P3 Orion

SAFE Air inspects, services and completely overhauls all the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s P3 Orion aircraft. Our operations are co-located with the RNZAF at Base Woodbourne, and because our aircraft engineers are RNZAF trained, they are highly specialised on this platform. All work by SAFE Air’s engineers is in accordance with the RNZAF’s maintenance guidelines and our capabilities comply with RNZAF skill set requirements.

Our capabilities include stripping of paint and components for inspection of the aircraft including fairings, doors and panels. SAFE Air performs non-destructive testing (NDT) and inspection of the airframe, with repairs carried out as required. The P3 is re-assembled, painted and thoroughly ground tested before handing over to the RNZAF for air testing. Flight controls can be overhauled on-site, while propellers and their components are sent to SAFE Air’s specialised propeller shop, located just a few metres away at our Marlborough site. The undercarriage is taken care of off-site, with all freight, service and delivery managed by SAFE Air’s own logistics team.

For details of our formal capabilities and approvals, please see our Safety and Quality page here.