A Few Nice Bizjet and Other Visitors at Longreach Airport Over the Weekend

Longreach Airport has played host to a great variety of interesting aircraft over the last week or so, with no less that four bizjets calling in over the weekend!

On Saturday 9 May, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing B737-7DT(BBJ) A36-001 brought Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to town.  It was heard to be using the radio callsign of "Regent 87".

File photo

Mr Abbott was joined on Saturday by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss who reportedly flew into Longreach from Maryborough and back on board Machjet (Machjet International) Cessna 525 Citation CJ1 bizjet VH-SIY.

File photo taken by 'AC'   ©

Later on Saturday 9 May, Careflight Queensland (Aeromed) LearJet 45 bizjet VH-VVI - "Ambulance 451" - called into Longreach from Brisbane.  It departed back to Brisbane in the wee small hours of Sunday 10 May.

Finally, on Saturday 9 May, Dick Lang's Dessert-Air Safaris' Beech B200 King Air VH-ODI called into Longreach from Birdsville.  It was noted returning to its Adelaide base on Sunday 10 May.

File photo taken by 'AC'   ©

At Longreach on Sunday 10 May, McDermott Aviation Eurocopter EC155B N155LJ called in from the Sunshine Coast.  It looks to be heading overseas with the helicopter continuing to Mount Isa and planned to fly to Darwin and Kupang (Indonesia) over the next couple of days.

The Qantas Founders Museum (QFM) captured a photo later on Sunday 10 May of Careflight Queensland (Aeromed) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 bizjet VH-URR.  It looked to arrive from and later depart to Brisbane.

https://www.facebook.com/QantasFoundersMuseum

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Aside from the great movements into Longreach over the weekend, there has also been a nice variety of light General Aviation (GA) movements to call into the Central Western hub over the last week or so.

After a busy week of ferrying passengers in and out of Rockhampton for Beef Week, Gulf Coast Aviation Cessna 510 Citation Mustang bizjet VH-KXM called into Longreach Airport on Friday 8 May from Vanrook Station near Normanton.  After taking on fuel, it departed to Bankstown.

Sydney-based Cessna 182 VH-OPA arrived at Longreach from Bansktown and Moree on Friday 8 May and after overnighting it departed back to Bankstown again via Moree.

King Leopold Air of Broome in West Australia Cessna 206 VH-TUD was also believed to have called in from Mount Isa on Thursday 7 May.

Cessna 210N VH-ORR called into Longreach from Archerfield also on Thursday 7 May.  It was later noted departing North to the Northern Territory.

On Wednesday 6 May Arena International General Aviation / Australian International Aviation College Cessna 421C VH-USH was noted to call into Longreach from Mount Isa.  It later departed to Moree in New South Wales.

We mentioned below that on Tuesday 5 May Sunshine Coast-based Mooney M20J VH-KDC flew from Rockhampton to Longreach.  It returned to the beef capital on Wednesday 6 May.

And finally last week on Friday 1 May, Hinterland Aviation Cessna 404 VH-TFO operated a flight from Cairns to Windorah and from Windorah to Longreach, before returning to Cairns as HND615.

Certainly a great variety!