Some Images and News from Flood Hit Bundaberg - Helicopters and RAAF Hercules and C-17A Globemaster at Bundaberg Airport

Over the course of Monday 28 January and Tuesday 29 January, as many as 14 helicopters have been involved in rescuing more than a thousand Bundaberg residents in the city's flood-ravaged North.

Australian Army Sikorsky S-70A-9 Blackhawk helicopters have been operating into the night using night vision equipment.

Other specialised rescue and civilian helicopters - including Emergency Management (EMQ) (State of Queensland) Bell 412EP VH-ESB (pictured below at Gladstone Airport) - have also been involved in the winching operations over Bundaberg.

The locally-based AGL Action Rescue Helicopter, along with Careflight Queensland Bell 412 and Aerospatiale AS.350BA Squirrel choppers have also been involved.  Careflight's pair of LearJet 45 aero-med bizjets VH-CXJ and VH-VVI have also been noted at Bundaberg Airport in support of the evacuation operations.

On Tuesday 29 January, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules A97-448 was involved with airlifting sick and elderly Bundaberg residents to Brisbane - a photo of A97-448 appears on the Brisbane Airport Blog HERE.

There are also unconfirmed reports that a RAAF Boeing C-17A Globemaster III also touched down at Bundaberg Airport late on Tuesday 29 January.

Other interesting visitors to Bundaberg Airport over the last couple of days have included:
- Virgin Australia (Skywest Airlines) ATR 72-600 VH-FVQ - only delivered a couple of days ago!
- Toll Aviation ATR 42-300 VH-TOX
- Queensland Government (State of Queensland) Raytheon Hawker 850XP VH-SGY
- Various Queensland Police Service (Air Wing) aircraft including Cessna 560 Citation Ultra bizjet VH-PSU, Raytheon 1900D VH-PSK, and Cessna 208 Caravan VH-PSY
- Skytrans Airlines Dash-8-100s VH-QQA, VH-QQI, and VH-QQK.

My hat goes off to all the men and women involved in all of the operations in Bundaberg in the wake of what is the worst flooding in Bundaberg ever.