General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) - Southern and Central Queensland Freight Ops

General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) is an Essendon Airport, Victoria, based operation comprising of GAMair, General Aviation Maintenance (GAM), DC3 Australia, Commander Air and Reefwatch Air Tours.

However, GAM has a dedicated fleet of Aero Commander 500-S and Fairchild Dornier 228-200 aircraft based at Brisbane Airport to service a range of charter and freight contracts in southern and central Queensland.

Some of the more notable freight runs currently awarded to GAM that operate each weekday consist of the following :

* Brisbane - Maryborough - Bundaberg - Gayndah and return via the same stops in reverse.

An aircraft generally departs Brisbane during the earlier hours of the morning and remains parked at Gayndah until late afternoon.

* Brisbane - Dalby - Roma - Charleville and return via the same towns but includes a stop at Toowoomba.

Again, an Aero Commander 500-S makes an early morning departure from Brisbane and remains parked at Charleville until mid-afternoon.

* Emerald - Barcaldine - Longreach and return.

This was once operated by Advance Aviation, but when the Emerald based company was placed into administration in March 2016, was awarded to GAM.

* A more recent contract awarded to GAM over incumbent Toll Aviation is the Brisbane - Biloela / Thangool - Emerald - Rockhampton - Brisbane service.

Departing each weekday morning, an Dornier 228-200 aircraft flys to Emerald via Thangool where it remains parked for the day until making a late afternoon / early evening flight back to Brisbane, via Rockhampton Monday and Friday.

General Aviation Maintenance : http://gamgroup.com.au/

 

Regional Express Airlines SAAB 340B / 340B+

Initially produced in partnership between Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft as a SF340 (eventually became a sole SAAB venture), the SAAB 340 first flew in 1983 however due to declining sales, production of the aircraft ceased in 1998.

After producing the 340A for a number of years, the second generation 340B was introduced in 1989 and incorporated more powerful engines and wider horizontal stabilizers among other improvements. Later "B" models were offered with an "active noise and vibration control" system as an option.

In 1994, the third generation 340B plus (340B+) commenced production and incorporated the "active noise and vibration control" system as standard aswell as a more modern interior design including the relocation of the lavatory from aft of the cabin to just aft of the flightdeck enabling more cargo volume.

To improve field performance, extended wingtips (WT) also became a feature.

Powering the SAAB 340B and 340B+ is a pair of 1870 shp (1394 kW) General-Electric CT7-9B turboprop engines.

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Regional Express Airlines (also known as REX), is a company based in Mascot, New South Wales operating regular passenger transport (RPT) and ad-hoc charter services in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

Established in 2002 when the Australiawide Airlines consortium set up by former Ansett Australia employees acquired Hazelton Airlines and Kendell Airlines, Regional Express has since grown to become Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and not only maintains a fleet consisting entirely of the Swedish built SAAB 340 turboprop but one of the worlds largest fleet of the twin-engined aircraft.

In 2005, Australiawide Airlines was renamed Regional Express Holdings and partially floated on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). During the same year, Regional Express Airlines also aquired Dubbo based Air Link.

Further expansion of Regional Express Holdings came about in 2007 when the company announced it will establish a cadet-pilot flight-training programme in an effort to resolve an on-going shortage of pilots.

As a joint venture between Regional Express Airlines and Mangalore Airport Pty Ltd, the Civil Aviation Training Academy based at Mangalore Airport in Victoria was created however Regional Express soon acquired full ownership of the flying school and renamed it the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA).

In 2009, the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) relocated from Mangalore Airport to Wagga Wagga Airport in partnership with the City of Wagga Wagga.

Today, Regional Express Airlines maintains a fleet of over fifty SAAB 340B and "B plus" models.

To learn about REX's Queensland operations, click onto the link below :

http://airqueensland.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/regional-express-airlines-queensland.html

Central Queensland Gliding Club

Operating from McMaster Field off the Burnett Highway at Dixalea, just south of Dululu in Central Queensland (approximately 80km from Rockhampton), the Central Queensland Gliding Club (CQGC) is said to have been flying for a very long time and provide the region with a range of services associated with gliding.

With conditions at Dixalea providing ideal soaring weather for a great part of the year, the club owns the airfield they operate from, with take-offs and landings performed from a 1,700 metre long grass / gravel strip aligned 06/24. To ensure comfort for flyers and visitors - a clubhouse, bunkhouse, caravan park and hangarage are all available.

On a flying day, visitors are invited to come along and have a look or even climb aboard one of the modern gliders to enjoy the thrill of silent flight above the beautiful scenery of Central Queensland. 

Additionally, the club offers Training Introductory Flights (TIFs) for people interested in learning to fly with experienced instructors qualified to train anyone, from new students with no previous aviation experience, to seasoned commercial pilots looking for some weekend adventure.

Of interest, Air Experience Flights are also available for those who would like to accompany club members in the air just for the fun of it.

To learn more about the Central Queensland Gliding Club, their official website can be located by clicking onto the following link : http://www.cqgliding.org.au/

The Central Queensland Gliding Club Facebook page can be found at :

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Queensland-Gliding-Club/195490310533602

And for more fantastic photos, the CQGliding Flickr page is a great source :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/70817403@N05/

Air Queensland.blogspot would like to thank Central Queensland Gliding Club member and pilot, Ash Burggraaff, for allowing us to obtain all photos from the club's associated Facebook and Flickr page.