Babcock Mission Critical Services Australasia Bell 412 Helicopter VH-ESD Passes Through CQ Airports Heading to the Cape!

On Thursday 18 March, Babcock Mission Critical Services Australasia Bell 412 VH-ESD was noted arriving into Rockhampton Airport after flying up from Mudgee and Moree Airports in New South Wales and then Toowoomba and Bundaberg Airports.

VH-ESD departs Mudgee  (https://www.facebook.com/OzChoppersAus/)

Then on Friday 19 March, VH-ESD departed Rockhampton Airport and continued to Mackay Airport before heading onwards to Townsville and Cairns.

VH-ESD is well known to CQ Plane Spotters having spent many years flying for the Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) / Queensland Government (QGAir) Rescue Service, with it often ferrying through CQ Airports flying between Archerfield and either Townsville or Cairns.  It was retired from service with QGAir in April 2019 and ferried to Moree.

After spending time there, VH-ESD was acquired by Babcock Mission Critical Services Australasia and spent time in Adelaide in South Australia as a search and rescue/medical machine.

After arriving back in Mudgee in December last year for a major maintenance overhaul, VH-ESD is reportedly on its way to Horn Island in Far North Queensland on a four-year lease with Babcock, operating as a medical rescue helicopter for the surrounding areas of Horn Island. 

Babcock currently have both Bell 412EP VH-PXY and Agusta AB412 (Bell 412) VH-LSV seemingly operating out of Horn Island in recent weeks also as "Rescue 700".