Gulf Coast Aviation Cessna 510 Citation Mustang Bizjet VH-KXM - And a Trio of Pilatus PC-12s - At Longreach Airport Recently

On Monday 30 November, Gulf Coast Aviation Cessna 510 Citation Mustang bizjet VH-KXM passed through Longreach Airport while flying South from Vanrook Station near Normanton to Bankstown. 

File photo taken by 'IAD'  ©

VH-KXM had flown North from Bankstown to Normanton via Longreach Airport the previous week on Tuesday 24 November.

Meanwhile, it was interesting to note that over the course of last Friday 20 November and last Saturday 21 November, three various Pilatus PC-12 corporate turboprop aircraft called into Longreach Airport. 

Simon Coates / http://flightaware.com/

On Friday, Brisbane-based Pilatus PC-12/47E VH-AAD called into Longreach from Darwin and Brunette Downs in the Northern Territory, before later departing to Brisbane and Archerfield, while on Saturday, PC-12/47E VH-FMM and Pilatus PC-12/47E VH-BEV (pictured above) both arrived in quick succession from arrived from Hicks Island and Lockhart River in Far North Queensland.  Both later departed to Adelaide.

Of interest, on Sunday 22 November, Agile Aviation (of South Australia) Pilatus PC-12/47E VH-TCP called in down the road at Barcaldine Airport from Adelaide and Melbourne (Avalon) Airport.  It departed back to Avalon and Melbourne (Essendon) on Tuesday 24 November.

Finally, Sabstall Beech B200 King Air VH-NME has operated into Longreach Airport on Saturday 28 November and Sunday 22 November on what appears to be continuing Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) flights from the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport to Cloncurry.

Jetstar Airways Airbus A320 VH-VQG in Snoopy / 'The Peanuts Movie' Colours Visits Hamilton Island Airport on First Day of Flying!

Certainly a great surprise to see Jetstar Airways Airbus A320 VH-VQG call into Hamilton Island Airport on Monday 30 November on the same day that it was unveiled in a special livery promoting the upcoming release of 'Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie'.

https://www.instagram.com/mel_c76/

The livery features the popular 'Peanuts' cartoon characters of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and others on the fuselage, and Woodstock on the tail of VH-VQG, which called into Hamilton Island Airport operating the JST846/849 service from and back to Sydney.

The movie premiers in Australia on New Year’s Day 2016.

Queensland Police Service (Airwing) Raytheon B1900D VH-PSK Repainted and Spotted at Rockhampton Airport Monday

After being offline since mid-October, the Queensland Police Service (Airwing) Raytheon B1900D VH-PSK has been spotted back in service at Rockhampton Airport on Monday 30 November wearing a slightly modified livery!

Local plane spotter Kayanne H was at the right place at the right time to capture some first photos of the new-look VH-PSK as it arrived at Rockhampton Airport on the first of two visits during a busy day of flying which started and finished back in Cairns.

VH-PSK was also noted calling into Townsville, Mackay and Brisbane Airports on Monday 30 November.

Certainly a different look - and a little more corporate and sleek looking in my opinion.

VH-PSK in its old colours in 2014

Thanks to Kayanne for taking the time to capture and send through these great first photos!

All photos taken by Kayanne Hardsman  ©

Lovely Photos as Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124 RA-82047 Departs Rockhampton Airport Sunday Night

Under gloomy skies with storms looming up from the West, the Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100 RA-82047 departed Rockhampton Airport late on Sunday 29 November for Darwin and Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore as VDA1496.

Local plane spotters Kayanne H and Scott H were on hand and send through some great photos as the giant Russian freighter prepared for departure.

RA-82047 had earlier been loaded with the two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Boeing CH-47SD Chinook helicopters that had been flying around from Rockhampton Airport and 'Warriors Camp' to the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) over the last couple of months during the Singapore Armed Force's Exercise Wallaby 2015.  Clint and Emma visiting from Dingo shared these two photos of the loading process.

With the Antonov gone, this sees the final aircraft movement associated with Exercise Wallaby 2015.  We look forward to the RSAF helicopter and heavy passenger and freight jet aircraft action returning to Rockhampton Airport again in 2016!

Sincere thanks to Scott and Kayanne, along with Clint and Emma, for taking the time to capture and send through these great photos!

Photos taken by Scott Harris, Kayanne Hardsman and Clint and Emma  ©

Avcair LearJet 60 Bizjet VH-XPN Calls into Hamilton Island Airport Sunday - Plus More!

Noted arriving into Hamilton Island Airport early on Sunday 29 November was Brisbane-based LearJet 60 VH-XPN of Avcair (Norris Aviation).

File photo taken by 'AC'  ©

At the time of writing, it has already departed back to its Brisbane base early on Monday 30 November.

Also on Sunday 29 November, Virgin Australia Boeing B737-800 VH-YVA operated a charter flight into Hamilton Island Airport from Sydney as VOZ9005.  It then positioned empty back to Brisbane as VOZ9904.

