Monday, April 30, 2012

Aero Professional Services - Aerial Agriculture Services - in Emerald

Aero Professional Services is an aerial agriculture company based near Emerald. Aero Professional Services was established in 1997 by aviator Hedley Watt, and the company prides itself on providing high quality aerial application services throughout the Central Queensland region.

From their WEBSITE, current aerial agriculture application services provided by Aero Professional Services include:

- Spraying
- Seeding
- Aerial photography - low level filming, still and motion
- Spreading - includes baiting
- Graslan* application
- Surveys - property surveys and inspections

Aero Professional Services also provides comprehensive aircraft engineering services at its base which is currently located approximately 5kms outside Emerald on the Selma Road, which can be accessed from the Capricorn Highway which heads towards Longreach.

CQ Plane Spotting was fortunate enough to recently visit the Aero Professional Services base, and was even lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the Aero Professional Services air fleet, of which all but one of their aircraft were able to be photographed.


On the flight line near the office at the Slema Road Airstrip we found five of their current aerial agriculture and spraying fleet.

First aircraft was Ayres S2R-G10 Turbo Thursh VH-XAJ.




Ayres S2R-G6 VH-CMY wearing a nice green and yellow colour scheme was also present.


Aero Professional Service's Air Tractor AT-301 VH-NCB has recently been refurbished and repainted.



One of two recently acquired - and strikingly coloured - Air Tractor AT-802 aircraft in the form of VH-EDG was last in the flight line.


Parked nearby was one of the older aircraft that Aero Professional Services operates in the form of another Ayres S2R-G10 VH-NFZ. This particular aircraft has also recently been noted fighting bushfires around Rockhampton - see CQ Plane Spotting Blog Post HERE - a task that Aero Professional Services are increasing being contracted to complete.


Away from the Aero Professional Services flight line, the access road to the airstrip passes by a house and attached hangar where some of Aero Professional Services' other aircraft were spotted receiving attention.

Here I found the other Air Tractor AT-802 - VH-EOG - which Aero Professional Services has recently acquired.



It was parked outside the hangar, which contained two other aircraft that Hedley flys himself and that Aero Professional Services uses to fly other workers to various towns and sites around Queensland.

Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftan VH-RPV - which has been seen by me several times around Emerald over the years that I have lived in Central Queensland.



Also noted was Beech 95 VH-WSW.



We would like to sincerely thank Hedley Watt and the Aero Professional Services team for their kind hospitality on the day of our visit. Hedley and the team can be contacted directly by phone on: (07) 4987 5777 or 0429 491 556, or by fax on: (07) 4982 3722. Alternatively, Hedley can be contacted directly via email HERE.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Photo of Brazilian Dassault Falcon 7X PR-DNZ at Hamilton Island Airport

Brazilian registered Dassault Falcon 7X PR-DNZ arrived into Hamilton Island Airport on Friday 27 April from Sydney.


Jimi L received this image from a friend!  Thanks Jimi!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Brazilian BizJet Arrives into Hamilton Island Airport Friday

Brazilian registered Dassault Falcon 7X PR-DNZ arrived into Hamilton Island Airport on Friday 27 April from Sydney.

Another bizjet - Raytheon Beechjet 400A VH-IPG - of Business Aviation Solutions - which is still at Hamilton Island Airport after arriving on Monday 23 April - will reportedly depart to the South on Saturday 28 April.

Lastly, Island Air Gippsland Aeronautics (GippsAero) GA-8 Air Van, VH-KIQ, which usually operates from Mackay Airport flying transfers to nearby Keswick Island, was noted at Hamilton Island Airport also on Friday 27 April.


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Clermont Aerodrome on Wednesday

Arriving mid-afternoon on Wednesday 25 April at Clermont Aerodrome was Skytrans Airlines Dash-8-300 VH-QQN. It is pictured parked for the afternoon after arriving on a fly-in fly-out (FIFO) charter.  I think I even spotted the crew receiving a tour of the town of Clermont!



VH-QQN departed later in the early evening.

Arriving into Clermont Aerodrome on FIFO duties later that night were Advance Aviation Piper PA-31-350 Navajo VH-BCQ and then Skytrans Airlines Dash-8-100 VH-QQK.



VH-BCQ departed for Mackay, while VH-QQK departed back to Brisbane.

Mid Week Plane Spotting at Rockhampton and Gladstone Airports

After starting their day on Tuesday 24 April at Rockhampton Airport, one local spotter took the drive to Gladstone and was most impressed with the look and the action at Gladstone Airport! Before leaving Rockhampton though, they spotted QantasLink (Sunstate Airlines) Dash-8-Q400 VH-QOW in Taronga Dubbo Zoo colours.



At Gladstone Airport, a pair of HeliReef / Aviation Tourism Australia Bell 206 helicopters were photographed waiting for thier next flights out to the neighbouring islands.  Pictured is VH-CKP and VH-CKT.




Also spotted arriving from Brisbane was QantasLink Dash-8-Q400 VH-QON.


Certainly a great days spotting, but unfortunately there is the forecast of inclement weather on the horizon..

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Aerotor Aircraft Maintenance at Gladstone Airport - Revisited!


