RAAF Surveys - Government Aircraft - Helicopters Galore - Rockhampton Cleans-up after TC Marcia

Saturday 21 February was a busy day for Rockhampton locals - surveying damage, clearing branches and trees, running generators due to continuing loss of power and generally cleaning up - after severe tropical cyclone Marcia passed through on Friday. Rockhampton Airport wasn't spared.

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It was also a busy day at Rockhampton Airport and in the skies above Rockhampton early on Saturday 21 February with a pair of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft spotted surveying the damage from the air.  Beech B350 Super King Air A32-437 "Dingo 11" was noted flying around Rockhampton and Yeppoon, while later, an unknown Lockheed AP-3C Orion was spotted in the skies above Rocky flying as "Sealion 44".

The Orion was believed to have flown North from RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, and was later noted flying into Townsville.

On Saturday 21 February, Rockhampton Airport was a hive of activity with an influx of helicopters calling in from other cities - including the Central Queensland Rescue Helicopter Service (CQ Rescue) Bell 412EP VH-CQJ ("Rescue 412") from Mackay Airport to assist with the clean up and ferry emergency services staff and resources to where they are needed.

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There was also visits by the Queensland Government Airwing (State of Queensland) Raytheon Hawker 850XP bizjet VH-SGY and Raytheon B300 Super King Air VH-SGQ, along with the Queensland Police Service (Airwing) Cessna 560 Citation Ultra bizjet VH-PSU Cessna 208 Caravan VH-PSY.

VH-SGY at Rocky  (File photo taken by 'IAD'  ©)

Meanwhile, three other private aircraft - a bizjet and two turboprop aircraft - also called into Rockhampton Airport on Saturday 21 February, including Jet City (Melbourne) Learjet 45 VH-LJX which visited briefly from Melbourne (Essendon), Hinterland Aviation Beech B200 King Air VH-HLJ which visited from Cairns as "Hinterland 770", and Corporate Air SAAB 340B VH-VEF which arrived from Brisbane.