A Sad Day as There are No Survivors as the Wreckage of DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG is Found

From:  ABC News (http://www.abc.net.au)

Queensland police say the wreckage of a vintage plane has been found in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and a search team has confirmed there are no survivors.

A rescue helicopter sighted the red biplane 14 kilometres north of Borumba Dam just before 2:00pm on Wednesday 3 October.

The plane with six people on board disappeared on its way to Caboolture north of Brisbane on Monday afternoon, shortly after the pilot reported he was in trouble.

On board were pilot Desmond Porter, 68, and his wife Cath Porter, 61, from Tingalpa in Brisbane's east; John Dawson, 63, and his wife Carol Dawson, 63, who are also from Tingalpa; and Les D'evlin, 75, and his wife Janice D'evlin, 61, who are from Manly West.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokesman Mike Barton told reporters it was a "high impact crash site".

"The plane is not in a condition that you would recognise as a plane," he said.

"So they have hit the ground exceedingly hard and the aircraft is fundamentally destroyed."

Mr Barton says it is likely the six people on board were killed on impact.

He says their next of kin have been notified and the grim discovery will be felt by the vintage aircraft community.

"I personally knew the pilot and I think the antique aeroplane community are going to be quite upset for a while that they've lost him," he said.

Mr Barton says the crash site was difficult for authorities to reach and its location away from the water means it is unlikely Mr Porter tried to land in the water.

"There were lots of trees to the point where the rescue helicopter was only able to land 200 metres away and then they had to hike up to the crash site," he said.

He says authorities had an idea of where to look because of a mobile phone on board the crashed plane.

"Phones themselves these days talk backwards and forwards to the towers at different stages," he said.

Mr Barton says until today authorities were still hoping to find survivors.

"Aviation can be a cruel child and you only have to make small mistakes and it can catch up on you," he said.

Mr Barton would not speculate as to how or why the plane crashed and says an inspection of the wreckage will go on for several days.

A spokesman for AGL Action Rescue helicopter says their crew is still on the ground searching through the wreckage.

It is understood the red De Havilland Dragon DH-84 VH-UXG - built in 1934 and one of only four in the world - was returning from an air show at Monto.

Queensland police are on the scene and will be preparing a report for the coroner.

Authorities today narrowed their search to the area near the dam based on reports from local residents.

Sixteen rescue helicopters had been searching small plots of the rugged terrain and AMSA was considering putting a boat into the dam to search the banks.

Police superintendent Chris Sang says the grim task of recovering the bodies will begin once the crash scene has been evaluated by specialist investigators.

"Our disaster victim identification team, our scenes of crime officers, as well as our investigators, will need to look at the scene and examine the scene prior to [when] the bodies are removed," he said.

"It looks as though some of the people have actually flown forward of the plane crash and landed forward of where most of the plane is lodged in the trees there.

"It'll be a joint investigation and air safety authorities and the Queensland Police Service will work together on this investigation."

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has expressed his sympathy for the plane crash victims and extended his condolences to their families.  He also thanked the people involved in the search for the biplane.

Some Photos of Movements at Mackay Airport Over the Weekend - And Soon to Include the Mackay Airport Firestation!

I ventured to Mackay on Sunday 30 September and managed to spend a nice afternoon capturing some of the Commercial movements - mostly arriving from and departing back to Brisbane.

First to catch the eye was Virgin Australia Embraer E-190 VH-ZPC which was departing to Sydney as VOZ1474.

Next, QantasLink (Cobham Aviation) Boeing B717-200 VH-NXD was captured departing to Brisbane - as mentioned in a previous post, VH-NXD wears additional titles highlighting QantasLink being awarded Air Transport World magazine's Regional Airline of the Year 2012.

Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Hawker Beechcraft B200 King Air VH-FDS was caught departing to Townsville as "FlyDoc 425".

On the General Aviation apron, a couple of aircraft caught my eye - locally-based SOCATA TB-20 VH-JTY.

And also Beech 58 Baron VH-FRH, which wears Air Frontier titles.

Air Frontier is one of the Northern Territory's leading air charter companies operating throughout Australia's Top End and Arnhem Land.

