Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

City's high flyers entertain the lunchtime crowds

By John Cousins
Bay of Plenty Times·
26 Mar, 2012 08:28 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A thrilling display of flying entertained the lunchtime crowd above Tauranga's downtown waterfront when the RNZAF's Red Checkers once again showed why they are New Zealand's elite aerobatic team.

Flying wing tip to wing tip and trailing plumes of smoke, they provided a taste of what the crowds can expect at Ohakea Air Base this weekend when the RNZAF puts on a pageant to celebrate its 75th jubilee.

The Red Checkers cancelled their display over the Mount Main Beach on Sunday because of strong winds and instead showed off their skills and daring yesterday in a 15-minute show that started shortly after midday.

It was precision flying at its best with not much seeming to separate the aeroplanes in formation flying manoeuvres where it looked like the smallest error could spell disaster. St John Ambulance officers were parked on the waterfront just in case.

The event ended in a spectacular star burst after which the aircraft flew low along the waterfront to farewell waves from the admiring crowd.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Coinciding with the 75th jubilee celebrations will be the eagerly anticipated arrival at Tauranga's Classic Flyers Museum of one of the RNZAF's Skyhawk fighter jets.

The McDonnell Douglas A4K Skyhawk dating from the late 1960s was being trucked up in pieces from Blenheim's Woodbourne Air Base and was due to arrive on May 3.

Classic Flyers CEO Andrew Gormlie said it would take another three or four days for air force engineers to assemble the aircraft after which it would take pride of place in the museum's main hangar.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Once the Skyhawk was in display condition, Classic Flyers would host an arrival ceremony in which former Skyhawk air crews living in the Bay, museum members and others who gave generously to get the aircraft to Tauranga would "pat the Skyhawk's nose" and have a chat over a few beers.

Mr Gormlie said the Museum had so far raised about $26,000 of the $34,500 cost to transport the the Skyhawk from Woodbourne and have it assembled.

"Getting about $26,000 has been incredible but we have not finished. There will be a bit of a drive for the last bit."

The Skyhawk would be on permanent loan from the Ministry of Defence. It was formerly the squadron's No1 aircraft. "We are really pleased about that," Mr Gormlie said.

Unlike the museum's iconic single-seater Hawker Hunter jet that features on the front page of this month's Aviation News flying over Matakana Island, the Skyhawk would go on display minus its engine.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

08 Jul 04:03 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

08 Jul 04:03 AM

The pod, including a large male, circled him and his group for about half an hour.

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM
'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

07 Jul 11:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP