First Ever Alpha-numeric Aircraft Registration into CQ - Quest Kodiak 100 VH-84M Arrives into Mackay Airport - Plus More!

On Saturday 14 January, a first the region (that we know of!) with an aircraft touching down at a Central Queensland Airport wearing a new Australian alpha-numeric registration marking.

Only recently registered (to a property near Richmond in Queensland) Quest Kodiak 100 VH-84M arrived into Mackay Airport from Darwin (pictured), Mount Isa and Hughenden.  It had arrived into the country from overseas via Darwin the previous day.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) announced in June that aircraft registration marks in Australia were changing to include a new alpha-numeric system. The first release of 1500 new marks were made available from late September.

Initially, the new marks will only start with an X or 8, for example VH-8AB, VH-X9B, VH-X22.  Marks will not contain the numbers ‘0’ or ‘1’ to avoid conflict with these numbers and letters.  They also must contain a mix of alphanumeric characters - they cannot contain only numbers.

Introducing a 3-character alpha-numeric system will mean the availability of more than 20,000 additional registration marks.  This will give CASA enough marks for at least another 30 years.

Of interest, the very first alpha-numeric registration marking in Australia was believed to have been issued to a Rotorway Exec 90 helicopter in Western Australia as VH-X9O (Xray, Niner, Oscar).

Meanwhile, also on Saturday 14 January, Linfox Global Charter / Air National Australia Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global 6000 bizjet VH-LEP finally departed Hamilton Island Airport.  It headed to the Gold Coast.

VH-LEP had arrived into Hamo from Melbourne (Essendon) and Melbourne (Avalon) on New Year's Day!

And after arriving two days prior, Bowenville (near Toowoomba) based Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1+ bizjet VH-JSZ departed Mackay Airport and returned to Hamilton Island Airport.  It then departed to Archerfield.

Finally, also on Saturday 14 January, The Redcliffe Aero Club Vulcanair (Partenavia) P.68C VH-VMV completed its visit to CQ, departing Gladstone Airport for another six hour long aerial survey way out to sea.  It then landed down at the Sunshine Coast before returning to Redcliffe.

Toowoomba-based Beech 58 Baron VH-CLE departed Agnes Water Airstrip for Tara.  It was due to returned to Agnes Water Airstrip on Sunday 15 January.  It also looks like VH-CLE has completed a couple of similar flights in the previous couple of weeks.

Cirrus SR22 VH-YMI departed Rockhampton Airport for the Sunshine Coast.  It looks to have arrived two days prior also from the Sunny Coast.

And new Bell Textron 407GXi helicopter VH-JEV flew up from Bankstown to Emerald Airport, possibly on delivery to Nautilus Aviation.  It flew up via Gunnedah, Moree and Roma Airports.

UPDATE!  On Sunday 15 January, VH-JEV departed Emerald Airport and called into my local Clermont Aerodrome, Charters Towers Aerodrome, Townsville and Cairns at the completion of its delivery flight.

Plus Omni Executive (Canberra) / M.I. Helicopters (Roma) Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III VH-NPI was also noted departing Roma Airport around the same time, with it looking to head towards Gladstone Airport.

Photo taken by Mary Marshall  ©