands. They have also operated beyond our region in security and stability roles.#NZAirForce #Force4NZ