I took my son out with his bike for the last day of the holidays but just before we got to our first destination the heavens opened. It was a total washout. But seeing as we had planned on heading out to the airport for some lunch, we carried on. What luck!
I had my scanner on and was wondering about the callsign “Charlie 101″ which was clearly an American accent. I figured maybe a bizjet. Whilst trying to figure out how close it was, I heard landing clearance given for callsign “Kilo Foxtrot Bravo”. I knew what that was! It’s the Air National Gulfstream. We leapt out of the car with cameras at the ready.
After hopping back into the car and beginning to listen to the scanner again, we heard that C101 was on a 7 mile final and, via instructions to a following aircraft, that it was also a Gulfstream. We decided to race down to the government hangar for a better shot at it landing.
It was none other than the US Coastguard!
Whilst they were parking the Gulfstream, an RNZAF King Air, callsign “King Air 83″ touched down and taxied up to park directy in front of it. Out of the King Air came some naval personnel who came across and greeted the persons from the Coastguard aircraft. Very shortly afterward it left, bound for points north.
And finally, there were a few slightly-more-interesting-than-usual aircraft including this nice Cessna 152.
There are more photos on the photostream.
Also, if you want to go and see the Coastguard Gulfstream, indications from the radio traffic I heard suggested it would be departing early on Sunday morning.
Nice catch with the Coastguard Gulfstream. I’ve never heard of a US Coastguard aircraft straying this far south before.