I also managed to spend a little bit of time at Mackay Airport on Monday 1 October - and in between rain showers - I spotted a couple of interesting visitors amongst the regular commercial traffic.

Skytrans Airlines Dash-8-100 VH-QQK is pictured preparing for departure to Cairns as SKP1015.  This was a special charter, and VH-QQK arrived in Mackay from Cairns on Friday 28 September.

Also spotted was the Singapore Flying College Cessna 510 Citation Mustang VH-SQY.  It arrived from the Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton as "Raffles 22", and after being refuelled, departed back to Sunshine Coast via Rockhampton.

As mentioned in a previous Blog post, the Singapore Flying College Mustangs are again becoming a familiar sight at Rockhampton and Mackay Airports - they are a great sight - and it's great to see them again!

Lastly, one 'big' movement that is planned for Mackay Airport is the temporary relocation of the Airport Firestation from its current position on the West side of the Airport to the Eastern side.

One of the Airport Fire Tenders is already parked in front of the old Mackay Airport terminal which is being refurbished to house the temporary facilities for the Airport Fire Service.

Timelines for the move are unclear, however it is understood that the old Firestation is having a quantity of asbestos removed.

Still No Sign of Missing De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG

From:  http://www.news.com.au

There has been no sign of the De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG, carrying pilot Des Porter and five passengers, which reportedly struck trouble over the Jimna Range near Kilcoy yesterday afternoon.

On Tuesday 2 October, up to 15 helicopters were helping search for the missing vintage aircraft which is believed to have crashed in rugged bushland west of the Sunshine Coast.

The operation, systematically checking an area between Gympie and Nambour, began at first light this morning with seven choppers.

Activity was ramped up as skies cleared this afternoon, with another eight helicopters sourced from throughout the region.

The skies were buzzing around Sunshine Coast Airport at Mudjimba as the choppers came and went.

A refuelling tanker has also been set up at Kenilworth to save time and fuel for the rescue teams.

Some Weekend Action from Rockhampton Airport as an Antonov AN-124 is Expected This Week!

Don W ventured to Rockhampton Airport a couple of times over this past weekend and managed to capture some lovely images that he has sent through for us to enjoy.  On Saturday 29 September, he caught one of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Eurocopter AS332M Super Puma helicopters - looks like '292' - as it returned to Rockhampton Airport from the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA).

In support of the Singapore Armed Forces Military Exercise Wallaby 2012, a Polet Aviakompania (Polet Airlines) Antonov AN-124 freighter is expected to touch down at Rockhampton Airport this week to deliver some RSAF Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopters.

Exact dates and times are unclear, however this week flights has already been delayed twice, so spotters would best be advised to keep and ear and eye out into the skies above Rockhampton as the week goes on!

On the commercial front over the weekend, Don W spotted a nice pair of Virgin Australia (Skywest Airlines-operated) ATR 72 aircraft on Sunday 30 September.  ATR 72-500 VH-FVL was photographed operating a scheduled Virgin service to Brisbane - and is need of a clean!

While ATR 72-600 VH-FVP was spotted continuing to operate training flights between Brisbane and Rockhampton and Hervey Bay or the Sunshine Coast.

Incidentally, Virgin has also recently taken delivery of a second ATR 72-600 - VH-FVN - which is still in Perth.

Also spotted at Rockhampton Airport by Don on Sunday 30 September was Singapore Flying College Cessna 510 Citation Mustang VH-SQW.  This aircraft was one of two Singapore Flying College Mustangs to visit Rockhampton on Sunday, and is pictured shortly after arriving from the Sunshine Coast as "Raffles 141".

VH-SQW was later joined by sistership VH-SQY which was flying as "Raffles 22".  Both aircraft departed to Mackay where they were refuelled.  Later, they were both noted returning to Rockhampton, and then the Sunshine Coast.

Former Rockhampton Based Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) King Air VH-FDO Departs Australia as N478GD

We have been following the progress of the departure from Australia of a long time Rockhampton Airport resident aircraft in the form of Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Beech B200 King Air VH-FDO.

