Palmerston man earns his wings

After more than a year of training, Palmerston North’s Tim McAlevey is on the verge of realising his dream of flying an Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion.

The former Palmerston North Boys High student is one of seven RNZAF pilots who will earn their wings tomorrow at a pilot graduation parade at Ohakea Air Force Base.

Pilot Officer McAlevey said graduating allowed him to undertake the final phase of advanced pilot training before he could fly the RNZAF Hercules, Orion.

“For the moment I will be building my skills in the Kingair but in the future I'd ideally like to fly the Orion.”

The most difficult part of the pilot training course was the navigation phase, but it was also very rewarding Pilot Officer McAlevey said.

“Having been taught to fly is fantastic. But that aside, the people I meet - regardless of rank and trade - are positive about what they do, which makes for a good work environment."

RNZAF pilot graduation ceremonies are held twice per year and represent the culmination of 14 months of study and more than 200 hours of flying time by student pilots.

Deputy Chief of Air Force Air Commodore Richard (Dick) Newlands will present the awards.