American Registered Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R N578TC Pops into Longreach Airport

On Wednesday 18 August, American Registered Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R N578TC was noted arriving into Longreach Airport from Archerfield.

'Peach Air' / https://flickr.com/

The smart little corporate-configured Navajo looked to arrive into Australia from Hilo (Hawaii) via the Gold Coast last Friday 13 August.  It appears to have recently been advertised for sale.

N578TC departed Longreach Airport and continued to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

UPDATE!  On Thursday 19 August, N578TC departed Alice Springs for Ayers Rock, Kalgoorlie and then Jandakot in Western Australia.

Poolhurst Aviation Air Charter Services Pilatus PC-24 Jet VH-VTF Calls into Hamilton Island Airport - Plus More!

On Tuesday 17 August, Poolhurst Aviation Air Charter Services Pilatus PC-24 jet VH-VTF was noted visiting Hamilton Island Airport. It flew up from Archerfield and the Gold Coast before then departing to Adelaide.

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Meanwhile, also on Tuesday 17 August, West Coast Seaplanes (Broome, Western Australia) Textron (Cessna) 208 Caravan VH-NPZ, which currently appears to be based at Bundaberg Airport, flew up from there to Nebo Aerodrome and back.

Link Airways (Corporate Air / Vee H Aviation) Metro 23 VH-VEK was noted visiting Rockhampton Airport.  It looked to arrive from and later depart back to Brisbane.

Raytheon A36 Bonanza VH-YGM departed Rockhampton Airport for Saint George. It has been at Rocky since the start of July.

UPDATE!  On Wednesday 18 August, VH-YGM returned to Rockhampton Airport from Saint George but via Dalby - perhaps it is now based at Rocky?

And FKG Air (Redjet Aviation) Hawker Beechcraft B200GT VH-FKB flew from Toowoomba to Archerfield and then up to the Samuel Hill Aerodrome within the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) and then on to Mackay Airport before flying directly back to Toowoomba. 

Finally, also on Tuesday 17 August, Hinterland Aviation completed an aircraft swap at the Labona Station Airstrip within Adani Australia's (Bravus Mining & Resources) Carmichael Coal Mine site.  Cessna 208 Caravan VH-TFS arrived into Labona from Cairns as HND790 before it then departed on one of the regular Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flights to Rockhampton Airport as HND351.

Earlier, fellow Cessna 208 Caravan VH-TFQ departed Rockhampton Airport to Labona as HND350 before it then flew up to Cairns also as HND790.

Photo taken by Tony Haynes  ©

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Gippsland GA8-TC 320 Airvan P2-MFL Calls into the Old Station Airstrip!

Interesting to note that on Tuesday 17 August, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Gippsland GA8-TC 320 Airvan P2-MFL departed its Mareeba base for Ingham before then landing at the Old Station Airstrip.

dhaero / https://flightaware.com/

The Airvan has been in long term storage at Mareeba (MAF headquarters) since returning from operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2019.

UPDATE!  On Wednesday 18 August, P2-MFL departed the Old Station for Archerfield.

Nice!

Seair Pacific / Istlecote Cessna 208 Caravan VH-KNQ Pops into Middlemount Aerodrome on FIFO Charter Flight - Plus More!

On Monday 16 August, Seair Pacific / Istlecote Cessna 208 Caravan VH-KNQ flew up from Hervey Bay and Maryborough Airports to land at Middlemount Aerodrome on a Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flight.

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VH-KNQ then departed to Rockhampton Airport before returning down to Hervey Bay (Fraser Coast) Airport.

Meanwhile, also on Monday 16 August,  the Queensland Police Service (Airwing) (State of Queensland) Raytheon B1900D VH-PSK was noted calling into Rockhampton Airport while flying South from Cairns and Townsville.  It then departed to Brisbane and then later returned to Townsville and Cairns.

