NZDFMil: Hercules Retirement FlightAs the sun sets on the 60-year-long career of our Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130H Hercules fleet, No 40. Squadron will farewell the workhorse of the skies with a flypast over Northland on the 29th January 2025.
Below are the locations and times for upcoming C-130H Hercules retirement flypasts.
Disclaimer: All timings are subject to change based on weather (clouds, winds, precipitation), local traffic and ATC requirements. Some stated times and locations may not be met due to circumstances outside of our control. While we will endeavour to adhere to the timings below, there may be discrepancies on either side of the listed times.
Wednesday 29th January 2025
Location / Time
Whenuapai (takeoff) 1330
Orewa 1334
Warkworth 1338
Mangawhai Heads 1343
Ruakākā 1347
Whangārei 1350
Paihia 1358
Kerikeri 1400
Taupō Bay 1405
Cable Bay 1409
Kaitaia 1413
Ahipara 1414
Opononi 1421
Dargaville 1431
Locations and timings may be added or removed, check back for the latest details.
RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
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RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
What will the new Minister for the South Island have to say about that? Do we know how many of the newer Hercules have been delivered?
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
NZ Ministry of Defence: Final Hercules successfully deliveredNew Zealand’s fifth and final C-130J-30 Hercules landed in Auckland on December 18, completing the delivery of the New Zealand Defence Force’s new fleet of aircraft.
A Ministry of Defence-led project team has been working alongside New Zealand Defence Force personnel, the United States Government, United States Air Force and Lockheed Martin for four years to procure the new fleet and deliver a suite of support arrangements.
“The arrival of the fifth Hercules is a significant milestone for the team, who have been working hard to bring all the aircraft home before Christmas – ahead of schedule, on budget and to specification,” said Sarah Minson, Deputy Secretary, Capability Delivery.
Now the full fleet has arrived, the project team is focused on the delivery of a new full-motion flight simulator. The building to house it at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) Base Auckland, Whenuapai, has been completed.
“From the moment the first C-130J arrived in September, the aircraft have been put to work and are already proving their value as a national asset. They have made a number of successful flights to Antarctica, carrying cargo to support the work of the New Zealand and United States scientific research programmes at Scott Base and McMurdo Station. They have also made multiple flights to deliver mission critical supplies and personnel across New Zealand and the Pacific region,” said Sarah Minson.
“The RNZAF is now equipped with a modern and fit-for-purpose capability. Operators have said that the aircraft is quieter and smoother to fly,” she said.
RNZAF crew training continues in the United States and New Zealand.
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Thanks Karearea. I think it's a more sensible replacement than the A400M. If it ain't broke don't fix it but improve it by all means!
I missed your post on the NZ thread about our new minister - will reply on that thread.
I missed your post on the NZ thread about our new minister - will reply on that thread.
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Aww, she's No. 1 world-wide, tracked by 1,368 1,820 at the moment:
HERBLK1

HERBLK1

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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Hope the Government is getting some dosh for the old ones...though they are a bit long in the tooth like me!
I once had a flight in an RAF one in 1976 taking our excess squadron personnel back from an exercise off Stornoway to Culdrose. We had been away for 3 weeks and it never stopped raining. It hadn't rained at all in Cornwall for weeks, which resembled a browned off Malta in summer. What a great summer 1976 was down south!
I once had a flight in an RAF one in 1976 taking our excess squadron personnel back from an exercise off Stornoway to Culdrose. We had been away for 3 weeks and it never stopped raining. It hadn't rained at all in Cornwall for weeks, which resembled a browned off Malta in summer. What a great summer 1976 was down south!
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
RNZAF Base Auckland Whenuapai, January 29, 2025. A flypast over Northland towns was made today by the about to be retired Lockheed Hercules C-130 H aircraft which are being replaced by the C-130J model.
Also shown is the B757.
RNZAF C-130H final fly-past Northland New Zealand - 2025. [7:39]
Also shown is the B757.
RNZAF C-130H final fly-past Northland New Zealand - 2025. [7:39]
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Had a great trip in one in February 1974 from Lyneham to an area off the Hebrides in connection with the 'Juggernaut' film to film the 'Britannic', a liner being held hostage in a gale with bombs aboard - in real life a Russian liner. The late great Peter Allwork was the cameraman and he and I wore dispatcher harnesses while from the rear of the ramp we stood and he filmed the ship in a gale. The Hercules was filmed from the ship and supposedly it dropped parachutists to defuse the bombs - they were members of the RAF Falcons and the drop was in fact done off Penzance from a BEA S-61 helicopter and filmed by us and from the ship! The parachutists that drop from the Hercules in the trailer were filmed elsewhere. Peter and I then collected our helicopter when back at Lyneham and flew north to continue filming the ship. No gyrostabilised camera mount used in those days hence the slight instability in filming from our helicopter. Every day we hovered off the stern of the ship and pulled up the days 'rushes' which we flew ashore and they were taken to London so that any imperfect scenes could be reshot on the ship. A great three weeks work - had lunch with Omar Sharif and Shirley Knight on board the ship in Southampton prior to filming! All the passengers were volunteers who got a free but often bumpy holiday.
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org
Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
That sounds like a great way to spend three weeks! A fine selection of great actors from back then, with the bonus of meeting some of them before filming. A more exciting cruise for the volunteer passengers than a lot of cruises today!
Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
I'm hoping that the weather is good and the aircraft are all 's' on the 4th at about 1225, when they are due over Chch. With luck they'll come our way en route to Hanmer Springs.
https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/media-centre/ne ... hts-added/
https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/media-centre/ne ... hts-added/
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Oo! Thank you for thatFD2 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 30, 2025 9:03 pmI'm hoping that the weather is good and the aircraft are all 's' on the 4th at about 1225, when they are due over Chch. With luck they'll come our way en route to Hanmer Springs.
https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/media-centre/ne ... hts-added/

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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
RNZAF C-130H Hercules Final Salute Auckland - 2025. (January 31, 2025) [1:55]
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
The Mighty Hercules - 60 years of extraordinary service [14:20]
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Tracked by 11,452 over Christchurch now ... 

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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
I told the grandsons about the flypast but think they were both in a classroom or a lecture hall. I was outside gardening at the appointed time but we had a lot of low stratus. I could see it was clearer down over the city and thought it looked passable, but definitely not clear enough for a heavy formation with us. I don't know what the rest of the South Island north of here was like but perhaps Christchurch would have been their last display of today if the clearance now arrived was coming from the south.
Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
I told the grandsons about the flypast but think they were both in a classroom or a lecture hall. I was outside gardening at the appointed time but we had a lot of low stratus. I could see it was clearer down over the city and thought it looked passable, but definitely not clear enough for a heavy formation with us. I don't know what the rest of the South Island north of here was like but perhaps Christchurch would have been their last display of today if the clearance now arrived was coming from the south.
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight February 4 2025
Incredible RNZAF 3 Herc C130H Farewell fly over [1:52] - over Wellington
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
Yes, well, not that I am one to talk, but was that a formation or a gaggle?
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Re: RNZAF: Hercules retirement flight January 29 2025
I rate that a pretty presentable formation in view of the fact that they probably don't have a Hercules display team..... Not sure I would want to get much closer 
