RNZAF hails 50th birthday of Hercules
A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Hercules turned 50 this March, as it was delivering aid in the Pacific.
NZ7001, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Hercules, turned 50 this March, as it was delivering aid in the Pacific. The cargo plane was the first of five C-130s that arrived at RNZAF Base Auckland in Whenuapai in 1965. Since then, the C-130 has been at the forefront of many New Zealand Defence Force operations, missions and exercises.
The hard-working plane flew out of Whenuapai on Sunday morning with aid for Tuvalu and picked up more in Suva. After delivering that cargo to Tuvalu, it returned to Suva for the night. The next day, it took three pallets of medical supplies and 40 Fijian soldiers to Port Vila in Vanuatu and returned to Suva for a second night.
40 Squadron Commanding Officer (CO) Squadron Leader Steve Thornley said that it was a great privilege to be CO on such an occasion: “In the 50 years these amazing aircraft have served New Zealand, they have spanned the globe supporting everything you could expect of an air transport aircraft, both in peace time and on active operations. This month alone we have seen C-130s delivering aid, supporting NZ Defence Force personnel in the Middle East and moving an elephant for Auckland Zoo. It is this sort of utility that keeps these aircraft in such high demand all over the world and is a testament to both the quality of design and the commitment of those that work on them that the first of our fleet of five has reached this milestone.”
As for the birthday celebrations, Thornley said these would be short-lived as the maintenance team had to turn her around for another mission to Vanuatu. However, specially designed tail art has been installed on NZ7001 that it will wear for the coming twelve months.
To ensure the C-130 remains fit for purpose, all five aircraft in the RNZAF fleet have been upgraded in a Life Extension Upgrade project led by the Ministry of Defence out of RNZAF Base Woodbourne in Blenheim. This project has replaced mechanical, structural and avionics components, installed new flight deck communications and improved navigation systems. The last aircraft (NZ7002) is due to be completed in December 2015.