C212 circling near Erskine Park/St Clair
 

Hey everyone,

Was out in my backyard around 4:30PM this arvo and while I happened to watch the QF A380 fly over my house, I noticed a strange twin-engine turbo prop doing circuits in what looked like a holding pattern (but a very tight holding pattern I might add) just south of my house (Erskine Park next door to St Clair).

I watched it circling for almost half and hour while I was entertaining some little cousins.

WebTrack shows a C212 (I'm guessing that means CASA C-212) circling exactly a mile or two south or Erskine Park between 4:30PM and 5:00PM.

Anyone know what exactly it was doing and who it belongs to?

My best guess is some sort of surveying airwork in the area perhaps?

Cheers

Was it white, or red and white? If it was full white It could have been fugro doing a aerial survey.

A C-212 or C-235 did a parachute drop on Thursday afternoon into the Moore Park complex...perhaps the same aircraft?

Possibly the army jump aircraft that is here at nowra, saw it leave heading north yesterday about 2 pm ish.

My log shows VH-MQE around the times you mentioned Russell. I was gardening but didn't see it. I did log the other one (MQD) doing para drops at Richmond in 2009.

Although it was a bit hard to make out the colour due to the stratonimbus layer of cloud above it, it appeared to be white or grey. Definitely no red markings as far as I could tell. But then again, it was pretty high up. Webtrack says it was circling at about 3000m (i.e. roughly 10,000ft).

I think it might be the aerial survey aircraft as mentioned by Brenden. But then again, army doing drops could also work. But I never saw anything dropping out of the aeroplane, nor any parachutes or anything of the like.

Hi guys... The aircraft was involved in Army parachute drops in the Holsworthy restricted areas.... Nazab 2 was the callsign, Casa 212 the aircraft type...

Cheers

Thanks for that Patrick. It was the first time I've ever seen a C212. At first I thought it was a C130, but with only 2 engines, logic and common sense set in.

Interesting aircraft type though nonetheless. ;)

Yes they are a funny looking aircraft... mini C130!!!