We arrived on beautiful Hamilton Island around 9am and after a brisk walk around to the Airport, I was in time to capture the first commercial visitor for the day in the form of QantasLink Dash-8-Q400 Next Gen VH-LQJ which operated the QLK2503/2504 service from and back to Cairns.
Meanwhile, some of the light aircraft involved in the Outback Air Race - which as posted below were parked on the far side of Hamilton Island Airport after arriving on Friday 4 September - started departing to various points around Queensland. The biggest aircraft involved in the Outback Air Race remained parked on the Eastern side of the Airport in the form of Tamworth-Based Eclipse EA500 bizjet N227G. It eventually departed home to Tamworth on Monday 7 September.
Locally-based scenic flight and transfer and charter operators Whitsunday Air Services and Hamilton Island Air had pretty much all of their aircraft and helicopters in the air operating flights around Hamilton Island and to other points further afield around the beautiful Whitsundays. Gippsland Aeronautics GA-8 Airvan VH-KIQ was spotted departing on one such scenic flight early on Saturday.
As were their Cessna 208FP Caravan VH-WTY and De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver Float Plane VH-ZDA.
Robinson R-44s VH-UXW and VH-TGZ. were also kept busy.
As was Bell 206L-3 VH-VTU.
And finally, their recently acquired Eurocopter EC120B Colibri VH-WII returned from a local flight and remained parked for most of the day.
One other interesting light aircraft to be spotted visiting Hamilton Island Airport on Saturday 4 September was West Wing Aviation Cessna 208 Caravan VH-XDU. The Caravan touched down from Townsville, and after dropping off some passengers, positioned across to the Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour where it was parked for the night. VH-XDU returned to Hamo on Sunday 5 September and later returned to Townsville.
But perhaps the most spectacular visitors into Hamilton Island Airport on Saturday 5 September were the Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) aircraft which called in from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. First to touch down was Qantas Airways Boeing B737-800 VH-VXN which operated the QFA866/867 service from and back to Sydney.
It was joined at Hamo by fellow Qantas B737-800 VH-XZD which was captured operating the QFA870/871 service from and back to Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport.
Also touching down at Hamo from Melbourne was Virgin Australia Boeing B737-800 VH-YFQ. It operating the VOZ1751/1754 service.
And making a spectacular debut into Central Queensland was Virgin Australia B737-800 VH-YFS "Sellicks Beach" which operated the VOZ1281/1282 service from and back to Sydney. It was the aircraft's second day of operations after arriving into Australia from the Boeing Factory in mid-August.
Finally, before I popped over to the 'resort side' of Hamilton Island for lunch, I captured QantasLink Dash-8-Q400 VH-QOB as it touched down operating the QLK2824/2825 service from and back to Brisbane.
I had a really enjoyable morning! And the weather was stunning! Certainly the Whitsundays at its finest!
No comments:
Post a Comment