Fugro LADS / Royal Australia Navy (RAN) Hydrography Dash-8-200 VH-LCL Also Arrives at Mackay Airport

Also arriving into Mackay Airport on Tuesday 3 October was the Fugro LADS Corporation / Surveillance Australia / Royal Australian Navy (RAN) LADS Hydrography Institute Dash-8-200 VH-LCL.

The heavily modified Dash-8-200 is usually based at Cairns Airport with Cobham Aviation but has reportedly come South to operate flights off the coast of Mackay for around three weeks.

VH-LCL is operated by Surveillance Australia for Fugro LADS Corporation on a multi-year lease to the Royal Australia Navy LADS Hydrography Institute. The 'LADS' (Laser Airborne Depth Sounding) system is an aircraft based hydrographic surveying system that measures the difference between the sea surface and the sea floor as calculated from the aircraft's altitude to generate hydrographic data. After operating overseas since it was delivered in late 1997, VH-LCL commenced operations with the RAN LADS Hydrography Institute in late 2009.

File photo taken by Tony Haynes  ©