LifeFlight (Aeromed) Canadair Challenger 604 Bizjet VH-OFA "Ambulance 614" Pops into Mackay Airport

On Thursday 30 April, LifeFlight (Aeromed) Canadair CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 bizjet VH-OFA "Ambulance 614" was noted visiting Mackay Airport.  The recently acquired Challenger 604 looked to arrive from Brisbane and later depart to Cairns.

VH-OFA "Ambulance 614" at Rockhampton Airport recently  (File photo)

VH-OFA then returned to the capital.

As mentioned below, VH-OFA is one of three air ambulance jets that LifeFlight (Aeromed) have recently acquired that were previously operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) VIP 34 Squadron.  Of interest, VH-OFA previously wore the military serial A37-001 and was a frequent visitor to CQ Airports - see Blog post below for more.

Of interest, VH-OFA has joined the RACQ LifeFlight fleet to airlift suspected or confirmed Coronavirus and other patients, from Queensland regional centres, under an upgraded deal signed off by the Queensland State Government recently.  It appears to join fellow Challenger 604 VH-URR "Ambulance 604" and LearJet 45 VH-VVI "Ambulance 451" as a part of the deal.

Photo taken by ‘AC’  ©

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-212 Spotted at Rockhampton Airport

On Thursday 30 April, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-206 was spotted completing a missed approach at Rockhampton Airport.  It appears that the Globemaster earlier departed from RAAF Base Amberley and completed a missed approach at Brisbane Airport before heading North to Rocky.

After completing the missed approach at Rockhampton Airport, A41-212, which was flying as "Stallion 37", then returned to Amberley.

Sincere thanks to local plane spotters Kayanne H and Michael M who were at the right places at the right time to capture these great photos of the Globemaster!

Photos taken by Kayanne Hardsman and Michael Malick  ©️

Avcair (Avgunn) LearJet 60 Bizjet VH-ILJ Pops into Rockhampton Airport

On Thursday 30 April, Avcair (Avgunn) LearJet 60 bizjet VH-ILJ was noted arriving into Rockhampton Airport from Townsville.  It had earlier flown into Far North Queensland from Brisbane.

File photo

After a short time on the ground, VH-ILJ then returned to the capital.

Meanwhile, also on Thursday 30 April, Tisdall Aviation (Flight One) Beech 58 Baron VH-PRG was also noted visiting Rockhampton Airport.  It looked to arrive from and later depart back to its Archerfield base.

Finally, during the afternoon, also on Thursday 30 April, Brisbane-based Bishopp Aviation SOCATA TBM-700 VH-VSV was also noted visiting Rockhampton Airport from its Archerfield base.

Photo taken by Scott Harris  ©️

Brisbane-based Cessna 525A CitationJet2 bizjet VH-MOR Pops into Charters Towers Aerodrome

Interesting to note that on Wednesday 29 April, Brisbane-based Cessna 525A CitationJet2 bizjet VH-MOR was noted arriving into Charters Towers Aerodrome.  It looked to arrive from its Archerfield base via Townsville.

File photo

After spending the night parked, VH-MOR departed Charters Towers Aerodrome early on Thursday 30 April bound for Archerfield.

Meanwhile, last Tuesday 22 April, it was interesting to note that for the second week in-a-row, CJ Aerospace (Altitude Aviation) Raytheon B200 King Air VH-EEL arrived into Charters Towers Aerodrome from its Archerfield base via the Sunshine Coast and Townsville.

It returned to the Sunshine Coast and Archerfield on Wednesday 23 April.

Perhaps these flights are linked?

Brisbane-based Cessna 560 Citation V Encore Bizjet VH-ACC Pops into Biloela / Thangool Airport - Plus More!

On Wednesday 29 April, Australian Country Choice Properties (Brisbane) Cessna 560 Citation V Encore bizjet VH-ACC was noted arriving into Biloela / Thangool Airport from Archerfield.  It then departed and continued North a property near Lotus Creek.

