Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Queensland Police Service (airwing)

The Queensland Police Service (airwing) unofficially began providing services albiet limited in 1956 when a Police Officer stationed at Camooweal flew his own Tiger Moth to assist with Police work.

However, nearly twenty years later in 1975, the official Queensland Police Service (airwing) commenced regular operations with two aircraft and four pilots from Archerfield, south-east Queensland which later relocated to Brisbane Airport in 1980.

Unfortunately, after a relatively short stint at Brisbane, the airwing division closed in 1983.

But, not all was lost as the Queensland Police Service (airwing) reformed in 1985 but this time staffed by civilian pilots and today continues to operate (with all civilian pilots) out of Brisbane, Cairns and Mount Isa with four modern fixed wing aircraft - Cessna 560 Citation Ultra VH-PSU, Raytheon 1900D VH-PSK and Cessna 208 Caravan's VH-PSV & VH-PSY. 

Of interest, Far North Queensland based Beechcraft 1900D VH-PSK operates from Cairns to Brisbane and return along the Queensland Coast on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's of most weeks with a number of stops made along the way which generally include the cities of Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg and / or Maryborough depending on operational requirements.