ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
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The tail of Hercules NZ7004<br />
checkers 1, the lead <strong>Air</strong>trainer of our aerobatic team<br />
boeing 757 in the new livery<br />
celebrating 75 Years of service to new <strong>Zealand</strong><br />
The decal designs were subject to the following design<br />
constraints:<br />
• Use of standard RNZAF insignia,<br />
• Use of RNZAF tri-colours,<br />
• Use of 75th anniversary colour in design (diamond<br />
white and/or Gold), and,<br />
• complied with the RNZAF’s 75th Anniversary ‘brand’.<br />
The cAF’s chosen design concept was put together by F/S<br />
Trent wyatt, an <strong>Air</strong> engineer at No. 5 Sqn. well known for his<br />
artistry, F/S wyatt’s design incorporates:<br />
• Four contrails made up of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> tri-colours and<br />
gold—which represents 75 years of RNZAF service.<br />
• Four symbolic strike aircraft representing a link to our<br />
past and the four force elements of Maritime, Fixed wing<br />
transport, Rotary wing transport, and Training aircraft.<br />
• The Southern cross, to represent <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> and our<br />
flag.<br />
david Sherriff at the Auckland drawing office then applied<br />
the design concept to each aircraft type. david’s expertise<br />
as a former Safety and Surface technician and now as a<br />
Technical drawer was invaluable in translating F/S wyatt’s<br />
design concept to each aircraft.<br />
The team had to take into consideration a number of<br />
constraints. The designs could not utilise primary flight<br />
control surfaces; the decals could not impinge on anti-icing<br />
systems or instrument and sensor components; while we also<br />
needed to avoid areas of oil, soot or dirt accumulation and<br />
areas requiring regular inspection.<br />
decal quality is extremely important and installed on<br />
RNZAF aircraft they have to withstand the full range of<br />
environmental factors:<br />
• Altitudes up to and including 42,000 feet.<br />
• Speeds up to and including Mach 0.86.<br />
• Temperatures ranging from -56° to +55°c.<br />
• Good resistance to water, Mil-l-7808 oil, and Jet A and<br />
AVGAS fuels.<br />
The preferred commercial provider was Admark Visual<br />
Imaging ltd, a <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> firm which is an authorised<br />
3M product applicator and is recognised internationally as<br />
specialists in the printing and application of aircraft graphics<br />
and signage. Admark provides decal products to <strong>Air</strong> <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Zealand</strong> and are original equipment Manufacturers to boeing.<br />
The installation was undertaken by Admark technicians<br />
under the supervision and assistance of No. 40 Sqn<br />
Maintenance Flight (for the b757 and c-130) and Pilot<br />
Training Squadron Maintenance Flight (for the <strong>Air</strong>trainer).<br />
The directorate of continued <strong>Air</strong>worthiness Management<br />
in both Auckland and ohakea provided important specialist<br />
engineering advice and the required technical approvals to<br />
install the decals on the aircraft.<br />
The newly-liveried b757 was quickly observed in<br />
christchurch and in the Antarctic, while the lead Red checker<br />
was soon turning heads around the South Island. The<br />
Anniversary aircraft livery project is a simple but eye-catching<br />
and cost effective means of communicating the RNZAF’s 75th<br />
Anniversary year to the public, both in NZ and internationally.<br />
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> news 11