Singapore Airlines Boeing B777-200 9V-SVH Back at Rockhampton Airport Monday Night

Local plane spotter 'IAD' returned to Rockhampton Airport late on Monday 27 October and captured some great photos as Singapore Airlines Boeing B777-200 9V-SVH touched down as SIA8931 direct from Singapore's Changi Airport.

This is second visit of 9V-SVH this year and is the first of the third 'wave' of heavy jet charters into Rockhampton Airport in support of the Singapore Armed Force's Exercise Wallaby 2014.

Three more Singapore Airlines B777-200s are expected in this 'wave' which concludes Wednesday.  There will be one final 'wave' of heavy jet charters at the conclusion of the Exercise is mid-November.

9V-SVH departed a little while later back to Singapore as SIA8932.

Thanks to 'IAD' for sending through these great photos!

All photos taken by 'IAD'  ©

JetGo Australia Embraer E-135LR VH-JGB Calls into Rockhampton Airport Monday

Making a surprise but most welcome arrival into Rockhampton Airport late on Monday 27 October was JetGo Australia Embraer E-135LR VH-JGB.  It touched down from Brisbane as JG95.

It is presumed that VH-JGB is visiting the beef capital on a charter flight, as after it dropped off its passengers, the Embraer was re-positioned from the Rockhampton Airport apron to the General Aviation (GA) apron where it remains parked.

Thanks to Rockhampton plane spotter 'IAD' who was on hand to capture these great photos of a great visitor to Rocky!

All photos taken by 'IAD'  ©

Australian Army Boeing CH-47D Chinook Helicopter A15-151 Also Spotted at Mackay Airport Monday

Making a very surprising, but most welcome visit to Mackay Airport on Monday 27 October was Australian Army Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter A15-151.

The chook - flown by the 5th Aviation Regiment - was heard to arrive from Townsville and had planned to conduct airwork in the Bowen area.  It was using the radio callsign of "Brahman 151".

All photos taken by 'AC'  ©

Cessna Citation Bizjets - VH-CCJ at Bundaberg Airport and VH-JMK at Rockhampton Airport

Earth Commodities Cessna 550 Citation Bravo bizjet VH-CCJ was 'scheduled' to touch down at Gladstone Airport early on Monday 27 October, however it ended up touching down at Bundaberg Airport.  It arrived from Brisbane.

File photo taken by Micah S  ©

Around lunch-time, VH-CCJ returned to Brisbane.

Meanwhile, locally-based and recently returned J.M. Kelly (Project Builders) Cessna 550 Citation II bizjet VH-JMK was noted to depart Rockhampton Airport for Archerfield also about lunch-time on Monday 27 October.  At the time of writing, it was due to return to Rocky later in the evening.

Jetstar Airbus A320 VH-VFL in Little Athletics Livery Calls into Mackay Airport Monday

After only being rolled out last week in an attractive 'Little Athletics' livery, Jetstar Airways Airbus A320 VH-VFL has called into Mackay Airport on Monday 27 October.

VH-VFL was operating the JST894/895 scheduled service into Mackay from and back to the Gold Coast.

Jetstar has applied the special livery on VH-VFL to kick off a sponsorship deal with Little Athletics Australia.  As part of the two-year naming rights partnership, decals featuring the image of two Little Athletics participants have been applied, along with the words “Helping Little Aths reach for the stars” and the Little Athletics logo.

What a great looking livery!

All photos taken by 'AC'  ©

Now Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-FKG at Gladstone and Rockhampton Airports for QantasLink

After its visit last Friday, Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-FKG was back in CQ on Monday 27 October, this time operating for QantasLink into both Gladstone and Rockhampton Airports.

File photo taken by 'IAD'  ©

It initially operated as UTY2636/2333 from Brisbane to Gladstone and back, before operating a return flight from Brisbane into Rockhampton as UTY2368/2357.

Third 'Wave' of Singapore Airlines Charters to Rockhampton Airport This Week

Information suggests that the third 'wave' of Singapore Airlines heavy jet charters into Rockhampton Airport will occur this week.

File photos taken by 'IAD'  ©

There are only four flights expected in this wave, which will see passengers and cargo both arrive and depart Rockhampton Airport in support of the Singapore Armed Forces' Exercise Wallaby 2014.

All four flights will be operated by Singapore Airlines Boeing B777-200 aircraft, with the first arrival expected to touch down around 8pm on Monday 27 October.

