Roar of approval as Aussie jet swoops low

FLYING VISIT: The Royal Australian Airforce Globemaster swoops in low over Onerahi, with Mt Manaia in the distance. PHOTO / DANIEL FOOTE

A monster military aircraft has been wowing Northland aviation enthusiasts with a series of spectacular manoeuvres over Whangarei airport.

The Royal Australian Airforce C-17A Globemaster III has been practicing low-level flying over the Northland countryside and around 3pm on Tuesday carried out a series of ''touch-and-go'' landings at Whangarei airport.

The exercises gave residents in the Onerahi area an unforgettable spectacle as the huge aircraft - almost four times heavier than a Hercules C-130 when fully laden - swooped in low over the harbour and skimmed suburban roofs with its four turbofan jet engines roaring.

Among those to get a close-up look was sales rep Daniel Foote, who was on his way to see a client in Onerahi when he saw the plane skim low over the airport.

The Globemaster spent about half an hour repeatedly practicing touch-and-go landings, first flying over the airport, then looping over Portland and the Heads before swooping a few metres above the tarmac and pulling up again. A crowd of about 40 people had gathered around the airport, including parents and children on their way home from school.

''I was in the right place at the right time, and just happened to have my Nikon in the boot so I got a few shots in the rain.''

It was low and loud enough to shake nearby houses, he said.

A reader posting on the Advocate's Facebook page, Debe Anderson, said she was at a friend's home next to the airport when the monster plane roared overhead.

''I really thought we were going to die as it sounded so loud. I thought it was the Air New Zealand plane off course and about to crash in their yard ... Then I looked out the window to see this huge beast flying past.''

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a military transport aircraft developed for the US Air Force. The first production model flew in 1993. It is 53m long, has a wingspan of 52m and a maximum takeoff weight of 265,350kg. It can carry a tank, six armoured vehicles or 134 soldiers.

Australia agreed to buy four Globemasters in 2006 for US$780m ($940m). It currently has six.

By comparison the C-130 Hercules operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force has been in service since the 1950s and is 30m long with a 40m wingspan and maximum takeoff weight of 70,300kg.

An RAAF spokesman told reader Andrew Simonsen, whose spectacular video can be seen on our Facebook page, that the kind of terrain New Zealand offered in places like Queenstown and Whangarei couldn't be replicated in Australia.

''So the crews really appreciate this chance to come over,'' he said.

The plane was in New Zealand for routine training and returned to Australia on Thursday.

If it had landed at Onerahi taking off would have been interesting. When fully laden it needs a 2.3km runway to get airborne.