The Red Arrows' flypast at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday had a very Kiwi connection - Auckland-born Flight Lieutenant Emmet Cox was one of the nine pilots to head over Trafalgar Square seven minutes before kick-off, then over Twickenham Stadium and the Richmond fanzone as the All Blacks and Wallabies lined up for the national anthems.
Under his flying suit, the 37-year-old former Long Bay College student wore an All Blacks jersey.
An extremely proud mum and dad, Janette and Grahame Cox, watched the flyover and game live at their home in Torbay.
Mrs Cox said her son went to Britain in 2001 to follow the lead of his great-grandfather John Cox, who flew a Spitfire for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in World War II. He tried twice for the Royal New Zealand Air Force and got turned down both times, she said.
Emmet Cox joined the RAF in 2002. He has flown missions over Iraq as a member of 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) and is a qualified instructor.
