From today it will be mandatory for two people to be in the cockpit at all times on all international and domestic flights, the Federal Government says. Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the new policy would apply to aircraft with 50 or more passengers.
This will mean that one of the flight attendants would come and sit in the cockpit if one of the pilots needed to leave the flight deck for any reason.
Mr Truss said the Government had been in discussion with the airlines over the past couple of days and there had been an agreement airlines in Australia would move immediately to adjust their flight operation procedures. Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Airlines have confirmed they will comply with the change of procedure immediately and Tiger Air has implemented the policy which will come into effect on March 31. Several airlines round the world, including Norwegian Air Shuttle, Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Easyjet, Monarch Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Thomas Cook, were also changing their operating procedures to require two people to be in the cockpit at all times.
Monday, 30 March 2015
Virgin Australia adds Alice Springs to Network
On the 26th March a Virgin Australia Boeing 737-
The inaugural flight operated by VH-YFH (CN 40996) a Boeing 737-8FE with a call sign of VA 1576 departed Darwin on time at 7.30am local and became airborne at 7.37am from runway 11 before heading south for Alice Springs; landing on runway 12 in Alice at 9.27 local time.
With a departure time of 10.05am local, flight VA1740 YFH departed for Adelaide just after 10.23 and landed on runway 23 in Adelaide at 1.05pm Adelaide time. Parked up at gate 16 in Adelaide VA 1741 pushed back and taxied out for a runway 23 departure, getting airborne at 1.55pm Local, arriving into Alice Springs for the 2nd time today at 2.47pm. It wasn't on the ground long before taking to the sky's again with a flight number of 1585 at 3.42 pm and landed in Darwin on runway 29 at 5.40 Darwin time.
Sincere thanks goes to Simon Hatfield for sending me these images....
The inaugural flight operated by VH-YFH (CN 40996) a Boeing 737-8FE with a call sign of VA 1576 departed Darwin on time at 7.30am local and became airborne at 7.37am from runway 11 before heading south for Alice Springs; landing on runway 12 in Alice at 9.27 local time.
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| VH-YFH GETTING A WATER CANNON WELCOME |
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| VIRGIN AUSTRALIA VH-YFH (CN 40996) PARKED UP AT BAY 3 ALICE SPRINGS |
With a departure time of 10.05am local, flight VA1740 YFH departed for Adelaide just after 10.23 and landed on runway 23 in Adelaide at 1.05pm Adelaide time. Parked up at gate 16 in Adelaide VA 1741 pushed back and taxied out for a runway 23 departure, getting airborne at 1.55pm Local, arriving into Alice Springs for the 2nd time today at 2.47pm. It wasn't on the ground long before taking to the sky's again with a flight number of 1585 at 3.42 pm and landed in Darwin on runway 29 at 5.40 Darwin time.
Sincere thanks goes to Simon Hatfield for sending me these images....
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Perth says goodbye to the Q400
Qantas Link has closed its turboprop base at Perth Airport resulting in a water cannon salute for the arrival of the last Q400 flight. Tuesday March 24 was the Q400’s final day of operations, with VH-LQJ (CN 4414) completing a Perth-Learmonth-Perth trip. Fire trucks greeted the arrival of that flight QF2429. On Wednesday, VH-LQJ was ferried to Adelaide as QFA670D departing Perth at 7.25am local time and arriving Adelaide just before 1.20pm local; then it departed Adelaide at 2.05pm for Brisbane, touching down at 4.03pm Brisbane time. There was no rest for this beast as it resumed revenue service an hour later with a return trip to Roma as 2554 over and 2557 back. All Qantas Link flights in Perth will now be operated with either Boeing 717s or Network Aviation Fokker 100s. (Network Aviation is a charter/fly-in, fly-out carrier, and is wholly-owned by Qantas) Qantas Link has now withdrawn all its Q400 turboprops from Perth.
Friday, 27 March 2015
Germanwings crash: Pilot locked out of cockpit
This is so hard to believe that a pilot; someone with such a love and passion for aviation could do this; but reports now indicate that one of the two pilots of the crashed Germanwings flight was locked out of the cockpit before the plane slammed into the French Alps killing all 150 people.
A spokesperson from the prosecutors' office in Dusseldorf, confirmed that you could hear one of the seats being pushed back and the door being opened and closed, followed by the sound of constant knocking. An official from Germanwings confirmed "there was no more conversation from that point until the crash". The spokesperson said he did not know whether it was the captain or the co-pilot who was in the cockpit. The source also said an alarm indicating the proximity of the ground could be heard before the impact.
