RNZAF Exercise Wise Owl '22

[nuuumannn]

Hi Guys, this is a photo thread of the RNZAF's regular Wise Owl exercise, which is specifically an advanced flying training exercise to train pilot officers in the demanding and precise art of formation flying. The RNZAF held Wise Owl '22, the 106th Wise Owl at Nelson, New Zealand and I was on hand to take photographs for private purposes and as an invited guest. The RNZAF's primary training aircraft is the prolific Beech T-6 Texan II and serves with No.14 Sqn and the Central Flying School, both at RNZAF Base Ohakea. Five Texan IIs, nine students, a similar number of instructors and five engineers camped at NZNSN for the exercise, from 5 to 15 September.

Firstly, images of the Texan IIs taken from the runway threshold.

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Parked up for the night at the compound.

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More images here: Exercise Wise Owl '22

More to come from Wise Owl '22.

 

[Wildcat]

Nice shots!

 

[Wurger]

 

[Steve Hnz]

Nice one Grant, I caught a couple of them briefly later in the week, hadn't realised it was happening. I'd like to model one of them but reckon those shiny rivets would be a bugger to do in 1/72.

 

[Airframes]

Nice shots Grant.
Got those babies over here in the UK now, replacing the Tucano, although I haven't seen one "live" yet.

 

[nuuumannn]

Nice one Grant, I caught a couple of them briefly later in the week, hadn't realised it was happening.

Hey Steve, the airport walkway had been closed because of the flooding for awhile but curiously they had it opened for a day, so I snuck off to take these pics on that day, but then they promptly closed it again the next day as a mate of mine went down to do the same, and it was only opened again the next weekend. Not surprisingly the walkway reopened again just as the C-130 departing with all their stuff left last Friday!

I saw a guy's photos of Dashes plowing their trade taken over the weekend and that yellow truck looked to be a permanent fixture at the Zero Two threshold!

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I believe they've finished the retaining wall now, though and the walkway is open again.

 

[nuuumannn]

Hi Guys, some more images taken from Exercise Wise Owl a couple of weeks ago. During the exercise the RNZAF had a press day and I was invited along to interview air and ground crew. Here's the NZ Defence Force press officer's take on the exercise:

Texans take flight over Nelson in Exercise Wise Owl

Nelson residents looking to the sky might have seen a group of unfamiliar aircraft operating recently.

www.nzdf.mil.nz

My article is behind a paywall so you won't be able to read it, but it goes a little like that one.

Here are some images taken of aircraft movements over the day.

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More to come from Wise Owl...

 

[nuuumannn]

Some more Wise Owl Texan IIs.

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More images here: Wise Owl with the Air Force, 9 September 2022

Till next time...

 

[Wurger]

 

[Steve Hnz]

Nice shots Grant, we caught one of them with a whole gaggle of guys around it on the Friday when we dropped the youngest to the airport to go back to Welly, her indoors wanted to see his Dash take off & we went around to where the HNZ hanger used to be & there it was, still didn't realise that Wise Owl had been on, mind you, we'd been in lock down that week, the middle one had bat pox, her indoors got it for the next week.