Shortstop Jet Charter Dassault Falcon 900C Bizjet VH-OAA Pops into Hamilton Island Airport - Plus More!

On Sunday 4 December, Shortstop Jet Charter Dassault Falcon 900C bizjet VH-OAA was noted visiting Hamilton Island Airport.  It looked to arrive from Melbourne (Essendon) and then depart to Adelaide.

VH-OAA at Adelaide Airport on Friday

Meanwhile, also on Sunday 4 December, Brisbane-based Hewitt Cattle Australia P/L SOCATA TBM 700 VH-PGA departed Moura Aerodrome for Archerfield.

On Saturday 3 December, VH-PGA completed a flight from Moura Aerodrome to Archerfield before then returning to Moura Aerodrome.

And Clermont-based (but Mackay-registered) Mooney M20J VH-NWF completed flights from Mackay Airport to Clermont Aerodrome and back to Mackay Airport on both Sunday 4 December and Saturday 3 December.  It had flown across to Mackay Airport from Clermont Aerodrome on Friday 2 December.

Finally, also on Saturday 3 December, Brisbane-based Avcair Cessna 425 Conquest 1 VH-BSM visited Charters Towers Aerodrome from its Archerfield base.

Beech A36 Bonanza VH-WMA departed my local Clermont Aerodrome for Goondiwindi after arriving from there the previous day.  (Of interest, on Friday 2 December, Cessna R182 Skylane VH-PNA also departed Clermont Aerodrome for the South.)

And Katherine Aviation (NT) Beech 58 Baron VH-FLZ popped into Longreach Airport while flying home to Katherine (RAAF Base Tindal) from Redcliffe.

File photo

The old Baron VH-FLZ is no stranger to Central Queensland, spending many years operating out of Emerald Airport with Central Highlands Air Transport (CHAT) and Advance Aviation.  It hasn't changed a bit!!

Photos taken by Tony Haynes and Sid Mitchell  ©

Emerald Airport Plane Spotting Locations - UPDATED!!

Updated January 2019.

The Central Highlands Regional Council owns and operates the Emerald Airport which is located approximately 6km South of the Emerald along the Gregory Highway (Springsure Road).

QantasLink and Virgin Australia RPT services fly in and out of Emerald with several daily service from and back to Brisbane operated by Dash-8-Q300 and Dash-8-Q400 turboprops operating for QantasLink while Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 and F-100 jets operate Virgin scheduled services on a wet lease arrangement since 2017.

There are also regular and ad-hoc fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mining and other charter flights in and out of Emerald operated by Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70s and F-100s on flights from and back to the Brisbane via the Sunshine Coast.

Finally, freight flights in and out of Emerald Airport are currently operated each weekday by General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) with one of their Dornier DO-228-202 aircraft operating from Brisbane via Biloela/Thangool and back to Brisbane sometimes via Rockhampton.  While freight from Longreach and Barcaldine is flown to Emerald Airport by a General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) AeroCommander 500-S which is based at Emerald Airport.

At Emerald Airport itself, there is a large public car park located directly in front of the terminal building which has been significantly expanded and become a paid car park. There is no charge for the first half-hour use of the public car park and there are two automatic payment machines located on site. The carpark can become quite busy over the weekend, and so an additional long-term parking facility has been recently opened up, towards the Western edge of the airport.  This is also a paid parking system with its own entry/exit gates and payment machine.

The actual Emerald Airport terminal building (shown below) has undergone significant redevelopment over the last few years, and now features a big check-in area, baggage conveyors including a new baggage collection facility, and a much larger passenger waiting and seating area. Security screening facilities have also been installed and are now fully operational. Qantas has also recently opened a Qantas Club Regional Lounge.

There has also been significant apron and taxiway works in recent months, with an undercover walkway added from the terminal building to the parking gates providing cover for passengers transiting from most flights.  Sadly, this covered walkway has been built in front of some of the more prominent spotting locations - that being the terminal eating area and passenger waiting area (through security) - as well as the raised employee parking area - which no longer afford unobstructed views of aircraft parked and moving on the main Runway 06/24.

Outside of the terminal, heading North, on the left side of terminal in the picture below, is an open fence line next to the (now defunct) Advance Aviation offices, where photos can be had taken of the terminal apron along with the General Aviation (GA) aircraft parking apron (shown below), and out further to the runways.