Finally, also on Monday 16 August, Austrek Aviation Beech B200 Super King Air VH-ZGD arrived into Longreach Airport from Winton.  It had arrived there from Toowoomba, Gold Coast and Charleville Airports on Sunday 15 August.

UPDATE!  On Wednesday 18 August, VH-ZGD departed Longreach Airport for the Gold Coast.

Photo taken by Locky Halliwell  ©️

LifeFlight (Aeromed) Bombardier Challenger 604 Bizjet VH-URR "Ambulance 604" Pops into Emerald Airport

One we haven't seen for a while with LifeFlight (Aeromed) Bombardier Challenger 604 bizjet VH-URR "Ambulance 604" was noted arriving into Emerald Airport from Brisbane during the afternoon on Sunday 15 August.

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After over an hour on the ground, it returned to Brisbane.

Link Airways (Corporate Air / Vee H Aviation) SAAB 340B VH-VEP Pops into Rockhampton Airport - Plus More!

On Sunday 15 August, Link Airways (Corporate Air / Vee H Aviation) SAAB 340B VH-VEP was noted visiting Rockhampton Airport.

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It looked to fly up from and then later return to Brisbane.

Meanwhile, on Saturday 14 August, West Coast Seaplanes (Broome, Western Australia) Textron (Cessna) 208 Caravan VH-NPZ, which currently appears to be based at Bundaberg Airport, flew up from there to Rockhampton Airport and then somewhere near Moura.  On Sunday 15 August, it returned to Rockhampton and then Bundaberg Airports.

Photo taken by Lloyd Fox  ©

Queensland Police Service (Airwing) (State of Queensland) Raytheon B1900D VH-PSK Calls into Rockhampton Airport - Plus More!

On Friday 13 August, the becoming more familiar sight of Queensland Police Service (Airwing) (State of Queensland) Raytheon B1900D VH-PSK was back at Rockhampton Airport on one of its three-time-a-week prisoner transfer flights up and down the Queensland coast.

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It arrived from Cairns and Townsville and then departed to Brisbane.  VH-PSK later returned direct to Townsville and then Cairns.

Meanwhile, also on Friday 13 August, Sunshine Coast-based Rockwell International 114 VH-KSW called into Rockhampton Airport from Caboolture.  It later departed to the Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour.

UPDATE!  On Thursday 19 August, VH-KSW arrived back into Rockhampton Airport from the Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour before then departing 'home' to Caboolture.

Finally, also on Friday 13 August, Beech B58 Baron VH-BMO arrived into Rockhampton Airport from Toowoomba.

UPDATE!  On Sunday 15 August, VH-BMO departed Rockhampton Airport and returned to Toowoomba.

And Cirrus SR22 VH-BGI visited Gladstone Airport from the Gold Coast.

Photo taken by Lloyd Fox  ©️

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-207 Spotted Completing Missed Approaches at CQ Airports

On Friday 13 August, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III A41-207 was spotted completing airwork including missed approaches at a couple of Central Queensland Airports.

The Globemaster initially looked to depart RAAF Base Amberley and fly up to Bundaberg Airport where it was spotted completing a pair of missed approaches.  It then flew at low level from out around Gayndah and up to Mackay Airport where it completed another pair of missed approaches.

A41-207 then flew across at flight levels to Darwin.  It later returned to Amberley.

A41-207 was noted flying as "Stallion 56" during all of its flights.

Photo and video taken by Dan B and John Chalkley  ©

Hinterland Aviation Cessna 404 Titan VH-TFO Calls into Rockhampton Airport And Then Returns! - Plus More!

On Thursday 12 August, Hinterland Aviation Cessna 404 Titan VH-TFO was spotted on the ground after arriving from Cairns as HND430.

It is believed it flew down with engineers to repair fellow Hinterland Aviation Cessna 208 Caravan VH-MRZ which has suffered instrument problems in recent days.  Indeed after repairs were carried out, VH-MRZ completed a local flight out of and back to Rockhampton Airport.  

