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A low-flying helicopter which alarmed Kingsland residents on Tuesday night was taking part in a counter-terrorism exercise, the Air Force says.
Several residents rang the Herald after an Air Force Iroquois helicopter landed without lights on the Kowhai Intermediate field.
"We could feel it was very low because the whole house was shaking," resident Amanda Cameron, 42, said.
The Iroquois pilot was using night vision goggles while flying the aircraft, said Squadron Leader Glenn Davis, Air Force Public Relations.
The landing was part of a routine army counter-terrorism exercise.
"There are four or five such exercises each year, using landing sites around Auckland," Squadron Leader Davis said.
He said such exercises were normally advertised through public notices in newspapers and on radio.
Night vision training in urban areas was slightly unusual but was an important part of pilot training.
