A Fokker jet aircraft tail will serve as the centrepiece of Brisbane Airport’s new plane spotting area as centenary celebrations wrap up.
The tail of a Fokker F28 Fellowship twin-jet aircraft will cater to growing demand for a viewing area, says airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said.
“We have growing demand from people who want to come and have a front-seat view of aviation,” he says.
“We know the children watching aircraft today will be the pilots and aircrew of tomorrow.”
The 50-year-old F28 tail was donated by Aviation Australia and is part of a symbolic link to the Fokker aircraft manufacturer.
FOKKER LINK
Also at the airport is a 100-year-old Fokker VIIb three-engine aircraft (Southern Cross) which completed the first Pacific air crossing in 1928 by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith; the airport is also home to the world’s largest Fokker fleet operated by Alliance Airlines.
The F28 Fellowships were the first jet aircraft flown by many passengers in Queensland.
Key features of the new viewing area are the Fokker F28 tail, an elevated viewing platform, proximity to taxiways and shading and seating.
The new site will be closer to the airport’s Zulu and Yankee taxiways with better views of aircraft taxiing to and from the western runway and take-offs and landings on the eastern runway.
65 YEARS OF PLANE SPOTTING
Lloyd Fox has visited the airport to photograph planes for 65 years, starting as a 10-year-old riding a bike to the old Eagle Farm airport.
He believes he’s visited Brisbane Airport 5500 times since it opened in 1988 and now has an image collection of almost 30,000 photographs which he shares on Instagram.
“This new area is something I could never have imagined as it will get people a lot closer to the action,” he says.
“It’s not just about taking photographs; it’s talking to people. I see parents here all the time with their kids.”
Construction will start this year and requires the temporary closure of the current viewing platform next to the South Cross.
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