File photo

After some time on the ground, VH-ACC then returned to Thangool Airport before heading 'home' to Archerfield.

Also visiting Biloela / Thangool Airport yet again this week - as it has done each of the last three weeks - was BPW Aviation (of Scone in New South Wales) Beech 58 Baron VH-SQC which touched down from Scone and Maitland on Tuesday 28 April.

After staying for the night, VH-SQC returned South to Maitland, Scone and Tamworth on Wednesday 29 April.

Meanwhile, also on Wednesday 29 April, Vanderfield Pilatus PC-12/47 VH-WPH was noted flying up from its Toowoomba and looked to land at 'Coolibah' near Emerald.  It then popped over to Emerald Airport before later returning to Toowoomba,

Finally, across at Rockhampton Airport, also on Wednesday 29 April, Seair Pacific / Istlecote DHC-6-100 Twin Otter VH-ZKF arrived into Rockhampton Airport from the Gold Coast and Brisbane before it then departed to Collinsville Aerodrome and Townsville.  It later returned to Collinsville Aerodrome and Rockhampton Airport before heading 'home' to the Gold Coast via Brisbane.

While, also on Wednesday 29 April, Air Gold Coast Beech 58 Baron VH-YDC looked to arrive into Rockhampton Airport from Townsville.  It later departed to Archerfield and then the Gold Coast.  VH-YDC had flown North to Townsville from the Gold Coast and Archerfield the previous day.  It also looks to have completed the same pattern of flying last week too!

Photo taken by James Kirk  ©

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-206 Spotted Doing a Missed Approach at Rockhampton Airport

On Wednesday 29 April, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-206 was spotted completing a missed approach at Rockhampton Airport.

It appears that the Globemaster earlier departed from RAAF Base Amberley and met up with and completed exercises off the coast of Brisbane with RAAF Airbus A330-203 / KC-30A (MRTT) refuelling aircraft A39-002 "Thumper 11" and A39-004 "Thumper 12".

After completing the air-to-air refuelling exercise, A41-206, which was flying as "Stallion 34" then flew North to complete the airwork at Rockhampton Airport.  It then returned to Amberley.

Sincere thanks to local plane spotter Kayanne H who was at the right places at the right time to capture these great photos of the Globemaster!

All photos taken by Kayanne Hardsman  ©️

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Airbus A330-203 / KC-30A (MRTT) A39-004 Missed Approach at Rockhampton Airport

On Tuesday 28 April, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Airbus A330-200 / KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) A39-004 was spotted as it completed a missed approach at Rockhampton Airport.

The MRTT had originally departed from RAAF Base Amberley and flew all the way up to Townsville where it landed for a short time.  A39-004 then flew back South via the airwork at Rockhampton Airport and then onwards back to Amberley.

A39-004 was heard to be using the radio callsign of "Dragon 55".

Of interest, this was only the second time we've sighted A39-004 in Central Queensland since its recent re-paint.

On their entry to RAAF service, the KC-30A fleet initially carried a ‘low-visibility’ grey colour scheme brought over from the predecessor Boeing B707 Tanker Transports. This included the aircraft’s identification numbers, emergency markings, RAAF roundels and squadron insignia being applied in blue grey paint.

Difficulty with identifying individual KC-30As on the tarmac and in the air will see the existing blue-grey markings swapped with dark grey markings that have higher contrast with the light grey applied to the rest of the aircraft.

The first KC-30A to receive these new markings was A39-004 which returned to Australia from its repaint in mid-January, with the dark grey markings to be applied on each KC-30A as it comes due for scheduled repainting.

It certainly makes it a lot easier for us plane spotters to identify the KC-30A with a repaint program applying dark grey markings to the aircraft.

Sincere thanks to local plane spotter Scott H who was at the right place at the right time to capture these great photos!

All photos taken by Scott Harris  ©️

Wagga Air Centre (Mabena) SOCATA TBM-850 VH-PVM Spotted at Mackay Airport - Plus More!

