A monster military aircraft has been wowing Northland aviation enthusiasts with a series of spectacular manoeuvres over Whangarei airport.
The Royal Australian Airforce C-17A Globemaster III has been practicing low-level flying over the Northland countryside and around 3pm on Tuesday carried out a series of ''touch-and-go'' landings at Whangarei airport.
The exercises gave residents in the Onerahi area an unforgettable spectacle as the huge aircraft - almost four times heavier than a Hercules C-130 when fully laden - swooped in low over the harbour and skimmed suburban roofs with its four turbofan jet engines roaring.
Among those to get a close-up look was sales rep Daniel Foote, who was on his way to see a client in Onerahi when he saw the plane skim low over the airport.
The Globemaster spent about half an hour repeatedly practicing touch-and-go landings, first flying over the airport, then looping over Portland and the Heads before swooping a few metres above the tarmac and pulling up again. A crowd of about 40 people had gathered around the airport, including parents and children on their way home from school.