There is speculation that this charter flight was associated with the imminent arrival of American superstar singer Taylor Swift into Hamilton Island sometime over the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, a couple of other corporate aircraft to call into Hamo over a pretty quiet couple of weeks included Balmoral Air Dassault Falcon 2000LX bizjet VH-WIO which touched down last Thursday 26 November from Bankstown.  It departed back there on Friday 27 November.

And Alizzi Aviation Beech B200 King Air VH-ZOS arrived from its Ballarat (Victoria) base on Friday 20 November after a four-and-three-quarter hour long flight.  It returned to Ballarat on Thursday 26 November.

Finally, a couple of interesting light General Aviation (GA) aircraft to call into Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport in recent weeks included another Victorian visitor in the form of Melbourne Flight Training (Airflite) Piper PA-44-180 Seminole VH-KZN.

Over the course of Saturday 21 November to Wednesday 25 November, VH-KZN flew from its Melbourne (Moorabbin) base to Bankstown and onward to Moree, Roma and Proserpine before returning over the same path but for a stop in Mackay.

Finally, a couple of ferry flights I've noted through the Proserpine, along with Mackay and Roma, have involved Australian Skydive Cessna 208 Caravans VH-ZMV and VH-YMV.

VH-ZMV at Tully  (Simon Coates / http://flightaware.com/)

VH-ZMV was noted flying North to Cairns from Lake Macquarie Airport via Coffs Harbour, Tyagarah, Mackay and Proserpine late on Sunday 22 November.  It has now since taken up 'residence' at Tully where it is operating parachute jump flights each day.  It replaced VH-YMV which departed Tully for Roma, Coffs Harbour and the Illawarra Regional Airport at Wollongong on Monday 23 November.

Also Spotted at Rockhampton Airport over the Weekend - Rockwell Thrush VH-THR - Super King Air N841KA

While they were at Rockhampton Airport over the weekend, local plane spotters Kayanne H and Trevor H captured a few photos of a couple of other interesting aircraft to visit the beef capital over the course of Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November.

One of the most interesting aircraft captured was 1973-built Rockwell International (now Ayres) S-2R Thursh crop-spraying aircraft VH-THR of MKM Aviation of Atherton in Far North Queensland.

The bright orange livery on VH-THR reminded me and a couple others of the character on the Disney movie "Planes" 'Dutsy Crophopper'.

Calling into Rockhampton Airport on Saturday 28 November was Hawker Beechcraft 350i Super King Air N841KA.

File photo taken by 'IAD'  ©

It was scheduled to perform an aerial survey flight early on Sunday 29 November before it eventually returned South to Brisbane.

Finally, Kayanne captured a couple of photos of Bell 206L-1 VH-JGO.

The brightly coloured Bell LongRanger looks to have taken up residence at Rockhampton Airport possibly with Stirling Helicopters.  It is currently registered to an operator at Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.

Thanks to Kayanne and Trevor for taking the time to capture and send through these great photos!

Photos taken by Kayanne Hardsman and Trevor Hardsman  ©

RAAF Challenger 604 Bizjet A37-003 Calls into Maryborough Airport Sunday

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Canadair CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 bizjet A37-003 of the VIP 34 Squadron in Canberra was noted calling into Maryborough Airport from the South during the afternoon on Sunday 29 November.

File photo taken by 'IAD'  ©

A37-003 - flying as "Wisdom 58" - departed back to the South a short time later.

I presume it collected local member of Federal Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss to return him to Canberra for this final sitting week.

Some Photos from the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Community Open Day at Rockhampton Airport Saturday

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) local base at Rockhampton Airport, in conjunction with one of their commercial sponsors Ergon Energy, held a Community Open Day at the Rocky RFDS Base on Saturday 28 November.

The Open Day was to celebrate the remarkable achievement that before the end of November Ergon Energy Retail customers will have donated $10 million to the RFDS in Queensland since the donation scheme partnership commenced in 2000.

Local plane spotters Kayanne H and Trevor H ventured out to the Open Day at the RFDS hangar and base at Rockhampton Airport on Saturday 28 November and captured some great photos of some of the day's events.

There were presentations and a cake cutting to commemorate the remarkable donation achievement.

RFDS Hawker Beechcraft B200 King Air VH-FDI "FlyDoc467" was on display and open for inspection - including the main cabin and flightdeck.

There was a patient loading demonstration.

And the Rockhampton Airport Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service brought one of their tenders over to demonstrate its fire fighting capabilities.

Sadly for visitors to the hangar, VH-FDI was tasked on a medical retrieval flight and was promptly prepared and rolled out of the hangar for a flight to Gladstone and Brisbane.

There were other activities for the kids including face painting and finally a sausage sizzle for guests to enjoy some lunch!

Finally, Trevor ventured outside of the RFDS hangar and spotted another pair of RFDS King Air aircraft awaiting their next missions - Raytheon B200 King Air VH-FDW and Hawker Beechcraft B200 VH-FDM which was undergoing maintenance to its starboard side engine.

What a great morning at Rockhampton Airport, and what a great set of photos captured by Kayanne and Trevor!  Sincere thanks to both of them for taking the time to send them through!

Photos and video taken by Kayanne Hardsman and Trevor Hardsman  ©