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Anthony Rose says it is extra special knowing his sister could see the show.
A Southland pilot has returned home to put on an impressive aerobatic display in a long-awaited show from the Black Falcons.
Anthony Rose said it was a special moment when he entertained locals in Otago and Canterbury over one weekend last month, places he used to tear around playing soccer and water polo.
Rose was a Flight Commander for Central Flying School, training pilots for the No.14 Squadron for the T-6C Texan aircraft.
In his spare time liked to perform aerial shows for the public.
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Being a part of the Black Falcons was extra service for Rose, but he said it was worth it.
It was his second season in the team but his first time flying for the Falcons, as his first season was grounded by Covid-19.
“After two seasons of training it’s great to be able to finally show the skills of the RNZAF to the public and have a great time flying around the country,” Rose said.
He said his Christchurch-based sister was able to view the display, which made it extra special.
The Black Falcons is a team of eight RNZAF members and lead by Squadron Leader Stuart Anderson, who has a team of six pilots, a manager and a support officer.
All team members come from the Central Flying School and show the public a representation of the training, character and skill of those in the military.
The RNZAF, in an update, said while it had been active over the past three years, opportunities to engage with the public had been few and far between.
Formerly a James Hargest College student, Rose went straight from high school to the sky and joined the Air Force in 2009.
Following his graduation Rose spent two years at Air New Zealand flying domestic routes before he was posted to No.40 Squadron in Auckland to fly the Boeing 757.
Supplied/Stuff
Squadron leader Rose and his Black Falcons team flew over Otago and Canterbury last month for the first aerial display since Covid-19.
This job took him all over the world, from Antarctica to Norway, for five years.
Operation Antarctica and humanitarian relief missions were his highlights, he said.
Being part of the display team was one of the first things he wanted to do when joining the Air Force, and now he had ticked it off his list.
Rose’s job now was to train flying instructors to train recruits.
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