THE state government has carried out secret night-time aerial surveying of Redlands.
Mount Cotton residents were awoken in the early hours of Monday and Tuesday last week as a twin-engine Cessna made 50 trips from Staplyton in the south to Finucane Road in the north.
The state government's Department of Natural Resources and Mines contracted Brisbane's Fugro Spatial Solutions to carry out the surveying, believed to include photographs of Karreman and Barro quarries at Mount Cotton.
The plane flew in a grid pattern for more than five hours after leaving Archerfield just before 11pm and flying to Gilston before turning north and lining up its first run from Plantain Road at Shailer Park.
It passed over Capalaba, Alexandra Hills and Thornlands 50 times before 3.30am mapping the area south to Loganholme, Eagleby, Yatala and Alberton.
Mount Cotton resident Peter Kohlmayer said he was awoken by noise from the aircraft engine at about 2.30am on both mornings.
While the exact reason for the surveying has not been revealed, the state government ruled out the the plane was mapping fire ant nests and said it had not received any reports of UFOs over Redland City last week.
Biosecurity Queensland Control Centre Director Mike Ashton said helicopters, not planes, were used in aerial surveying of fire ants.
He said Biosecurity Queensland's remote sensing surveillance flights started around 8.30am and ended around 3pm.
In Redlands, he said aerial surveys were conducted last year, resulting in Redland Bay and Mount Cotton being declared fire ant infested.
Sheldon was added to the high-risk restricted area on August 30.
Mr Ashton said there were no additional fees or charges for people or businesses taking restricted items to the Redland Bay tip, which is in the fire ant restricted area.
UFO Research Queensland Sheryl Gottschall also ruled out aliens landing in or around Mount Cotton in the past month.