Early on Tuesday 28 April, Wagga Air Centre (Mabena) SOCATA TBM-850 VH-PVM was spotted touching down at Mackay Airport after flying up in the wee small hours from Wagga Wagga and Narrandera.

After spending most of the day on the ground, in the late afternoon, VH-PVM then returned South to Narrandera and Wagga Wagga.

For its flights, VH-PVM was heard to be using the radio callsign of "Wagga Air 669".

Also on Tuesday 28 April, Brisbane-based Bishopp Aviation SOCATA TBM-700 VH-VSV was noted visiting Bundaberg Airport from its Archerfield base.

UPDATE!  On Thursday 30 April, VH-VSV visited Rockhampton Airport also from its Archerfield base.

Finally, also on Tuesday 28 April, FKG Air (Redjet Aviation) Hawker Beechcraft B200GT King Air VH-FKB was back in the region yet again flying into Williamson Airfield within the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) directly from Toowoomba.  It then made the short hop down to Rockhampton Airport before then returning to Toowoomba.  VH-FKB then completed a return flight to Emerald Airport and back to Toowoomba.

UPDATE!  VH-FKB was back at Williamson Airfield, and also Mackay Airport, on Wednesday 29 April.  It also returned to Mackay Airport, flying from and back to its Toowoomba base on Friday 1 May.

Photo taken by 'JM'  ©

A Few Corporate Air SAAB 340B Charter Flights Again Around CQ Airports This Week as RPT Services to Biloela / Thangool Airport Resume

In a small piece of good news for the Central Queensland region during this current Coronavirus crisis, it was announced last week that Fly Corporate (Corporate Air) will resume Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) on a limited basis including flights to and from Biloela / Thangool Airport.

From Monday 4 May, the airline will operate two return flights per week from Brisbane on a Wednesday and Friday.

Fly Corporate has entered into a Grant Agreement with the Federal Government to provide a minimum weekly schedule from Monday 4 May to the regional ports it serviced prior to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The grant is provided under the COVID-19 Regional Airline Network Support (RANS) program announced by the Federal Government which was established to ensure secure and affordable access for passengers who need to travel and to support the movement of essential freight such as critical medicine and personal protective equipment.

Meanwhile, so far this week it's been interesting to note several closed charter flights have again operated into Central Queensland Airports by Fly Corporate (Corporate Air).

As mentioned below, at the start of the week on Monday 27 April, SAAB 340B+ (WT) VH-VEP looked to arrive from Brisbane on a closed Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flight.  VH-VEP then departed Emerald Airport to Mackay Airport before it then returned to Brisbane.

While SAAB 340B VH-VEM was also in the region also on Monday 27 April, calling into Longreach Airport from Brisbane.  It then continued to Mount Isa.

VH-VEM returned to Brisbane from Mount Isa and Longreach Airport on Tuesday 28 April.

While also during the afternoon, also on Tuesday 28 April, SAAB 340B VH-VEO, along with Metro 23 VH-VET, both looked to touch down at Rockhampton Airport from Brisbane.  They both continued to Middlemount Aerodrome before then later returning to Brisbane.

While SAAB 340B VH-VEP touched down at Emerald Airport from Brisbane and looked to be spendng the night.

UPDATE!  Indeed VH-VEP returned to Brisbane from Emerald Airport early on Wednesday 29 April.

Regional Express (REX) SAAB 340B VH-ZLH Calls into Emerald Airport - Twice!

On Tuesday 28 April, Regional Express (REX) SAAB 340B VH-ZLH was noted arriving into Emerald Airport from Brisbane on what looked to be a closed charter flight on behalf of Pel-Air Express as PFY9872.

Grahame Bann / https://www.flickr.com/

It then returned to Brisbane but as PFY9273.

UPDATE!  On Wednesday 29 April, VH-ZLH was noted back at Emerald Airport, again on a closed charter flight.  This time, it looked to arrive from Brisbane as PFY9272 and later return there as PFY9873.

