Former Rockhampton Airport Based Aircraft to Leave Australia

From Mike C on the GA Long Haul News Blog, former Rockhampton-based Cessna 172P VH-DBG has recently departed Australia on delivery to an operator in Samoa.  VH-DBG was operated by Air Capricorn for some years out of Rockhampton Airport operating pilot training and general charter flights from the Air Capricorn hangar, which has now been taken over by Peace Aviation.

Now registered 5W-RJO, the little Cessna was noted arriving at the Gold Coast from Archerfield on Monday 27 August on the first leg of its delivery to Samoa Air.  A photo of 5W-RJO can be found HERE.

Meanwhile, another aircraft that has been based at Rockhampton Airport in the form of Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Beech B200 King Air VH-FDO, is set to depart Australia soon.

The now former-VH-FDO has recently completed a maintenance lay-up at Rockhampton Airport, and has been noted this week devoid of RFDS titles, sponsor stickers, and also its Australian registration markings. Word is that the aircraft will ferry out of Australia shortly in the colour scheme shown, and will maintain some of the aero-medical layout inside of the aircraft.  VH-FDO is reportedly bound for the United States of America (USA).

I'm told that the RFDS staff at the Rockhampton Airport base who used to fly in VH-FDO when it was based there are sad to see it go, as it is the last analogue B200 King Air in the RFDS fleet.  VH-FDO was also the original aircraft that the Rockhampton Airport base operated. It was manufactured in 1982 and was first registered in Australia in April 1995.