For 57 years, a fleet of five Hercules C-130 (H)'s have been used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force for some of its most important overseas missions.
The decades' old aircraft are nearing the end of their lifespan and will be replaced by a new fleet of Hercules C-130 (J) in 2024.
Until then, the RNZAF is making sure pilots and crew remain ready for deployment in the event of a humanitarian disaster.
Today, the No. 40 Squadron successfully conducted its annual Tactical Exercise 22 to test pilot and crew capabilities in flying and aid drop offs.
According to flight lieutenant Michal-Louise Paget, it's called a "low-level flight".
"It is essentially the type of flying we do to maintain currency in our crews to train across any unfamiliar or challenging terrain."
The training takes the enormous aircraft just 100m from the ground and gets crew to drop cargo on to specific sites.
The skills are crucial for pilots in challenging situations in the Asia-Pacific region, such as disaster relief in the event of a tsunami or earthquake.
In those situations the runways in the region are often damaged or unusable.
The fleet of Hercules C-130 (H)'s have been used by the RNZAF since 1965, with its first deployment to Vietnam that year.
Since then the aircraft have assisted operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and just this year in Ukraine.
But the Hercules fleet has had its fair share of turbulence too.
Last month, one broke down in Antarctica, where Prime Minister Jacinda Adern had been visiting to mark the 65th anniversary of the site.
SHARE ME