Aerlink ATR 72-500 VH-FVY - Plus Multiple Hinterland Aviation Cessnas and McDermott Aviation (Machjet) King Airs - All Call into Charters Towers Aerodrome on School Holiday Flights - Plus More!

It was a very busy day at the normally quiet Charters Towers Aerodrome on Friday 15 September with multiple closed charter flights departing to all parts of rural and remote Far North Queensland reportedly starting to transport boarding school children to their hometowns for the school holidays.

The biggest aircraft of the visitors was Aerlink (formerly Hevilift) ATR 72-500 turboprop VH-FVY which arrived from Townsville and departed to Horn Island as HT801/2.

File photo

While several Machjet( Machjet International) / McDermott Aviation Group Beech King Air turboprops were also noted including VH-ZPY "Machflight 55" to Normanton, plus VH-PUY and VH-NSN and VH-ZSY.

And Hinterland Aviation Cessna 208 Caravans VH-TFS as HND494, VH-HLL as HND479, VH-ETF as HND412, VH-TQV as HND421 and VH-MRZ as HND424, plus Cessna 404 Titan VH-TFU as HND466 from Cairns all visited and headed off in different directions.

Meanwhile, also on Friday 15 September, Horizon Airways Piper PA-31 Navajo VH-WZS flew 'home' to Mackay Airport from the North.

NSW based Beech 35-B33 Bonanza VH-CPL landed at Gladstone Airport from Ballina / Byron Bay Gateway and then departed to Townsville. 

The Queensland Government Airwing (State of Queensland) Raytheon B300 Super King Air VH-SGQ visited Rockhampton Airport from Townsville. 

Edwards Coaches Cessna 441 VH-TAZ arrived into Rockhampton Airport from Griffith and then departed to Coffs Harbour. 

Brisbane-based Hewitt Cattle Australia P/L SOCATA TBM 700 VH-PGA landed at Longreach Airport from Alice Springs and Napperby and then departed to Degunnie Station. 

WDC Equipment and Contracting Raytheon 58 Baron VH-EZR landed at Emerald Airport from Kidston then departed to Archerfield.  It looks to have flown up there from its Chinchilla Aerodrome base via Archerfield and Emerald Airports the previous day.

LDS Aero Group (Brisbane) Cessna A185F VH-OZA departed the Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour for Longreach Airport.  It appears to have flown North the previous day.

New South Wales-based Pilatus PC-12/47 VH-YGO flew up to Shute Harbour from the Gold Coast.

UPDATE!  On Saturday 16 September, VH-YGO flew from Shute Harbour to Mount Isa then down to Mungindi.

Finally, also on Friday 15 September, Bowenville (near Toowoomba) based Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1+ bizjet VH-JSZ flew up from Archerfield to Mackay Airport then down to Rockhampton Airport and back to Archerfield. 

Photo taken by Lloyd Fox  ©