The recording included the pilots speaking normally and in German at the start of flight 4U9525.
Neither Germanwings nor parent company Lufthansa has released the identity of the two pilots.
A New York Times reporter who had heard the recordings was as saying officials do not know why one of the pilots left the cockpit.
"But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door," the investigator said.
The Airbus A320 began a sudden and fatal eight-minute descent shortly after reaching cruising altitude. No distress signal was sent and the crew failed to respond to desperate attempts at contact from ground control. It is believed that two Australians were also on board this flight.
In Frankfurt, the chief of Lufthansa, which runs the low-cost Germanwings airline, Carsten Spohr said the crash was "inexplicable".
"The plane was in perfect condition and the two pilots were very experienced," he said.
Weather did not appear to be a factor in the crash, with conditions calm at the time. Germanwings has an unblemished safety record.
Once again my thoughts and prayers go out to the families involved, to all the staff at both Germanwings and Lufthansa and of course those working at the scene.
To the 150 people on board "GOD BLESS"
A spokesperson from the prosecutors' office in Dusseldorf, confirmed that you could hear one of the seats being pushed back and the door being opened and closed, followed by the sound of constant knocking. An official from Germanwings confirmed "there was no more conversation from that point until the crash". The spokesperson said he did not know whether it was the captain or the co-pilot who was in the cockpit. The source also said an alarm indicating the proximity of the ground could be heard before the impact.
The recording included the pilots speaking normally and in German at the start of flight 4U9525.
Neither Germanwings nor parent company Lufthansa has released the identity of the two pilots.
A New York Times reporter who had heard the recordings was as saying officials do not know why one of the pilots left the cockpit.
"But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door," the investigator said.
The Airbus A320 began a sudden and fatal eight-minute descent shortly after reaching cruising altitude. No distress signal was sent and the crew failed to respond to desperate attempts at contact from ground control. It is believed that two Australians were also on board this flight.
In Frankfurt, the chief of Lufthansa, which runs the low-cost Germanwings airline, Carsten Spohr said the crash was "inexplicable".
"The plane was in perfect condition and the two pilots were very experienced," he said.
Weather did not appear to be a factor in the crash, with conditions calm at the time. Germanwings has an unblemished safety record.
Once again my thoughts and prayers go out to the families involved, to all the staff at both Germanwings and Lufthansa and of course those working at the scene.
To the 150 people on board "GOD BLESS"
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Hervey Bay Airport
Hervey Bay Airport (IATA: HVB, ICAO: YHBA) is the main airport for the city of Hervey Bay and the Fraser Coast region, it is owned and run by the Fraser Coast Regional Council.
Hervey Bay is 288klms (188 miles) north of Brisbane, and the airport is located 9.3 km (5.8 miles) southeast of the heart of Hervey Bay. Hervey Bay is the whale watching capital of Australia, with humpback whales migrating along the coast between April and October every year
In July 2005 the airfield underwent an $11.5 million upgrade which included the construction of a new terminal building and the extension of the existing 1,500 m (4,921 feet) runway to 2,000 m (6,562 feet) to accommodate jet services from Virgin Australia.
The airport is an uncontrolled airport, it has an elevation of 18 metres (60 feet) ASML. As mentioned it has only one runway; 11/29 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,000 m × 30 m (6,562 feet × 98 feet). Qantas Link have 4 flights a day from Brisbane to Hervey Bay using Dash 8 Q300 and Virgin Australia has one flight per day from Sydney return using either E190's or 737-800's.
As I drove into Hervey Bay I called into the airport first and it was a ghost town. I went and did my afternoon calls and headed back to the airport arriving just after 4.15 to what seemed to be Hervey Bays rush hour. From and including UPK all these aircraft came in within 30 minutes.
Hervey Bay is 288klms (188 miles) north of Brisbane, and the airport is located 9.3 km (5.8 miles) southeast of the heart of Hervey Bay. Hervey Bay is the whale watching capital of Australia, with humpback whales migrating along the coast between April and October every year
In July 2005 the airfield underwent an $11.5 million upgrade which included the construction of a new terminal building and the extension of the existing 1,500 m (4,921 feet) runway to 2,000 m (6,562 feet) to accommodate jet services from Virgin Australia.
The airport is an uncontrolled airport, it has an elevation of 18 metres (60 feet) ASML. As mentioned it has only one runway; 11/29 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,000 m × 30 m (6,562 feet × 98 feet). Qantas Link have 4 flights a day from Brisbane to Hervey Bay using Dash 8 Q300 and Virgin Australia has one flight per day from Sydney return using either E190's or 737-800's.
