1980s PERTH AIRPORT VISITORS - CIVIL

A selection of my photographs of visiting civil aircraft at Perth Airport

HeavyLift Cargo Airlines' fleet of former RAF Short Belfast freighters were occasional visitors during the decade.
G-BEPE brought a load of computer gear in February 1981

G-BFYU in February 1982, closed up after unloading two Bristow Helicopters Pumas for WA off-shore oil rig work

Belfast G-BFYU departs Perth Runway 21 in February 1982, bound for Singapore

Vickers Vanguard/Merchantman freighter G-APEG visited from Singapore in December 1981, carrying a six ton piece
of drilling equipment.  Air Tenggara was a short-lived cargo operation based at Singapore

The last recorded visit of a Canadair CL-44 was Bayu Indonesia Air's PK-BAZ on 30 September 1982, when it arrived
at dawn from Singapore carrying oil drilling gear, departing for Jakarta later the same day.

During March 1985,  Douglas DC-8-63CF EI-BNA of the Irish operartor Aer Turas flew a series of cattle charters between
the Cocos Island livestock quarantine station and Perth, Melbourne and Christchurch

Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 707-338C 9V-BFW (previously Qantas VH-EBN) at Perth on 23 November 1980 while
still in use with SQ after it had been sold to USA and SQ markings removed

A Transcorp lease on 24 March 1985 was another former TWA Boeing 707- 331C N345FA of RACE, carrying horses

UAS Cargo Boeing 707-351C 5N-ASY was leased to Airline of Egypt on this visit in November 1985

ZAS Airline of Egypt Boeing 707-336C on arrival from Sharjah direct on 22 September 1986, to collect livestock for Bangkok.
Customs officers are at the top of the stairs waiting for the cabin door to be opened.

Maersk Air Boeing 720 OY-APV brought engine parts from Copenhagen for a Danish ship on 23 May 1981

Boeing 707s were still in widespread passenger use in the 1980s. Air Mauritius flew a number of charters to Perth.
Here's their Boeing 707-344B 3B-NAF on 17 December 1985

Air Zimbabwe Boeing 707-330B VP-WKV night-stopped in October 1982 on its way from Harare to Brisbane to collect
125 athletes and officials of the Zimbabwe teams in the Commonwealth Games
Executive Boeing 707-330B N88ZL brought the Sultan of Oman to Perth on 22 January 1988

Boeing 707-351B VR-CAO of Saudi Aramco Aviation at Dharan arrives in December 1980 bringing the Saudi Oil Minister


VC-10 A40-AB of the Oman Royal Flight was a welcome visitor in March 1985

Geoterrex operated their magnificent Catalina VH-EXG on mineral survey contracts until it was retired at Essendon in 1987.
Built in 1944 by Boeing Canada as a PBV-1A Canso A and used by RCAF until 1961 when sold by Canadian disposals,
it was later modified with more powerful Wright R-2800s and redesigned tail as a Steward Davis Super Catalina.
Seen at Perth in June 1985 when it was parked for two months between survey jobs.

The magnetometer sensor cables strung around the Catalina can be seen in this view

Beech Super H18 VH-PDI was a regular visitor from Sydney, delivering cartons of day-old chickens to WA poultry farms.
The Beech featured Big Bird nose art.  It replaced the Piaggio P166s which flew the contract in the 1970s

Canadian operator Okanagan Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N VH-IMQ at Perth in May 1980. It was ferrying from off-shore oil rig
support work at Eucla back to its normal base at Exmouth WA

The well known Flying Tiger Line stretched DC-8 freighters were being replaced by Boeing 747s. N807FT in February 1981


A US Marine Corps charter brought Pan Am Boeing 747s and World Airways DC-10s to Perth in July 1982, carrying troops
for a military exercise.  Pan Am 747s N735PA and N741PA inbound from USA flew Fiji-Perth direct, impressive for the time

All Nippon Airways B747 JA8157 stayed six days on a passenger charter from Japan in September 1985

The final Concord visit was on 7 April 1986 when G-BOAB flew Auckland-Perth-Colombo on a charter to London

Business and executive aircraft became increasingly frequent visitors during the 1980s. Here's a selection:


Boeing 727-17 N311AG operated by Baker Corporation stayed for three days in February 1987

Boeing 727-21 N199AM of Jetex International brought Mormon Church elders from USA in December 1987

Boeing 727-17 N4002M of Fluor Corp visited in April 1981

Former American Airlines Boeing 727-23 N2913 at Perth in February 1982 operated by Parker Drilling Company

Freeport McMoran Inc Boeing 727-25 N682FM visited in March 1988 from the company's mining ventures in West Papua


Robert Franks Corp Boeing 727-21 N727RF with stayed for a week in December 1985

Sumptuous executive Douglas DC-9-15 VR-CKO at Perth in March 1989 was operated by Handlingair Inc

Lockheed Jetstar II N711Z visited from/to Jakarta in March 1979

Saudi Arabian Lockheed Jetstar 6 HZ-FNA brought Prince Tuyrki Bin Nasser in April 1985

North American Rockwell Sabreliner 65 N750CS of Coastal States Gas visited several times, seen in December 1981

Morgan Equipment Co HS-125 Serieds 700A N333ME in May 1980
 
Bristow Helicopters HS-125 G-BFVI Series 700B in December 1981


Falcon 900 F-GFJC in February 1987 was being demonstrated to Flightways at Perth Airport

Falcon 50 HB-IEC arrived from Bali in October 1986 and stayed five days before departing for Fiji

Learjet 36 N3456L seen on arrival from Jakarta in June 1982, brought Computerland executives to visit their Australian stores

The new model Gulfstream 3 was the coveted long-range business jet of the 1980s.
N425SP owned by Security Pacific National Bank stayed two days in February 1987 then departed to Kota Kinabalu

Gulfstream 3 N399CB was parked on an old low-strength taxiway next to the Tower for four days in February 1987

Anglo American Oil's Gulfstream 3 3D-AAC arrived from Africa via Mauritius in August 1988

Now a range of Gulfstream 2s: VH-ASG in July 1985.
Part of the Associated Airlines fleet of executive jets operated for BHP and associated mining companies

Associated Airlines also operated Gulfstream 2 VH-ASM, seen at Perth in June 1982

Canadian Gulfstream II C-FHBX of the Hudson Bay Oil Company in March 1981

C-FROC of Ranger Oil Co overnighted in Perth in February 1981 on its way to Kota Kinabalu

Gulfstream 2 N225SF of Standard Oil Co California, at Perth in April 1981

Standard Oil's N575SF in the identical paint scheme in March 1988, when it visited Barrow Island and Meekatharra

Attractive paint scheme on Fluor Corporation's Gulfstream 2 N401M, an regular visitor, seen in April 1982

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