Recently, we revisited Aerotor at Gladstone Airport -  in between plane spotting opportunities of course! - to see what was happening and to our surprise, he stumbled upon a bit of 'maintenance action'.  Aerotor's owner, Ron, was certainly busy, as he stated when we first visited him a couple of months ago - see blog post HERE.

Today, Ron and his young apprentice were busy carrying out a 100hr service on a 1980-build Cessna 210N from Blackwater, registered VH-JSC.  The owner of the plane (John) was also present, and can be seen keenly observing the action!

After asking some questions, we discovered that a 100hr service usually takes Ron between 2-3 days, depending what needs to be done, which obviously varies, and doesn't take into account any faults that require attention.

Another project Ron had 'on-the-go' was a complete engine and propeller change-out on a 1980-build Cessna U206G registered VH-EED.  This task will take him and his young apprentice about 3 days to complete.

The complete engine change-out requirement for 'Continental' engines used in this type of aircraft is 1700hrs.

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Demonstrator Aircraft Passes Through Longreach Airport Wednesday


One late-breaking Cessna 208 Caravan to mention (see other post below), is Cessna Demonstrator Aircraft N341GC which passed through Longreach Airport on Wednesday 25 April on its ferry flight out of Australia.

Grand Caravan N341GC arrived from the Sunshine Coast and after taking fuel, departed to Burketown and Darwin and onwards.

Cessna Caravans and Citation Bizjets Galore at Central Queensland Airports Over the Past Few Days

Over the last few days, there has been a number of Cessna type aircraft and bizjets noted flying all over Central Queensland.

Late on Monday 23 April, a pair of Cessna 208 Caravans that are used for Skydiving passed through Mackay Airport.  Both aircraft are owned by the same company, although were operating at different ends of the state.


One of the aircraft - VH-DZQ - which is pictured above in Cairns in 2010 - was noted heading South through Mackay to Toowoomba, while sistership - VH-DZZ - was noted heading to Cairns.

Another pair of Cessna 208 Caravans - this time Seair aircraft VH-LMD and VH-LMZ were noted flying into Moranbah Airport on Tuesday 24 April.


Several Cessna Citation bizjets have also been noted flying in Central Queensland over the last few days as well.

On Saturday 21 April, a pair of Cessna 525 Citation bizjets were noted flying in and out of Hamilton Island Airport.  Citation CJ1 VH-KXL and Citation CJ2 VH-RJB, which are both operated by Edwards Coaches of Armidale.  Also, Business Aviation Solutions Cessna 750 Citation X VH-RCA was noted departing Hamilton Island Airport on Tuesday 24 April for Sydney.  It had arrived at Hamilton Island over the weekend.

Now a regular visitor to Central Queensland, Bond Air Charters Cessna 525 Citation CJ2 VH-MOR was noted also at Moranbah Airport on Tuesday 24 April.

As mentioned in a previous post, Rockhampton-based JMK Project Builders Cessna 550 Citation II flew from Rockhampton and Gladstone and return on Sunday 22 April.  VH-JMK has since repeated this pattern and flown to Gladstone and back to Rockhampton both on Monday 23 April and Tuesday 24 April.


Lastly, noted at Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour over the weekend, Cessna 525 Citation CJ1 VH-TFW was noted departing on Tuesday 24 April back to its homebase of Adelaide.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Advance Aviation Movements and Others at Emerald Airport on Monday

A busy afternoon at Emerald Airport on Monday 23 April, especially for Advance Aviation where almost its entire fleet flew in from all over Central Queensland.



Piper PA-31s VH-FWJ and VH-XLB both arrived from Dysart and Bundaberg.




VH-XLB is a recent acquisition for the Advance Aviation fleet and as night fell, it departed to Archerfield.  


Also during the afternoon, PA-31s VH-BCQ and VH-LWW both arrived from Dysart and Hervey Bay.




VH-LWW actually carried cargo from Dysart and was noted on the Emerald Airport freight apron along with Advance Aviation's Cessna 210 VH-TQC, which arrived from Barcaldine and Longreach, and Beech 58 Baron VH-FLZ, which arrived from Mackay.


These aircraft met the Toll Aviation Metro III VH-UZP which departed to Thangool as TFX111.  It is interesting the note that VH-UZP is the only Metro in the Toll fleet to be repainted in Toll's new colours.


I think it looks quite nice - especially in the afternoon sun!

During the afternoon, Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-FWI arrived as UTY4580 on a fly-in fly-out (FIFO) charter from Brisbane.


It later departed back to Brisbane - empty - as UTY4581.



Later, Barrier Aviation Cessna 402 VH-THX arrived from and departed to Innisfail.  This is now becoming a weekly FIFO flight.


Also, Regional Express (REX) SAAB 340B VH-RXS arrived from Brisbane, also operating a FIFO flight.



Lastly, I noted Virgin Australia (Skywest Airlines-operated) ATR 72-500 VH-FVL preparing to depart on the evening service from Emerald to Brisbane.


One last photo I took shows a rather unique way of 'towing' light aircraft to the fuel bowser!


All up a very enjoyable afternoon and evening of plane spotting!