What it’s like to fly a Boeing 747 into Wellcamp Airport

For the uninitiated, Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport might seem like just any other airport in Australia, but for pilots flying into it, especially those flying in one of the world’s largest planes, the airport poses some unique flying challenges.

FOR the uninitiated Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport might seem like just any other airport in Australia, but for pilots flying into it, especially those flying in one of the world's largest planes, the airport poses some unique flying challenges.

Dutch pilot Eva Claire Marseille, known to her 143,000 Instagram followers as flywitheva, is one of just a handful of pilots who can say they've flown a Boeing 747, known by many as the Jumbo Jet or the Queen of the Skies, into Wellcamp.

Ms Marseille said Wellcamp was the only "uncontrolled airport" that she knew of where the 747 lands. An uncontrolled airport is an airport without a control tower, or air traffic control.

 

 

The 747, operated by many airlines around the world, very rarely flighs into uncontrolled airports, making the service to Wellcamp incredibly unique.

Cathay Pacific operates a weekly cargo flight between Wellcamp and Hong Kong using a 747-8F.

Ms Marseille said there were some challenges involved with flying a large aircraft like a 747 into uncontrolled airports, because of small, light aircraft which might not be radio equipped.

 

 

"It means a higher workload and keeping a good visual lookout. Slowing the Jumbo down early on approach is recommended as well," she said.

"Initially (on approach) you are under radar control and talk to Brisbane Centre. Brisbane then gave us a direct route to the start of our approach, and initial descent clearances. In the mean time you need to activate the lighting at the airport via the PAL frequency."

 

 

Ms Marseille said at the point Brisbane clears the flight to uncontrolled airspace the pilots were responsible for the rate of descent and for traffic separation.

"You need to inform other traffic on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency via standard CTAF procedures of your position and intentions," she said.

 

 

"(This is) to not make anyone in a light aircraft nervous with suddenly a B747 popping up in the area.

"I love that we operate to funky and remote places like this."

Wellcamp Airport acting general manager Robert Kasch said it was "always fantastic" to see an aircraft of the magnitude of a 747 land in Toowoomba every Tuesday.

"It's acutally coming up to three years of the service coming in here," he said.

"It's stood the test of time.

"We're very lucky to have that in here every week, supporting the region with direct access to Hong Kong and China."