Cairns Trip

Today my job took me off to Cairns for the first of four visits this year, I arrived at the airport at 6am for my 7am QANTAS flight, after checking in and going through security I headed for gate 18 were I found VH-VYB a Boeing 737-838 (CN 33763) my seat for this flight was 8F.

QF798 pushed back at 7.03 and after taxiing along bravo we went right to the end to alpha one for a runway 19 departure. We stopped at the hold point for about a minute while a company 737 VH-VXP (off to Melbourne) began his roll, we then did a rolling start and at 7.10 we rotated and climbed into the air. Sitting on the right hand side of the aircraft gave me a good view of the international terminal as we got airborne. We maintained runway heading for about 2 mins then we banked right, right over the heart of the city. The flight was 2hrs and 13 mins long and despite the low thick rainy clouds on the way in; at 9.23am we landed on runway 15.

I had checked the Cairns arrivals on flight board before I left home and knew there was going to be a China Eastern A330 on the ground as well as a Cathay A330, so I quickly grabbed my bags and my hire car and raced around to a viewing point I know well. I didn't have to wait long because as soon as I got my camera out of the suitcase China Eastern pushed back and then Cathay followed.
Cairns Airport has a single runway which is 15 / 33 and it is 3,156 m (10,354 ft) long.
A smaller runway 12 / 30  which was 925 m (3,035 ft) was used for general aviation; its final approach crossed the main runway, so in April 2011 this runway was closed and it is not expected to reopened.



EMIRATES A 380 AND A JETSTAR 787

VIRGIN 777, QANTAS A330 and a 747, AIR NIUGINI 767
and a SOLOMON'S  A320

BRISBANE'S STORY BRIDGE (OPENED 6th 1940)

BRISBANE RIVER AND THE CITY IN THE BACK GROUND

AERO RESCUE DORNIER 328 VH-PPF (CN 519765)

SKY FORCE CARGO CONVAIR 580 VH-PDW (CN 460)

CAIRNS INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL

CHINA EASTERN A330-200 B-6123 (CN 735)

CATHAY PACIFIC A330-343 B-LAC (CN 679)

QANTAS LINK  DASH 8 Q 400 VH-QOH (CN 4132)
KNOWN AS THE "PINK LADY" FOR BREAST CANCER

JETSTAR A320-232 VH-VQZ (CN 2292) FLEW OVER ME AT LUNCH