Air side at Wellcamp

As yesterday was my RDO I decided to drive the 145 km's out to Wellcamp airport to view the Virgin Australia aircraft parked up out there and to photograph the arriving Cathay. When I arrived I was very impressed with the sight of all the aircraft parked there but quite excited to see the tail of a 777 clearly hanging out over the fence line. I was about to walk up the fence to take a few photos and I thought I had better let security know I was going to be hanging around the perimeter fence.. So I went in and found the airport office and explained my story, and to my surprise I was offered a tour air-side so I could get up close to the parked up aircraft. While I waited for my clearance I went for a quick look around before coming back and going air side.

Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport (IATA: WTB, ICAO: YBWW) is 15.6 km west of the CBD of Toowoomba or 150 km's from Brisbane city. The airport and business park is the brainchild of the Wagner family, a business family prominent in the Toowoomba region. It is the first major public airport development in Australia since Melbourne Airport opened in 1970. It is also the first privately funded major airport in the country.
The airport is rated at Code E and with its 2,870-metre (9,416 ft) long 45-metre (148 ft) wide runway (12/30) it can handle aircraft the size and weight of a Boeing 747-8.  The airport sits at 1,509 ft / 460 mt's ASML. This airport does not have a control tower so pilots are required to communicate via a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to safely co-ordinate arrivals and departures. From Toowoomba Wellcamp you can fly directly to Sydney with Qantas, Melbourne or Townsville with Airnorth, or Brisbane, Bedourie, Birdsville, Boulia, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Mount Isa, Quilpie, St George, Thargominda and Windorah with Regional Express. Wellcamp also has two airlines calling in delivering freight to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific twice a week and Singapore with Singapore Airlines once a week. 

Returning to the office Timothy was waiting for me, so we went out and jumped in his car and we headed out.

Going to REX next week as a training aircraft

There are 10 aircraft on the ground at the moment.

Four 777-3ZG's

VH-VOZ CN 35302

VH-VPD CN 37938

VH-VPE CN 37939

VH-VPH CN  37943

Five 737-800'S

2-HVUR CN 36606

VH-YFE CN 39414

VH-YFH CN 40996

VH-YFJ  CN 41001

VH-VUF CN 34168 (Going to REX next week)

One A330-243

VH-XFH CN 1452

With my head still spinning I jumped in my car and headed around to the viewing area of the airport so I could get the landing Cathay 777

CATHAY PACIFIC B777-367 B-KQH (CN 42143)

Many thanks to Timothy Carney for making this happen. Thank you for taking the time out of your day for me, you seriously made my day.

Alliance takes delivery of their new Embraer E190

ALLIANCE EMBRAER E190 N922QQ (CN 19000222) Photo Lloyd Fox

Yesterday afternoon Alliance Airlines took delivery of the first of 14 Embraer E190's. The aircraft departed San Jose on the 27th and had a 6 hour stop over in San Diego before calling into Honolulu for the night. N922QQ departed Honolulu at 5.15am Brisbane time, and with the Call-sign "Southern Cross Echo 190" made its way across the Pacific before touching down on Brisbane 01R at 5.43pm. Alliance airlines, up  until now, was an all Fokker aircraft airline with a fleet of 24 Fokker F100, 13 Fokker 70LRs and five Fokker 50 turboprops.

Earlier this year Alliance Airlines said it will spend US$79.4 million to buy a fleet of 14 Embraer E190 aircraft from lessor Azorra Aviation in the US. The acquisition includes ground support equipment, training equipment, six spare GE C34 engines, an option to buy five more E190s, an option for a full flight simulator. The aircraft were set to be delivered starting in September but was delayed until today.

Aircraft's History
HP-1569CMP Copa Airlines Nov 2008
N922QQ TVPX Trust Services Mar 2020
VH-UYZ Alliance Airlines Oct 2020

Of course while I was waiting I took a few more photos but there wasn't a lot of movement

SKY TRADERS A319-132 VH-VCJ (CN 1880)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-8FE VH-YIZ (CN 40702)

QANTAS 737-838'S

ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR BEECH B200 VH-FDZ (CN BB-1882)
FD458 OFF TO ROCKHAMPTON - NEW COLOURS

QANTAS LINK B717'S OLD AND NEW COLOUR SCHEME

LINK AIRWAYS FAIRCHILD VH-VEK (CN DC-845B)

SKYTRANS DASH 8 Q100 VH-QQI (CN 117)
ARRIVING FROM MILES

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-LQD  (CN 4371)
QFA2535 ARRIVING FROM LONGREACH

MORE QANTAS B737-838'S 

JETSTAR A320-232 VH-VQK (CN 2651)
JQ833 ARRIVING FROM PROSERPINE

VIRGIN  AUSTRALIA ATR 72-600  VH-VPJ (CN 1169)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-8KG VH-VUY (CN 39450)
VA1118 ARRIVING FROM PROSERPINE

ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR BEECH B300 VH-FDF (CN FM-63)
FD449 ARRIVING FROM GLADSTONE - OLD COLOURS

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK 70 VH-NUO (CN 11529)
QQ8471 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK 70 VH-QQW (CN 11569)
QQ8461 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH

LINK AIWAYS SAAB 340B VH-VEM (CN 340B-364)