Sunday, November 24, 2013

Getting a buzz from United States plane

A low-flying American military aircraft spooked animals and excited plane spotters as it buzzed the Nelson region over the weekend, and two more flights are scheduled over the next two days.

Woodstock farmer Fay Baker said she saw a large khaki-colored aircraft following the course of the Motueka River about 10.30am yesterday.

She estimated that the plane was flying at 500 feet, and said she had heard reports that it passed low over the Stanley Brook area on Saturday morning and yesterday evening.

"It's scaring the snot out of all the farmers and their animals."

She said her animals were scared and were in danger of running into electric fences.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force's senior media and communications adviser, Squadron Leader Lyn Coromandel, said the flights were "tactical low-level training flights" by a United States C-17 Globemaster as part of Operation Southern Katipo.

Although the operation was based near Timaru, the flights over the Nelson region were part of a related operation called Kiwi Flag, he said, and were likely to have originated at RNZAF Base Ohakea in Manawatu.

The first flight was about 8pm on Saturday, and the second about 10.30am yesterday.

Mr Coromandel said the C-17 was flying at about 500 feet. The minimum allowable level for such flights was 300 feet.

He said that because that the aircraft was so large, it could appear to be lower than it was, and its turbofan engines were "very quiet".

The flights allowed the crews to practice navigation skills such as reaching a set destination at an exact time, to simulate combat situations such as delivering troops within a tight time frame, he said.

Pilots reported seeing the Globemaster making a low pass over Nelson on Saturday evening. They said it came in from the south, flew low over the airport and city, waggled its wings and flew off to the north.

On the Nelson Mail's Facebook page, readers reported a military aircraft flying "very low around Pakawau then out towards Anatori" from Thursday to Saturday, as well as over Rabbit Island.

Mr Coromandel described Operation Southern Katipo as the largest joint military exercise in New Zealand in more than 25 years. It involves 2200 people from nine other countries - Australia, Canada, France, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Tonga, Britain and the US.

He said the remaining two flights, today and tomorrow, were scheduled to be near Farewell Spit, weather permitting.

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