Mackellar Mining Equipment / Flight Options (Australia) Cessna 560 Citation Ultra Bizjet VH-MMC Calls into Emerald Airport – Plus More! - Plus More!

On Monday 27 April, the familiar sight of Mackellar Mining Equipment / Flight Options (Australia) Cessna 560 Citation Ultra bizjet VH-MMC was back in Central Queensland with the sleek Citation noted visiting Emerald Airport.

File photo

As with most of its other visits, it arrived from and later returned back to its Sunshine Coast base.

Meanwhile, also noted visiting Emerald Airport, also on Monday 27 April, was Fly Corporate (Corporate Air) SAAB 340B+ (WT) VH-VEP which looked to arrive from Brisbane on a closed Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flight.  VH-VEP then departed Emerald Airport to Mackay Airport before it then returned to Brisbane.

Fellow Corporate Air SAAB 340B VH-VEM was also in the region also on Monday 27 April, calling into Longreach Airport from Brisbane.  It then departed to Mount Isa.

UPDATE!  It appears that VH-VEM returned to Brisbane from Mount Isa and Longreach Airport on Tuesday 28 April.

On the lighter side of the General Aviation (GA) aircraft movements, also on Monday 27 April, Brescon Beech B200 King Air VH-WXN was also noted visiting Emerald Airport.  It looked to arrive from the Toowoomba-Wellcamp Airport and later depart to Cloncurry before then returning to Wellcamp.

While Austrek Aviation Beech B200 King Air VH-WXO was noted visiting Rockhampton Airport from Toowoomba and Archerfield.  It later returned directly to Toowoomba.

UPDATE!  VH-WXO visited Rockhampton Airport once again on Friday 1 May, again arriving from and later departing back to Toowoomba.

Finally, during the afternoon, also on Monday 27 April, FKG Air (Redjet Aviation) Hawker Beechcraft B200GT VH-FKB was noted arriving into Rockhampton Airport from Toowoomba and Archerfield.  It then departed directly back to Toowoomba.

Photo taken by 'AC'  ©

Great Photos as Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-207 Completes a Missed Approach at Rockhampton Airport

On Monday 27 April, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-207 was spotted completing a missed approach and low overshoot at Rockhampton Airport.  It was heard to be flying as "Stallion 30" and arrived in the area after completing airwork at the Sunshine Coast.

A41-207 then flew to RAAF Base Amberley.

It appears that the Globemaster earlier departed from RAAF Base Amberley and met up with and completed exercises off the coast of Brisbane with fellow RAAF C-17A Globemaster A41-209 "Stallion 26", along with RAAF Airbus A330-203 / KC-30A (MRTT) refuelling aircraft A39-003 "Dragon 67" and A39-002 "Dragon 70".

Of interest, A41-209 "Stallion 26" was also to complete airwork at Rockhampton Airport but instead flew up to Townsville and then directly back to Amberley, reportedly with a minor technical issue.

Of further interest, after dark also on Monday 27 April, two more C-17A Globemasters - A41-212 "Stallion 27" and A41-209 "Stallion 31" - and two more KC-30A MRTT aircraft - A39-003 "Dragon 53" and A39-001 "Dragon 09" - were all back in the air and again completing refuelling exercises off the coast of Brisbane.

Sincere thanks to local plane spotter Scott H who was at the right place at the right time to capture these great photos!

All photos taken by Scott Harris  ©️

Nauru Airlines Boeing B737-300 VH-YNU Pops into Mackay Airport After Sistership VH-PNI Returns to Brisbane Enroute!

Interesting to note that on Monday 27 April, the third and final of three planned visits by Nauru Airlines Boeing B737-300 aircraft on closed charter flights into Mackay Airport from Brisbane had a bit of a drama with two attempts to complete the inbound flight from the capital.

Nauru Airlines B737-300 VH-PNI originally departed Brisbane for Mackay Airport as RON938 but encountered a problem and returned to Brisbane around 50 minutes after departure.

Sistership VH-YNU then later departed Brisbane Airport also bound for Mackay Airport also as RON938 with it touching down in the sugar city around sunset.