On the South-Western end of the new terminal (on the right side as you face the terminal), the Council has opened up a previously sectioned off area of fence line that has some views over the freight apron and nearby parking gates.

Further down this fence line - continuing to the West - is now probably the 'best' area to watch and photograph visiting aircraft to Emerald.  Near the airport managers' house is the main apron access Gate 8, which does provide some nice views of the main runway and taxiways - as shown by some recent photos below.

Visiting corporate bizjets generally park nearby, as do the above mentioned freight aircraft.

Also, pictured below are a selection of around a dozen various RA-Aus registered and other light aircraft parked and hangared on the Northern edge of the airport. These aircraft can often be seen quite easily from the airport access road and the nearby overflow car parking area.

With a good mix of scheduled RPT, FIFO charter flights and General Aviation aircraft using Emerald Airport as a re-fuelling stop, Emerald Airport can be a nice little airport for spotters!

Also Spotted Calling into Emerald Airport (So Far) This Week

While I was at Emerald Airport late on Tuesday 31 May I also captured a couple of other photos of some other interesting visitors including General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) AeroCommander 500-S VH-YJM which is currently operating the week-daily freight run from Emerald to Barcaldine and Longreach and back.

The GAM AeroCommander continues to operate the vital freight link out to Longreach following the recent closure of previous provider Advance Aviation.  On Tuesday 31 May, the freight from Longreach was loaded and flown out on Toll Freight Metro 23 VH-UZN as TFX111 to Rockhampton and Brisbane.

VH-UZN still (kind of) wears the titles of 'Jetcraft Air Cargo' - the precursor to Toll Aviation - along with 'The Australian' newspaper titles.

Also spotted at Emerald Airport on Tuesday 31 May was Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Raytheon B200 VH-FDZ which was preparing for departure back to its Roma Airport base as "FlyDoc 458".

This RFDS King Air is currently configured to transport doctors and other specialist around to remote communities and on this occasion flew three specialists to Emerald for an overnight stay on Monday 30 May.  Of interest, VH-FDZ flew to Rockhampton Airport on Monday where some planned maintenance took place on the aircraft before it returned to Emerald Airport during the afternoon on Tuesday.

On the RPT front, as well as the Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 VH-QQX operating for Virgin Australia - see Blog post below - I also spotted QantasLink Dash-8-Q400 Next Gen VH-LQJ as it touched down at Emerald Airport operating the QLK2414 service from Brisbane.

And Longreach-based Beech A36 Bonanza VH-PRI was also captured arriving into Emerald Airport on Tuesday evening.

Finally, it's worth highlighting a couple of other interesting light General Aviation (GA) visitors to Emerald Airport in recent days.  On Wednesday 1 June, Redjet Aviation Piper PA-31 Navajo VH-PJU arrived into Emerald Airport from Redcliffe.  It later departed to Barcaldine before returning to Redcliffe later in the day.  On Monday 30 May, Brisbane-based Cessna 310 VH-KXG visited from Archerfield, while Wolff Aviation Hawker Beechcraft C90GTi VH-VWG was noted calling in once again from its Toowoomba base.

And last Friday 27 May, I (sadly) spotted Victorian-based Tex Onsite-operated AeroCommander 500-S VH-TZS as it departed Emerald Airport for Tamworth.  It had arrived the previous day from Townsville.

A Couple of Nice Light GA Aircraft at Emerald Airport so far This Week

Over the last couple of days a few nice light General Aviation (GA) aircraft have been noted calling into Emerald Airport from various parts.

On Tuesday 22 March, Sundown Pastoral Company (of Bonogin in the Gold Coast Hinterland) Raytheon B300 Super King Air VH-NSI called in from Keytah Airport in New South Wales.

Kyle Mayne / https://flightaware.com/

The Super King Air started its day at its Gold Coast base and returned there later on Tuesday.

Also visiting Emerald Airport on Tuesday 22 March was recently registered Pilatus PC-12/47 VH-DNG of "Bullawarrie" in Mungindi in New South Wales.  It flew in from Melbourne (Essendon) and Goondiwindi.  After spending most of the day on the ground, it returned to Goondiwindi later in the day.

On Monday 21 March, Brescon Beech B200 King Air VH-WXN operated from Brisbane into Emerald and then Clermont before returning to Emerald and Brisbane later in the day.  It then positioned back to its Toowoomba base a little later still.

