Precision flying team thrills the crowds on Waitangi Day

What Jimmy Davidson from Matamata did that day was a love loop, a spaghetti break and The Swan. It takes some explaining.

Flight Lieutenant James Davidson is a flight training instructor with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and a member of the elite Red Checkers. If you looked skywards over the treaty grounds on Waitangi Day you'd have seen Jimmy's CT4E Air Trainer to the left of the formation at # 5 on the wing of the precision display team.

The Red Checkers' season begins around September. The display schedule is set after approval by senior commanders and the work ups begin at Ohakea for a routine that won't vary over the season no matter what the location, although there are variables.

"There are different things in terms of terrain, obstacles, hills, but over the ocean like at Waitangi it's reasonably simple because it's a nice flat display area," he says.

No-one remembers when the Red Checkers last displayed over Waitangi but it's more than 20 years ago. Last year was cancelled because of the weather so their visit this year was memorable in that they made it. And, given the strong traditional Navy presence there was a feeling within the team the Air Force was finally waving its own flag in the Far North.

Six of the Air Trainers, which are built and leased from Pacific Aerospace in Hamilton. They departed Ohakea to arrive at Kerikeri airport the day before their official Waitangi appearance. Deputy Prime Minister, Bill English, arrived about the same time in an RNZAF Beechcraft King Air and as he was chatting on his mobile in walked the Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mataparae, to catch the King Air back to elsewhere. With the Air Trainers on the tarmac, a few government limos parked outside, a couple of cops and several security blokes standing around and men in flying suits wandering about it was a busy little Kerikeri airport which had probably never seen the like in years, if ever.

On Waitangi Day the five Red Checker pilots (which this year includes three new team members) climbed into their yellow air steeds and headed away from the Treaty Grounds for warm up manoeuvres at altitude. They were buzzing overhead out of ear shot for about 15 minutes before arriving over the display area. That's when the vapour-induced love heart happened followed by the swan formation with wing tips only a couple of metres from each other, one plane flying upside down on top of the other as a mirror image and a few other aerobatic swoops and dives culminating in the grand spaghetti burst as a dramatic finale.

In between those manoeuvres Flt Lt Jimmy Davidson's solo routine had the crowd gasping and clapping - not that the fly boys hear it but they'll get to know about it from the Display Director and a videographer who are stationed on the ground by the flag pole.

It's tempting to ask whether New Zealand Air Force pilots don't dream of doing these aerial gymnastics in vastly superior jets like those of Britain's Red Arrows or Australia's Roulettes instead of little prop planes. So we do.

"With what we have we do a pretty good job and there are advantages to being in a small Air Force," he says diplomatically. "We have four upgraded King Airs, a whole heap of new helicopters and we've upgraded the Hercules, Orions and the 757," before adding that, no, they don't have jets.

"That would be nice for pilot training because having a fast jet is good to extend people and what we're finding is that some of the skills you have on jets are hard to replicate on the Air Trainers."

Imagine if Jimmy or his Commander, Oliver Bint, talked money with Bill English as Minister of Finance and jets with the Governor General who's ex-Army as they all crossed paths at Kerikeri airport. Consider the potential. Or in these austere times, perhaps there isn't any. - Sandy Myhre