About the numbers
This tracker converts publicly-broadcast ADS-B position data into plain-English estimates of fuel burn, cost and CO₂ emissions. Every figure is derived from publicly-available aircraft performance data. Here is exactly how.
The aircraft
| Registration | VH-AU7 |
| Type | Cirrus SR22T G7 (Special Edition "Australis") |
| Engine | Continental TSIO-550-K, 315 hp, turbocharged |
| Fuel | Avgas 100LL |
| Cruise speed (working average) | ~190 KTAS |
| Announced | 28–29 April 2026 |
| Gift disclosed by | Pauline Hanson / One Nation |
The donors
The following individuals and organisations disclosed involvement in the gift, as reported in media coverage of the 28–29 April 2026 announcement:
- Angus & Sarah Aitken ($1,000,000)
- Adam Giles / Hancock Agriculture ($500,000)
- Ian Plimer / Hancock Prospecting ($500,000)
- Gina Rinehart (reported involvement)
Sources: Stock & Land, The New Daily.
Calculation methodology
Step 1 – Detect a flight
A flight segment begins when the aircraft's ADS-B transponder reports a ground speed above 40 knots and an altitude above 100 feet. It ends when both conditions fall back below those thresholds for two consecutive 10-minute polling intervals.
Step 2 – Calculate fuel burn
The SR22T's published cruise fuel consumption ranges from 12.7 to 18.3 gph. We use 17 US gallons per hour as a realistic working figure.
flight_hours = airborne duration in hours fuel_used_gal = flight_hours × 17 gph fuel_used_l = fuel_used_gal × 3.785 L/gal
Step 3 – Calculate fuel cost
We use $3.00 AUD per litre – consistent with recently-posted prices at Sydney Bankstown (YSBK) and Melbourne Moorabbin (YMMB).
fuel_cost_aud = fuel_used_l × $3.00/L
Step 4 – Calculate CO₂ emissions
We apply the US EIA's published emission factor for avgas 100LL: 2.2 kg CO₂ per litre.
co2_kg = fuel_used_l × 2.2 kg/L
For context: the average Australian
According to the ABS Survey of Motor Vehicle Use (2020), the average Australian vehicle travels approximately 12,100 km per year at an average fuel consumption of 11.1 L/100km — equating to around 25 litres per week of petrol or diesel. One hour in VH-AU7 burns more than twice that.
Worked example
A typical regional hop – Brisbane to Toowoomba – at approximately 1.0 flight hour:
hours = 1.0 litres = 1.0 × 17 × 3.785 = 64.35 L fuel cost = 64.35 × $3.00 = $193.05 AUD CO₂ = 64.35 × 2.2 = 141.6 kg distance = ~140 km direct
Data source
Position data is sourced from ADSB.lol, a free, crowdsourced, unfiltered ADS-B receiver network. The tracker polls every 10 minutes and stores each fix. Coverage gaps are shown as-is – a gap is itself a notable data point.
Caveats
- All figures are estimates. Actual fuel burn varies with load, altitude, weather and power setting.
- Distance is the great-circle sum of successive position fixes, not the filed route.
- Avgas prices vary between airports. The $3.00/L figure is representative.
- If the transponder is switched off, the flight cannot be tracked.