Also on Monday 21 March, Toowoomba-based Wolff Aviation Hawker Beechcraft C90GTi VH-VWG was noted flying from Emerald to Rockhampton before returning South.

Over the last couple of days, General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) AeroCommander 500-S VH-UJU has again operated the Emerald to Barcaldine to Longreach and back freight rotation flights in place of the collapsed Advance Aviation - see more HERE.

File photo

And finally, on Sunday 20 March, Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-XWO appeared to operate a scheduled service into Emerald Airport from and back to Brisbane on behalf of QantasLink as UTY2600/UTY2601.

Emerald Airport Based Advance Aviation Group Placed in Administration - Aircraft Grounded - Jobs Lost

Word surfaced this week that Emerald Airport-based Advance Aviation Group has been placed in Administration with the reported loss of as many as 15 jobs.  It appears the general aircract charter and maintenance company ceased trading early last week.

One report suggested that Advance Aviation had been in financial trouble from as far back as two years when it was placed in receivership, although it continued to trade under a 'scheme of arrangement'.  This time however, it appears to be more permanent.

Indeed the Advance Aviation fleet of aircraft remain grounded at Emerald Airport with the vital air freight link from Longreach and Barcaldine in the Central West to Emerald and beyond now being flown by a General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) AeroCommander 500-S.

Advance Aviation was born out of Central Highlands Air Transport (CHAT) which I can recall operating as far back as the 1990s.  The company has been head-quartered at Emerald Airport and at last count operated a fleet of eight aircraft - three Piper PA-31 Navajos VH-BCQ, VH-LWW and VH-FWJ, Piper PA-32s VH-LPW and VH-MSR, Cessna 210 VH-TQC, Beech B58 Baron VH-FLZ and Cessna 208 VH-FLL.

VH-FLL was only a recent acquisition (March 2014) and has been noted flying around all parts of Australia and some parts of the South Pacific and Asia on aerial survey flights.

File photo

Sad to see what I thought was a professional and well-run organisation finish up.  My thoughts are with the workers at Advance Aviation of which I personally know and have known a couple of pilots over the past few years.

Some Plane Spotting Photos from Emerald Airport Thursday - Plus Citation Bizjet VH-WMY and a VARA ATR 72 Replaces Skywest Fokker 50

After a meeting on Thursday 19 November, I decided to pop out to Emerald Airport for a quick look around and managed to photograph a couple of scheduled flights along with one of the five Alliance Airlines Fly-Fly-out (FIFO) flights that call in during each week.

QantasLink Dash-8-Q400 Next Gen VH-LQL departed back to Brisbane as QLK2415.

The Dash-8-Q400 still wears a very attractive colour scheme promoting the Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo in country New South Wales.

It was closely followed by Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) ATR 72-500 VH-FVI which also departed to Brisbane but as VOZ1266.

Also parked on one of the Emerald Airport parking gates - which is also perhaps the worst for photos - was Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 VH-QQY which had earlier arrived from Brisbane as UTY4066.

Meanwhile, on the South-Western corner of the parking apron, Toll Express Freight Metro III VH-UUO was being prepared for its week-nightly departure to Rockhampton and Brisbane as TFX111.

The Metro was being loaded with local freight and freight that had been flown in from Longreach and Barcaldine, as well as Middlemount, on board Advance Aviation Beech 58 Baron VH-FLZ and Piper PA-32-300 VH-MSR respectively.

One final interesting pair of aircraft I spotted at Emerald Airport on Thursday 19 November were a pair of Bayswater Road / Australian Aerial Mapping (AAM) survey aircraft in the form of Reims Aviation F406 VH-EYQ and Cessna 404 Titan VH-LAD.

Earlier on Thursday 19 November, I noted that Cessna 525 Citation M2 bizjet VH-WMY of Mitchell Water Australia visited Emerald Airport, calling in from Melbourne (Essendon) and departing a short time later to Brisbane.

Finally, on Tuesday 17 November, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) (Skywest Airlines) Fokker 50 VH-FNF departed Brisbane for Emerald on one of its twice-weekly FIFO flight but was forced to turn around during the flight and return to Brisbane with a 'technical issue'.

File photo

I then noted that on Wednesday 18 November, VARA ATR 72-600 VH-FVY looked to operate an 'additional' flight to Emerald from Brisbane and back as VOZ9109/9110 which I suspect was to transport stranded passengers as a result of VH-FNF breaking down.