Stay tuned to the CQ Plane Spotting Facebook page and Twitter feed for all the latest information and updates on this weeks charter flights and more!

Qantas Boeing B737-800 VH-XZJ in Mendoowoorrji Aboriginal Colours Calls into Hamilton Island Airport

For the only the second time since Qantas launched their jet services from Sydney, Boeing B737-800 VH-XZJ - wearing a special Aboriginal art colour scheme called “Mendoowoorrji” - has called into Hamilton Island Airport.

File photo taken by 'AC'  ©

On Sunday 26 October, VH-XZJ touched down as QFA866 and later departed back to Sydney as QFA867.

Meanwhile, also on Sunday 26 October, Brenzil Dassault Falcon 7X bizjet VH-CRW departed Hamilton Island for Brisbane after touching down at Hamo from there on Friday 24 October.

Finally, during the last week there was a maintenance issue with a QantasLink Dash-8-Q300 which caused a significant delay on a flight from Hamilton Island to Cairns.  On Thursday 23 October, VH-SBI operated the scheduled QLK2503 service into Hamo from Cairns, however it seemed to break down and did not depart back to Cairns.

VH-SBI  (File photo)

Later on Thursday 23 October. fellow Dash-8-Q300 VH-TQH ferried from Cairns to Hamilton Island and then departed back to Cairns as the (now) delayed QLK2504 service.

VH-SBI eventually ferried back to Cairns around midday on Friday 24 October.

SA-Based RFDS PC-12 VH-FGS - Air Link PA-31 Navajo VH-DVR - And Other Lighties Pass Through Longreach Airport

Over recent days there have been some interesting Queensland and interstate-based light aircraft and a helicopters to pass through Longreach Airport.  Perhaps the most interesting of these was Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) - Central Operations - Pilatus PC-12/45 VH-FGS.

bighugh / http://flightaware.com/

On Sunday 26 October, the South Australian-based PC-12 was noted flying from Innisfail home to Adelaide via Longreach - where it presumably called in for fuel.  VH-FGS had arrived into Townsville on Saturday 25 October from Port Augusta and departed Townsville early on Sunday for Innisfail.

Also on Sunday 26 October, Australian Helicopters Bell 412EP VH-PXY also called in briefly, touching down from Winton and departing to Emerald.

File photo

VH-PXY was later noted departing Emerald for Bundaberg and then Redcliffe where it presumably going to complete planned maintenance.  VH-PXY was noted using the radio callsign of "Rescue 920".

Calling into Longreach on Saturday 25 October was Air Link (of Dubbo in New South Wales) Piper PA-31-350 Navajo VH-DVR.

File photo

VH-DVR seemed to be ferrying back South to Dubbo after operating in Far North Queensland over the previous few days.  It originally ferried North on Wednesday 15 October.

On Friday 24 October, Piper PA-31-350 VH-KGE - which is registered and operated by a Victorian-based freight company - passed through Longreach on a flight South back to Victoria.  VH-KGE departed to Bourke after arriving from Townsville where it has spent the last month or so (presumably) undergoing maintenance.  I managed to capture VH-KGE on the ground at Townsville during my recent trip up North.

File photo

Finally, on Thursday 23 October, Toowoomba-based Wolff Aviation Hawker Beechcraft C90GTi VH-VWG was spotted on the ground at Longreach after arriving from Toowoomba.

Photo taken by 'AC'  ©

Photo taken by 'AC'  ©

The attractive little King Air departed back there later in the day.

Vincent Aviation (New Zealand) Placed into Receivership Too

Following on from the grounding and closure of Vincent Aviation Australia in May, the parent company, Wellington-based Vincent Aviation New Zealand, has now also been placed into receivership.

Vincent SAAB 340B ZK-VAB at Cairns  (Photo taken by the FNQ Skies Blog  ©)

See referring post from May 2014 - http://cqplanespotting.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/vincent-aviation-australia-grounded-and.html

The appointment of receivers for Vincent comes as a result of court proceedings starting last week by the owner of BAe 146-200 ZK-ECO which flew for Vincent Aviation and had been operating largely on Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) and other charter flights in Australia.

The collapse of the parent company has been largely blamed on the collapse in May of Vincent Aviation Australia which was based in Darwin but owned by Vincent Aviation in New Zealand.  The balance sheet from the Australian arm of the company showed its debts outweighed its assets by A$8.8 million.  The Australian business, although a subsidiary, was much larger than the New Zealand operation and the level of cost that had come back was difficult for the smaller New Zealand business to withstand, Vincent said.