VH-MRZ then departed Rockhampton Airport for the Labona Station Airstrip within Adani Australia's (Bravus Mining & Resources) Carmichael Coal Mine site

During the afternoon, VH-TFO departed Rockhampton Airport bound for Cairns again as HND430, however, it seems that VH-MRZ(?) continued to have maintenance issues and VH-TFO ended up returning to Rockhampton Airport and appears to be staying for at least the night.

UPDATE!  On Friday 13 August, Hinterland Aviation Cessna 404 Titan VH-TFO departed Rockhampton Airport for Cairns once again as HND430.

Meanwhile, also on Thursday 12 August, Seair Pacific / Istlecote Cessna 208 Caravan VH-KNQ flew into Middlemount Aerodrome from Hervey Bay (Fraser Coast) Airport.  It then departed to Maryborough Airport before returning to Hervey Bay Airport.

Locally-based Keppel High Wing Cessna 182T VH-LJE departed its Rockhampton Airport base for Blackall Airport before then returning using an "Angelflight" callsign - something not heard for some time.

UPDATE!  On Thursday 19 August, VH-LJE returned to Blackall Airport from Rocky before then flying back to Rockhampton Airport, again using an "Angelflight" callsign.

FKG Air (Redjet Aviation) Hawker Beechcraft B200GT VH-FKB flew up from its Toowoomba base to Mackay Airport before flying South to the Samuel Hill Airstrip within the Shoalwater Bay Training Area before then returning to Toowoomba but via Archerfield.

Brescon (Toowoomba) Beech B200 King Air VH-WXB flew up directly to the Labona Station Airstrip within Adani Australia's (Bravus Mining & Resources) Carmichael Coal Mine site from Toowoomba-Wellcamp Airport.  

VH-WXB is due to return to Wellcamp early on Friday 13 August.

And NQ Heliworx Eurocopter AS.350 Squirrel helicopters have been noted heading South from Townsville to Archerfield via Mackay and Gladstone Airports.  VH-JKX flew down on Thursday 12 August, while VH-YHQ flew South on Wednesday 11 August.

Finally, a couple of bizjets noted in the region, also on Thursday 12 August, included Bowenville (near Toowoomba) based Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1+ bizjet VH-JSZ which flew up from Archerfield and Dalby to my local Clermont Aerodrome and then onward to Natal Downs.  In the late afternoon and into the evening, VH-JSZ returned to Archerfield, again via Clermont and Dalby.

Air Gold Coast Cessna 525 Citation CJ1 bizjet VH-CDG flew up to Hamilton Island Airport from the Gold Coast.

UPDATE!  On Sunday 15 August, VH-CDG departed Hamilton Island Airport and returned to the Gold Coast.

While Graham Aviation (Cairns) Cessna 510 Citation Mustang bizjet VH-FNI looked to fly down from Mareba to Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport before heading back North.

And the often visiting American-registered Eclipse EA500 bizjet N257AK departed to Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour for Archerfield.  It had originally arrived into the Whitsundays at the start of last week and has also completed a day-trip flight to Longreach Airport and back - see Blog posts below!

Photo taken by 'AC'  ©

Ex Talisman Sabre 2021 - Omni Air International Boeing B767-33A(ER) N351AX Calls into Rockhampton Airport

Late on Wednesday 11 August, and with the Combined Military Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21) becoming a distant memory, the final lot of American personnel and equipment was flown out of Australia on board Omni Air International Boeing B767-33A(ER) N351AX which touched down at Rockhampton Airport as OAE7997 from Guam.

As usual, the B767 touched down and then parked on Gate 6 on the Southern end of the Rockhampton Airport parking apron.

Soon after, a full load of personnel and equipment was loaded on the aircraft.  N351AX departed a couple of hours after its arrival and returned to Guam (Andersen AFB), before continuing to Kadena Air Base in Japan flying again as OAE7997.

Photo taken by Bec Parry  ©