Sources believed that it may have slipped quietly out of the country last month, however, eagled-eyed Sydney plane spotters recently sighted the King Air at Camden Aerodrome, wearing the American registration markings of N478GD.

On Monday 1 October, N478GD flew from Camden to Sydney Airport, where it seemingly cleared customs, as it was later noted departing to Norfolk Island, presumably on its delivery flight to the United States of America (USA).

A quick search of the registration markings reveals that N478GD is registered to Dodson International Parts in the USA.

A Quick Overview of the NORRA-Aus Fly-In at Monto Aerodrome

Recreational aviators and aviation enthusiasts alike gathered at Monto Aerodrome over this past long weekend to attend the second biennial NORRA-Aus Fly-In.

Recreational Aviation Australia (RA-Aus) in conjunction with the surrounding community, North Burnett Regional Council, and local Clubs, combined Recreational Aviation-Leisure-Agriculture-Historical into a spectacular three-day event.

Rockhampton plane spotter Ash B travelled to Monto to be part of this fabulous weekend and he has sent through some photos to the CQ Plane Spotting Blog.

Organisers worked very hard, and by all accounts, the fly-in was extremely well planned and run - it was certainly an event different to what Shane had ever attended, or seen in the past.

Stay tuned to the CQ Plane Spotting Blog for more reports and photos from the Monto Fly-in!

The Search for Des Porter's De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG to Resume This Morning

From The Brisbane Times (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au)

A full-scale aerial search for a missing plane with six people on board was set to begin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland at first light on Tuesday 2 October.

The pilot of a missing light plane had been fundraising for charity before his craft vanished in southeastern Queensland.

Des Porter, 68, was giving scenic flights in his prized red 1930s biplane at an airshow in Central Queensland yesterday morning, according to the organiser of the Monto Fly-In.

Mr Porter is one of six people on board the 1930s de Havilland DH-84 which left the town of Monto, 180 kilometres west of Bundaberg, shortly after 11am Monday.

It’s believed the other passengers were two elderly couples and Mr Porter’s partner.

The plane had been due to arrive at Caboolture Airport, north of Brisbane, about 2.15pm, but never arrived.

A distress call from Mr Porter shortly after 1pm was picked up by a Nine Network helicopter pilot.

Mr Porter said he was having difficulty positioning himself and wanted assistance, the helicopter pilot said.

The aircraft’s emergency beacon was activated at about 2.45pm, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Police and Australian Search and Rescue are coordinating an air and land search which is west of the Imbil area and about 70km north of Caboolture.

Two helicopters conducted fly-overs of the search zone yesterday afternoon but found no sign of the missing plane or its occupants.

A spokeswoman for AMSA says search conditions were ‘‘not ideal’’, with low and thick cloud blanketing the area.

A dedicated night rescue aircraft with electronic search capabilities including infra-red and heat-sensing technology continued searching overnight.

Today's search will include more aircraft - both helicopters and fixed wing - and possibly people on foot.

Monto Fly-In organiser Myles Breitkreutz said Mr Porter was a highly experienced pilot.

He last saw his plane taxiing from the airstrip, 180km west of Bundaberg, shortly after 11am yesterday.

The aviator said he’d invited Mr Porter to the airshow and felt terrible, but wasn’t giving up hope his friend was safe.

‘‘I know the capabilities of Des as a pilot and we’ve got our thoughts and hopes that he’s made an emergency landing in a paddock and waiting for weather to clear and everything’s cool,’’ he said.

Helping the Royal Flying Doctor Service and other people was Mr Porter’s ‘‘passion and his life’’, Mr Breitkreutz said.

The six missing had been part of large number of aviation enthusiasts who descended on the small town of Monto for the weekend airshow.

Simone Ryan, from Monto’s Three Moon Motel, said the motel was booked out for the entire weekend with many of the organisers of the airshow staying there.

‘‘The people who were with that plane stayed here,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s terrible, they were absolutely lovely people.’’

Mr Porter survived a fatal crash in the same model airplane which claimed the lives of his father and brother in the 1950s.

He was 10 when the plane flown by his father went down in a creek in Brisbane’s south in 1954.

