Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) B737 / E-7A Wedgetail A30-004 "Wedgetail 36" Completes Airwork at Gladstone Airport - Plus More!

On Friday 22 May, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing B737-7ES / E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft A30-004 as "Wedgetail 36" flew up from RAAF Base Amberley to complete a few missed approaches at Gladstone Airport before it then returned to Williamtown. 

File photo

About the same time, fellow E-7A Wedgetail A30-006 as "Wedgetail 34" also flew up from Williamtown to complete a missed approach at Rockhampton Airport but due to traffic (?) was turned away while still at flight levels.  It continued on and u-turned over Rockhampton and flew down to RAAF Base Amberley for airwork before it then returned to Williamtown. 

While RAAF Alenia C-27J Spartan transport aircraft A34 010 as "Wallaby 72" was following the Wedgetail into Rockhampton but was also turned away and they decided to do a steep descent into Gladstone Airport where it completed four missed approaches there and then flew low level to Bundaberg Airport for another approach before it then returned to Amberley. 

Meanwhile, also on Friday 22 May, North Queensland Warbirds 1969-built Beech H18 VH-MBU hopped from Winton to Longreach Airport.  It had arrived there from Cairns the previous day.

UPDATE!  On Sunday 24 May, VH-MBU departed Longreach Airport for Cairns.

And an unmanned helicopter, G-138, was noted operating with a NOTAM near Thangool.