A Saturday Double Treat at Rockhampton Airport - RAAF Challenger 604 Bizjet and Army Kiowa Helicopters

On Saturday 6 April, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Canadair CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 A37-002, which is operated by the VIP 34 Squadron in Canberra, was noted at Rockhampton Airport.  Ben O happened to be driving past and called in for a quick photo.

However, while he was there, an even bigger surprise greeted him in the form of six Australian Army Commonwealth CA-32 (Bell 206B/OH-58A) Kiowa helicopters.

As can be seen, they were (unfortunately) parked in a spot not really useful for plane spotters, so Ben has done an excellent job to capture these images.

He reports that the six choppers left Rockhampton Airport in two groups of three - heading North.  As the second group departed, he noted two serials - A17-046 and A17-014.

Lets's hope all the military aviation action seen today and this week at Rockhampton Airport is a pre-cursor to what enthusiasts could see during the upcoming exercises being held in the nearby Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) - most notably Talisman Saber 2013.

Meanwhile, fellow spotter 'IAD' ventured to Rockhampton Airport a little later on Saturday 6 April, and captured a great study of the RAAF Challenger 604 bizjet A37-002.

It was noted departing later in the afternoon for Brisbane as "Envoy 50".

Thanks guys!

Photos taken by Ben O'Dowd and ‘IAD’  ©