RNZAF Black Falcons to visit South Island this weekend

The Ohakea-based Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) aerobatics display team, the Black Falcons, is returning to the South Island this weekend.

29 February, 2024

2 March update: Unfortunately, low-level cloud on the flypast route, which will affect safe fuel reserve planning, has led the team to make the hard decision to cancel the flypast. The team will still fly down to the Southland A&P Show, but they will fly at a high level.

This change is disappointing for the team as they had been looking forward to flying over parts of Aotearoa today.

View the full season schedule at nzdf.mil.nz/rnzaf-black-falcons.

There will be many opportunities for people across the lower North Island and the length of the South Island to see the T-6C Texan II aircraft fly overhead on Saturday as they make their way to Invercargill.

Highlights of the five-strong team’s visit will be a flypast of the Southland A&P Show at Invercargill on Saturday 2 March (1pm)*.

Team member Squadron Leader Michael Williams said the pilots were looking forward to returning to the South Island and were very pleased to be able to plan the flight south so that they will pass over a large number of cities and townships, weather permitting.

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

“Our T-6C Texan II aircraft is the one on which all RNZAF pilots learn to fly, so we also hope seeing us this weekend will inspire some of the young people who see us. It could be them up there one day.”

*This article has been updated, 1 March 2024 due to an illness in the team. The Karoro Beach, Greymouth aerobatic display on Sunday, 3 March has been cancelled. Saturday, 2 March flypasts will go ahead as planned, with the team flying the T-6C Texan II in a four-ship box formation.