GLENN JEFFREY/Stuff
Taranaki pilot Fay Emeny gets a big hug from her dad and veteran Warbirds pilot Brett Emeny after she performed a display at the Stratford Aero Club open day last Saturday. On Saturday, Rice put the qualification into action by taking part in a display at the Thames Wings and Wheels event, where she flew in formation with four other Yaks. “They were all the guys who trained me, so that first loop was pretty special,” she said. “During the years we have done hundreds and hundreds of loops, and they’ve spent hundreds of hours leading me around the sky.”
“It’s definitely a people-magnet, there have been people here all weekend.” The machine, which weighs about seven tonnes without a load, is used for heavy lifting work all around the country and was also quick, cruising at 150knots (around 180kmh), he said. “We had the call that they were leaving Whangamomona now, and by the time I turned round to have a look, they were coming over the hills,” he said. The helicopter is due to leave Stratford Aerodrome on Monday morning, but Furmage said he was hopeful it would be back to take part in the club’s open day on Saturday.