As I drove into Hervey Bay I called into the airport first and it was a ghost town. I went and did my afternoon calls and headed back to the airport arriving just after 4.15 to what seemed to be Hervey Bays rush hour. From and including UPK all these aircraft came in within 30 minutes.
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| HERVEY BAY TERMINAL |
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| CESSNA 182T VH-FUJ (CN 18282267) |
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| PIPER PA-32-300 VH-JNI (CN 32-7940007) |
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| CESSNA 206 VH-UPK (CN U20605477) |
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| ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECHCRAFT B220C VH-FDM (CN BL-161) |
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| CESSNA 182 VH-DBP (CN 18253953) |
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| '' LADY ELLIOTT ISLAND RESORT'' BRITTEN NORMAN ISLANDER VH-RUT (CN 165) |
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| ROBINSON R44 WAITING IN TURN TO LAND |
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| COMPASS HELICOPTERS ROBINSON R44 VH-OJO (CN 1869) |
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| QANTAS LINK 2380 FROM BRISBANE LANDING RUNWAY 29 |
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| QANTAS LINK DASH 8 Q 300 VH-TQL (CN 603) |
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| BROOME AVIATION CESSNA 208B VH-TLZ (CN 208B0789) |
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| LONG WAY FROM HOME... After taking a few snaps I made my way down to the water front to watch the sunset, I wasn't disappointed. |
Few more from Bundaberg
After doing my calls and before my hour thirty minute drive to my next call in Hervey Bay I thought I would spend 1/2 an hour at the airport making a few phones calls etc hoping something would come in. Luck was really on my side as I had a flying Doctor depart, and a Cessna doing touch and goes and a few light aircraft coming and going but the best surprise was when I was about to leave and I heard the Rescue Dornier call up.
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| ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECHCRAFT 200B VH-FDA (CN BB1986) |
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| CESSNA 182 VH-SHY (CN 18265116) |
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| JABIRU J 120 24-7201 (CN 043) |
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| FLY SYNTHESIS TEXAN 600 24-5204 |
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| CESSNA 180 VH-VGW (CN31593) |
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| CITATION 550 VH-CCJ (CN 550-0953) |
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| RESCUE DORNIER 328-100 VH-PPG (CN 3053) |
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Bundaberg Airport
Bundaberg Airport (IATA: BDB, ICAO: YBUD) is a regional airport serving Bundaberg in Queensland. Bundaberg is located 365 klm's (226 mile) north of Brisbane and the airport is located 4.6 km (2.9 mi) southwest of the city centre.
The airport is owned and operated by the Bundaberg Regional Council. Back in 2009 /2010 the Council conducted major works on the runway, terminal, car park and navigation aids in an attempt to attract services using A320 / 737 aircraft; but unfortunately that attempt failed as Qantas Link and Virgin Australia only use Dash 8 and ATR72's respectively .
Bundaberg is the home of the famous aviator Bert Hinkler.
Herbert John Louis Hinkler was born on the 8th December 1892 and died 7th January 1933, better known as Bert Hinkler, he was a pioneer Australian aviator (dubbed "Australian Lone Eagle") and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean. He was married at the age of 39, and died less than a year later after crashing into remote countryside near Florence, Italy during a solo flight record attempt.
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Bundaberg airport is an uncontrolled airport, it is 33 metres (107 feet) AMSL, it has two runways; 14 / 32 which is the main runway and it has an asphalt surface. It is 2,000 metres (6,562 feet) long and 07 / 25 which is also has an asphalt surface and it is 1,128 metres (3,701 feet) long.
Qantas Link was the only airline servicing Bundaberg / Brisbane, until the 4th May 2013 when Virgin Australia started daily flights from Brisbane return using ATR-72 Turboprop aircraft.
The airport is owned and operated by the Bundaberg Regional Council. Back in 2009 /2010 the Council conducted major works on the runway, terminal, car park and navigation aids in an attempt to attract services using A320 / 737 aircraft; but unfortunately that attempt failed as Qantas Link and Virgin Australia only use Dash 8 and ATR72's respectively .
Bundaberg is the home of the famous aviator Bert Hinkler.
Herbert John Louis Hinkler was born on the 8th December 1892 and died 7th January 1933, better known as Bert Hinkler, he was a pioneer Australian aviator (dubbed "Australian Lone Eagle") and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean. He was married at the age of 39, and died less than a year later after crashing into remote countryside near Florence, Italy during a solo flight record attempt.