BREAKING NEWS! Des Porter's De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG Missing Feared Crashed Returning from Monto Fly-in

From:  ABC News (http://www.abc.net.au/)

Police and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) are searching for a plane missing on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

AMSA has confirmed a distress call was made about 2:15pm near Kilcoy, shortly before the plane's EPIRB beacon was activated.

Jo Meehan from AMSA says they have grave fears for the six people on board and a rescue plane is about to join two helicopters in the search, 45 nautical miles north-west of Caboolture.

"We will be conducting a search throughout the evening and all until tomorrow until we have any information about what happened to this aircraft," she said.

"We have tasked two rescue helicopters out of Maroochydore; the AGL Action Rescue helicopters will be searching the area where the beacon had been activated, AMSA’s rescue Dornier will arrive in the area at approximately 7:15 this evening and will conduct a search overnight."

Police are coordinating a ground search and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

It is believed the plane is vintage red de Havilland Dragon DH-84 VH-UXG, built in 1934, and one of only four in the world.

More Bizjet Action at Hamilton Island Airport

The bizjet action continues at Hamilton Island Airport, with several interesting visitors popping in over the last few days.

After our last 'bizjet' post, GC Air Gulfstream G-V N1BN departed Hamilton Island for Sydney on Friday 28 September.

On Saturday 29 September, Corporate Aviation Bell 429 Helicopter VH-EQP arrived into Hamilton Island from Southport on the Gold Coast, and Gladstone (where it is pictured below).

Noted departing Hamilton Island for Bankstown on Saturday was Silver Linings Avation Raytheon B300 Super King Air VH-ZEK.

On Sunday 30 September, Cessna 550 Citation Bravo VH-CCJ visited Hamilton Island again, arriving from and departing back to Brisbane.  Meanwhile, noted arriving from the Gold Coast was Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign VH-VPL.  It later departed to back to the Gold Coast.

Lastly, on Monday 1 October, a nice pair of bizjet arrived into Hamilton Island from Melbourne (Essendon) Airport - Cessna 560XL Citation XLS VH-XCU and Shortstop Jet Charter's British Aerospace (BAe) BAe-125-1000B VH-LMP.

CQ Plane Spotting Historic Spot: Federation Airshows in the Outback - Clermont Aerodrome - Thursday 19 July 2001

I've made contact with Keith James, who lives in Clermont, and worked at Clermont Aerodrome for many years before retiring a couple of years ago.  Keith has many images that he took while working as the Aerodrome caretaker - refuelling aircraft and the like - and recently he passed on to me a small selection of images from his vast collection.

Amongst his images are a number of scans of photos he took on Thursday 19 July 2001, when "Federation Airshows in the Outback" came to Clermont.

A series of airshows were held throughout regional Queensland during July 2001, to celebrate the Centenary of the Federation of Australia.  The tour programme was jam packed, with airshows and displays stretching the length and breadth of Queensland, and specifically in Central Queensland, they were held at Charters Towers, Clermont, Capella, Emerald, and Roma.

The participants in the airshows were varied, from small single engined cessnas, to high performance racing aircraft, to old classic aircraft and warbirds.  The Clermont community was treated to a visit by "Connie", the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Lockheed C-121C (L-1049F) Super Constellation VH-EAG.

"Connie" is shown below firing up on the Clermont Aerodrome apron, and then departing off Runway 15, bound for Emerald (as Keith recalls).  In the foreground of the picture is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou which was also a participant.

Another classic aircraft to visit Clermont was Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) - Hawdon Operations - Douglas DC-3(C) VH-AES.  VH-AES was one of two DC-3s that participated in the tour, mostly alongside the Ansett Airways Douglas DC-3 VH-ABR.

Another HARS aircraft that was photographed at Clermont was De Havilland Australia DHA-3 Mk-2 Drover VH-DHM.

Of course, the airshow wasn't complete without an air display, and as Keith recalls, this was put on by a team of North American Harvard aircraft known as the "Southern Knights" aerobatic display team.  The North American AT-6C Harvard IIA shown below - VH-XNZ - was part of the team.

My big thanks to Keith James for his contribution to the CQ Plane Spotting Blog - we hope to bring more historical images from Central Queensland in the months to come!