The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) aerobatics display team, the Black Falcons, is set to appear over Oreti Beach at 5.20pm (9 Feb) for the Bert Munro Classic.

The five-strong team, flying the T-6C Texan II aircraft, will conduct a flypast of the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre on Kaitorete Spit (south of Banks Peninsula) at 11am before heading to Southland.

On Saturday they will fly north, displaying at St Kilda Beach in Dunedin (11.30am), and later (4.35pm) in the vicinity of the Pier at New Brighton Beach, Christchurch, before returning home to their North Island base at Ohakea.

Team member, Squadron Leader Michael Williams, said the Ohakea-based pilots were looking forward to their first trip south this year.

“It’s a real pleasure to bring our displays to people any time, but on this trip we’ll be seeing quite a bit of the South Island, so lots of people will see us in turn,” he said.

“For us it’s a chance to demonstrate a key element of our Air Force’s range of capabilities.

“This type of flying is fantastic to be part of as a pilot, but it also practises and sharpens key military flying skills. So while it’s great to watch and hopefully showcases an Air Force that New Zealanders can be proud of, there’s a serious side to the extra training and practise involved in display flying.

“Our Texan aircraft is the one on which all RNZAF pilots learn to fly, so we also hope this weekend’s displays will inspire some of the young people who see us. It could be them up there one day.”