Bundaberg airport is an uncontrolled airport, it is 33 metres (107 feet) AMSL, it has two runways; 14 / 32 which is the main runway and it has an asphalt surface. It is 2,000 metres (6,562 feet) long and 07 / 25 which is also has an asphalt surface and it is 1,128 metres (3,701 feet) long.
Qantas Link was the only airline servicing Bundaberg / Brisbane, until the 4th May 2013 when Virgin Australia started daily flights from Brisbane return using ATR-72 Turboprop aircraft.
With the outbreak of World War II, it was decided as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme to requisition Bundaberg Airport and develop it as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Flying Training School.
Known as RAAF Station Bundaberg it was initially used in 1941 by No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF (12 EFTS), until 12 EFTS relocated to Lowood Aerodrome on 12 January 1942. No. 8 Service Flying Training School RAAF then operated from the base.
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| VIRGIN AUSTRALIA ATR 72 VH-FVL (CN 0974) |
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| PEL-AIR EXPRESS 1124 WEST WIND VH-KNS (CN 323) |
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| DEPARTED BUNDABERG FOR AMBERLEY AS "CENTURY 23" |
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| AUSTRALIAN NAVY AS350 SQUIRREL |
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| N22-001 CODE 801 |
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| QANTAS LINK DASH 8 Q 400 VH-QON (CN 4218) |
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| TAXIING OUT FOR RUNWAY 32 |
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| GENERAL AVIATION MAINTENANCE AERO COMMANDER |
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| VH-YJL (CN 1875-48) LANDED 5.39PM WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 20 MINUTES PICKING UP FREIGHT AND THEN DEPARTED FOR MARYBOUROUGH AT 5.58 PM |
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Germanwings plane crashes in Southern France
BREAKING NEWS
An Airbus A320 with the registration D-AIPX (CN 0147) operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline has crashed in southern France en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, police and aviation officials say.
French president Francois Hollande said he believed none of the 148 people on board the plane had survived. "The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors."Germanwings flight 4U 9525 had taken off from Barcelona airport at 08:55 (local time), a spokeswoman for Spain's airport operator Aena said.
The plane issued a distress call at 10:47am (local time), sources said.
Debris from a crashed airliner was found near a French village, the interior ministry said.
Lufthansa's Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash.
The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net.
An Airbus spokeswoman said the company was trying to assess the situation after the crash reports
Germanwings is a low-cost airline based in Cologne, which is wholly owned by Lufthansa. Its main hubs are Cologne Bonn Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Hamburg Airport, Berlin Tege Airport and Düsseldorf Airport.
In January 2013, Lufthansa started to move its entire short-haul operations outside its main hubs in Frankfurt and Munich to Germanwings.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all on board, their families, friends and colleagues.
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Aborted Take Off in Brisbane
After viewing the Blackhawks in the city we ventured out to the airport to get a photo of the Dubai Air Wing 747 that came in last night, to our surprise a Lynden Cargo Lockheed L-382G-44K-30 (Hercules C 130) was parked near the 747 and it wasn't far from departing.
We grabbed a few photos and headed up to the viewing area (known in Brisbane as the turning circle) I wasn't in my car so I didn't have my scanner but as the C-130 was running down the runway it aborted its take off and pulled up pretty quick. It pulled off into Alpha 3 and after 30 seconds it taxied all the way back down and waited in turn to line up for a second chance for a take off on 01. This time it departed for Bauerfield Port Villa without incidence. A few minutes later Thai departed and then the airport closed due to severe weather so we came home.
We grabbed a few photos and headed up to the viewing area (known in Brisbane as the turning circle) I wasn't in my car so I didn't have my scanner but as the C-130 was running down the runway it aborted its take off and pulled up pretty quick. It pulled off into Alpha 3 and after 30 seconds it taxied all the way back down and waited in turn to line up for a second chance for a take off on 01. This time it departed for Bauerfield Port Villa without incidence. A few minutes later Thai departed and then the airport closed due to severe weather so we came home.
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| DUBAI AIR WING B747-412F A6-GGP (CN 28032) |
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| DUBAI AIR WING |
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| LYNDON CARGO LOCKHEED L-382G-44K-30 |
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| P2-LAC (CN 4676) |
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| ABORTED TAKE OFF TURING INTO ALPHA 3 TAXI WAY |
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| PARKED UP FOR 30 SECONDS WORKING OUT WHAT WENT WRONG |
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| TAXIING BACK DOWN ALPHA FOR ANOTHER TRY |
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| SUCCESS; OFF TO PORT VILLA |
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| THAI INTERNATIONAL B777-200 HS-TJT (CN34588) |
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