Ruapehu Rumble
Between two and four No.3 Squadron Iroquois were on hand each day for one of
the largest Territorial Force exercises in years – Exercise Northern Kiwi. The exercise,
around the Ruapehu area in late February, involved over 800 Territorial Force and
Regular Force personnel.
The Air Force Hueys flew up to six hours per day and were kept ‘very busy’ says pilot FLTLT Daniel Clearwater. The Hueys flew up to Waiouru each day from their base at Ohakea.
‘The aircraft were tasked on a daily basis for a number of different jobs. We spent time conducting emplane/deplane and helicopter safety briefs for most of the exercise participants. Most of these people were then inserted or recovered from an exercise evolution via Iroquois. The Hueys also conducted rapelling training as well as participating in an aero-medical evacuation scenario,’ said FLTLT Clearwater.
He agreed that the way the Squadron went about the exercise with the bigger capacity NH90s would have been different but exactly how remains to be seen. .