The colourful little Boeing then returned to Brisbane soon after as RON939.

Of interest, VH-YNU operated the first of the three charter flights last Tuesday 21 April (as shown) with VH-PNI operating the second charter flight on Friday 24 April.

Great to see a bit colour in the region!

Photo taken by 'AC'  ©

Eighth Qantas / QantasLink (Cobham Aviation) Boeing B717-200 VH-YQT in New 'Silver-Roo' Colours Returns to Australia but Gets Stored!

This week, on Thursday 16 April, QantasLink (Cobham Aviation-operated) Boeing B717-200 VH-YQT looked to arrive back into Australia from overseas maintenance where it was re-painted into the new Qantas / QantasLink 'Silver-Roo' colour scheme.

It arrived into Port Hedland in Western Australia and then Adelaide in South Australia where it is pictured above.

VH-YQT was then prepared for storage and was photographed on Saturday 25 April (below) all sealed up and in open storage at Adelaide Airport.

VH-YQT underwent planned maintenance at Singapore (Seletar) Airport during March and April and it is believed that while it was there, it was re-painted into the new Qantas / QantasLink colour scheme.  VH-YQT is now the eighth of the fleet of Cobham Aviation-operated Boeing B717-200 regional jets to wear the new and updated Qantas livery and kangaroo logo, which was introduced to coincide with the introduction the Boeing B787 Dreamliner into service with the airline in 2017.

It also appears that the previously un-named VH-YQT has now been named 'Tasman National Park'.

VH-YQT is also the second of the 2-class QantasLink B717-200 aircraft to be re-painted having previously worn the 2007 'New Roo' style livery.

Of interest, VH-YQT has had an interesting history to the present day.  The Boeing B717-2BL (c/n 55179-5129) was originally ordered new in 2004 by Midwest Airlines of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the USA and entered the US Aircraft Register as N917ME in March 2004.

N917ME at Fort Lauderdale Airport, USA, in 2007  (Lewis Grant / https://www.flickr.com/)

It operated with the airline until 2008 and was stored at Victorville soon after.  In early 2009, the B717-200 was leased to Mexicana Click and seemed to operate for the Mexican airline again as N917ME.

N917ME at Mexico City in 2010  (Jorge Rocafort / https://www.jetphotos.com/)

Mexicana Click ceased operations in 2010 and the aircraft was stored at Mexico City before subsequently being again stored at Victorville where it remained until August 2013 when it was prepared for lease to Qantas Airways.

N917ME was ferried to Jacksonville and painted into full Qantas / QantasLink colours before it was then subsequently ferried to Australia where it arrived into Adelaide in South Australia at the end of October in 2013.

N917ME at Adelaide Airport soon after arriving into Australia  (Tony Haynes / https://www.flickr.com/)

It was then registered VH-YQT in November 2013 with National Jet Systems (now Cobham Aviation Services) as the registered operator.  VH-YQT entered service with QantasLink in December 2013 when it operated as QFA1545 from Brisbane to Canberra.

VH-YQT at Brisbane Airport in February  (File photo)

It remains one of seven B717-200s in the Qantas / QantasLink fleet to be in a 2-class configuration with 12 Business Class and 98 Economy Class seats, along with Q-Streaming - Qantas' wireless entertainment system.

Finally, it appears that fellow QantasLink (Cobham Aviation) Boeing B717-200 VH-NXQ has ferried overseas to Singapore's Seletar Airport for planned maintenance and I assume, re-painting.

Photos taken by Tony Haynes and Lloyd Fox  ©

And Mitchell Water Cessna 525 Citation M2 Bizjet VH-WMY Pops into Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport

After a couple of weeks or so out of the air, on Saturday 25 April, Mitchell Water Cessna 525 Citation M2 bizjet VH-WMY was noted back in Central Queensland, arriving into Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport from its Melbourne (Moorabbin) base via Bacchus Marsh in Victoria.

File photo

After a short time on the ground, it then departed to Townsville.

