Workhorse of the skies
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Top Gun fanatics BLAIR ENSOR and photographer BEN CURRAN head into the danger zone with the Royal New Zealand Air Force's No40 Squadron as they push the C-130 Hercules to its limits.
When a reporter fromThe Marlborough Express last ventured skyward on the C-130 Hercules things got messy: she lost her lunch no less than seven times.
This time around there is plenty of male bravado on show, dented just a little when the first flight warning came.
"We'll be doing some low level flying and it can get quite rough," says Corporal Reece Fenton,
"I advise double bagging, they (sick bags) can get a bit soggy."
Three different crews from the No40 Squadron have been conducting low-flying exercises out of Base Woodbourne since February 15 as part of the combat qualification exercise TACEX.
The purpose of the exercise has been to train aircrew in C-130 tactical operations and has included formation flying, live air-drop operations involving heavy equipment and container delivery systems, and combat off-load procedures.
About 120 people, which includes army personnel, are all part of the exercise.
On board our flight is an 800kg load which has been prepared on base by 23 army personnel from Linton's Five Movement Company.
The Hercules can drop loads of equipment weighing up to 16300kg.
Plywood is fixed to the bottom of each load to help it roll out of the aircraft and honeycomb energy dissipating material is used to lessen the damage to the load on impact.
A low-velocity chute, designed to open when the load leaves the plane, is secured to the top.
When it comes to dropping stuff out of planes, not much has changed since World War II, says Squadron Leader Andy Scott.
Normally there are eight crew on board, but today two crew members in training also accompany the flight.
Inside the aircraft there are few comforts. The walls have been stripped of panels to reveal the inner workings of the aircraft and make repair work easier if anything goes wrong mid-flight.
Netted seating fitted with archaic seat belts keeps us strapped in for takeoff and landing while black skater-like helmets are handed to us to prevent head injuries while stumbling about the aircraft during the flight.
In the cockpit, and in charge of today's exercise, is Flight Lieutenant Richard Beetham. He has been with the RNZAF for about 10 years.
Initially he worked with Iroquois helicopters, but he joined No40 Squadron about four years ago in search of a challenge.
Energy management is the most difficult part of flying the planes because a Hercules is big, goes so fast and takes a long time to slow down, he says.
"Flying can be easy on a great day, but it gets a whole lot more challenging if it's rough. A bad-weather day is where you earn your money."
Since making the switch he has served all around the world including Europe, Antarctica and Afghanistan.
Out back, away from the maps and flying instruments of the cockpit, we are looked after by a local lad.
Flight Sergeant Nathan Hodges, 38, from Renwick, joined the RNZAF about 19 years ago, but he has been immersed in the Air Force for a lot longer.
His father, Kerry Hodges, was an aircraft technician for about 20 years.
Nathan Hodges joined because he saw many people enjoy the force and knew it was a great chance to get out and see the world.
"It's a free OE," he says.
As a loadmaster his primary role is to look after people and freight in the back of the aircraft .
He loves working with the Hercules because they are diverse and a huge part of any military or aid operation.
"No-one goes anywhere without us, because we carry all their freight."
The flight path of today's exercise takes in the Wairau Valley, Lake Rotoiti, Hanmer, Kaikoura and a drop zone at Lake Grassmere.
Take-off to the northeast is tame to begin with before the aircraft is unexpectedly thrown into a rapid 30-degree ascent.
Stomachs hit the floor for a few seconds before we level out for the first leg of the flight up the Wairau Valley.
Sheep and cattle scatter as the Hercules ploughs along as low as 76.2m above the ground, reaching speeds over 444kmh (240knots).
While the action is muted in the rear of the aircraft, up front in the cockpit it is entirely different.
It's a hive of activity as maps are checked and chatter is exchanged through helmet coms. The scene unfolding through the windows of the cockpit is surreal.
The Hercules may look cumbersome on the ground, but it swoops gracefully in and out of valleys near the Nelson Lakes and through the Molesworth Station.
Banked turns of up to 60 degrees have us hanging on like our lives depend on it.
In Hanmer the plane makes two separate, unexplained, low approaches to farmland. Later Richard Beetham explains that it was a simulated landing which did not go to plan.
A "fast and sneaky" approach is key to operations in combat zones where the planes may be unloading under fire but, on this occasion, the aircraft had been unable to slow down quickly enough and had been forced to switch to plan B - landing from a different direction.
From Hanmer the plane travels to the Kaikoura coast before making its way to Lake Grasmere. The rear doors open and the plane lifts its nose to help the cargo roll out. In the blink of an eye 800kg of supplies tumble out the door before they appear again beneath a chute. Army units on the ground swarm to greet them. The Hercules returns to Base Woodbourne like a true work horse of the RNZAF.
Flying can be easy on a great day, but it gets a whole lot more challenging if it's rough. A bad-weather day is where you earn your money - Flight Lieutenant Richard Beetham
- The Marlborough Express
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