VH-WMY then returned to Moorabbin via the Gold Coast and Bendigo in Victoria.

Fly Weel (Gold Coast) Pilatus PC-12/47E VH-KWZ Pops into Bundaberg Airport

On Saturday 25 April, Fly Weel (Gold Coast) Pilatus PC-12/47E VH-KWZ was noted arriving into Bundaberg Airport from its Gold Coast base.

File photo

VH-KWZ then departed to Develin Station near Marlborough before later returning to Bundy and the Gold Coast.

Photo taken by 'JM'  ©

Toll Freight Aviation ATR 42-300F VH-TOQ Surprise 'Planned' Visit to Rockhampton Airport

During the evening on Friday 24 April, Toll Freight Aviation ATR 42-300F VH-TOQ was a surprise 'planned' visitor to Rockhampton Airport.  It was operating as TFX5 and arrived from Townsville before later departing to Brisbane - usually direct flight.

VH-TOQ at Mackay Airport recently  (File photo)

Reports suggest that there was extra freight to be taken to the capital as well as a possible unserviceable aircraft with a Toll Metro also believed to be parked up and broken down at Rockhampton Airport.

UPDATE!  On Friday 1 May, VH-TOQ did the same, calling into Rockhampton Airport from Townsville and later departing to Brisbane again as TFX5.  I suspect this could be to do with a broken down General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) Dornier 228, as it was noted that there was no arrival into Emerald Airport from Brisbane by the Dornier on Friday and that a Toll Freight Express Metro 23 VH-HPE completed a flight from Brisbane to Biloela / Thangool and Emerald Airports and back as TFX110/113.

Nice!

Photo taken by 'JM'  ©

Fly Corporate (Corporate Air) / Vee H Aviation SAAB 340B VH-VEM Also Called into Mackay Airport - Plus More!

Also on Friday 24 April, Fly Corporate (Corporate Air) / Vee H Aviation SAAB 340B VH-VEM was also noted visiting Mackay Airport.  It looked to arrive direct from Brisbane and later depart to Emerald Airport.

File photo

VH-VEM then returned to Brisbane.

It appeared that fellow Corporate Air SAAB 340B VH-VEP visited Emerald Airport also on Friday 24 April, arrival from and later departing back to Brisbane.  This looked to be its second visit to Emerald Airport for the week with it also arriving from Brisbane on Tuesday 21 April and departing back to Brisbane early on Wednesday 22 April.

While it appears that on Wednesday 22 April, Corporate Air SAAB 340B VH-VEO visited Moranbah Airport from Brisbane.

Meanwhile, a few other light General Aviation (GA) charter flights around the region this week included the return yet again of FKG Air (Redjet Aviation) Hawker Beechcraft B200GT VH-FKB which visited Emerald Airport on Tuesday 21 April, Williamson Airfield within the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) on Wednesday 22 April and Rockhampton Airport on Friday 24 April.

While on Friday 24 April, Henty Aviation Cessna 425 VH-BSM also arrived into Rockhampton Airport from Townsville and later departed to Archerfield.  Redjet Aviation Piper PA-31 Navajo VH-PJU called into Clermont Aerodrome from Toowoomba.  And down at Bundaberg Airport, Vanderfield Cessna 210N VH-JSC popped in from Toowoomba, while Townsville Airlines (Flightech Air Logistics) Beech B200 King Air VH-WZN popped in from Cairns and Townsville before departing to Brisbane.

And on Thursday 23 April, Austrek Aviation Beech B200 King Air VH-ZMW made a late arrival into Rockhampton Airport from Toowoomba before later departing back there via Archerfield.

Finally, Seair Pacific / Istlecote looked to complete more Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flights into the region with these now starting to occur on a weekly basis.  Again on Wednesday 22 April, DHC-6-100 Twin Otter VH-ZKF arrived into Rockhampton Airport from the Gold Coast and Brisbane before it then departed to Collinsville Aerodrome and Townsville.  It later returned to Collinsville Aerodrome and Rockhampton Airport before heading 'home' to the Gold Coast via Brisbane.

While on Thursday 23 April, two Seair Pacific / Istlecote Cessna 208 Caravans looked to complete FIFO flights into Wanella Station (near Coppabella).  VH-LYT flew there from Rockhampton Airport after it had arrived into the beef capital on Wednesday 22 April from Hervey Bay (Fraser Coast) Airport.  While VH-KNQ flew into Wanella Station direct from Hervey Bay Airport before returning there via Maryborough Airport.

One other Seair Textron Aviation (Cessna) 208B Carvan VH-TLH was noted arriving into Middlemount Aerodrome about the same time on Thursday 23 April, also arriving from Hervey Bay Airport and departing back there via Maryborough Airport.

Photo taken by Alan Macdonald  ©

LifeFlight (Aeromed) LearJet 45 Bizjet VH-VVI "Ambulance 451" Pops into Mackay Airport

Late on Friday 24 April, LifeFlight (Aeromed) LearJet 45 bizjet VH-VVI "Ambulance 451" was noted back in the region, arriving into Mackay Airport from Brisbane.

File photo

After almost an hour on the ground, VH-VVI "Ambulance 451" then departed Mackay Airport and flew to Townsville.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week on Tuesday 21 April, it appears that sistership and fellow LifeFlight (Aeromed) LearJet 45 bizjet VH-CXJ "Ambulance 452" called into Roma Airport.  It looks to have arrived from and later departed back to Brisbane.

Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 Jet VH-KBX Pops into Bundaberg and Gladstone Airport - Plus More Airline News!

Certainly a very nice surprise visitor to both Bundaberg and Gladstone Airports on Friday 24 April was Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 jet VH-KBX.  It was operating on behalf of Virgin Australia on 'new' triangular route which sees the VOZ2905 service depart Brisbane for Gladstone Airport but with a stop at Bundaberg Airport on the way.  The VOZ2904 service then returns direct to Brisbane from Gladstone Airport.

It appears that this new routing has commenced this week.

Of interest, Fokker F-70 jet VH-KBX previously flew with the Royal Netherlands Air Force / Government of the Netherlands as a VIP transport aircraft and carried the Dutch registration marking of PH-KBX.  It arrived into Brisbane in August 2017 and entered the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-KBX soon after.  VH-KBX looked to finally enter service in May last year.  VH-KBX has reportedly maintained its VIP interior to possibly become Alliance Airlines' new 'corporate charter aircraft'.

Meanwhile, it was a positive start this week with both Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways ramping up their domestic flights with a $165 million assist from Federal Government.   Under the package, Qantas and Virgin will reinstate over 220 flights per week on routes serving all capital cities and 36 larger regional centres across all states and territories to create what's called a 'minimum domestic network'.

However, as was widely reported, also this week, Virgin Australia, with a 20-year history of operating in Australia, announced it had gone into voluntary administration.  With $5 billion in debt and no hope of a government bailout, the company said it planned to "recapitalise the business" and appointed accounting firm Deloitte to act as its administrator.

In 2000, Virgin Australia first entered the Australian aviation market with just one route, two aircraft and 200 employees.  Then known as Virgin Blue, the airline's first flight was from Brisbane to Sydney on Thursday 31 August 2000.

Sincere thanks to Dan from Dan Beck Photography for allowing us to share these great photos!

Photo taken by Dan B  ©

Nauru Airlines Boeing B737-300 VH-PNI Pops into Mackay Airport

The second of three rumoured closed charter visits to Mackay Airport by Nauru Airlines happened on Friday 24 April as their Boeing B737-300 VH-PNI was noted making an early morning arrival from Brisbane as RON938.

File photo

After a short time on the ground, the colourful little Boeing departed Mackay Airport and returned to the capital as RON939.

As mentioned, this is the second of three closed charter flights that Nauru Airlines will operate into Mackay Airport over the next week or so.

Photo taken by Lloyd Fox  ©