Australian Qantas Airline's first Boeing 747-400 jumbo airliner, celebrated for having flown the longest commercial flight in histor...
Australian Qantas Airline's first Boeing 747-400 jumbo airliner, celebrated for having flown the longest commercial flight in history, made its shortest and final journey on March 7 when it landed at Illawarra Regional Airport, where it is set to become Shellharbour’s first jumbo tourist attraction.
After less than 15 minutes in flight, the specially numbered Qantas Flight ‘7474’, scheduled to touch down at 7:47am, was delivered to its new home with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) where it will become the only B747-400 in the world to be put on public display.
The official handover will take place on 15 March 2015 to coincide with HARS monthly open day weekend. The delivery flight from Sydney International Airport to Illawarra Regional Airport was the first time a Boeing 747 has landed at the regional port.
The Qantas pilots operating the final flight worked with industry stakeholders on a number of approvals and training procedures given the flight was outside normal Qantas operations to a non-Qantas port.
The aircraft livery will get a “Permaguard” coating to protect the paintwork for many years to come. The aircraft interior was also given a full “spruce up” with the only items removed from the aircraft being the Qantas Flight Operations manuals in the cockpit, the galley carts that store in-flight meals and the fresh flowers in the lavatory.
Three of OJA’s Rolls Royce engines still have significant life left in them and will be used on other Qantas B747s. One engine will be left on OJA, with Qantas and HARS working on sourcing suitable replacements over time.
Over the past few years, Qantas has been gradually retiring its older B747s. Nine of its newest jumbos, the last of which was delivered in 2003, have been refurbished and will continue flying into the future. Since 2008, the Qantas Group has taken delivery of almost 150 new aircraft, lowering its fleet age to an average of just over seven years.
The aircraft will join an impressive lineup of famed aircraft located at HARS including a Lockheed Super Constellation, Catalina, Douglas DC3 and DC4 and a Desert Storm US Army Cobra.
Qantas Boeing 747-400 “VH-OJA” facts:
- 25.3 years in service.
- 13,833 flights (excluding the final delivery flight).
- 106,154 flight hours.
- 4,094,568 passengers carried.
- This aircraft has flown nearly 85 million kilometres, which is equivalent to 110.2 return trips to the moon.
- “VH-OJA” was Qantas’ first Boeing 747-400 aircraft and was named theCity of Canberra.
- It was delivered to Qantas on 11 August 1989 and made its debut flight on 16 August 1989 from London to Sydney.
- On Thursday 17 August 1989, it set the record for having flown for the longest distance (non-stop London to Sydney) and time over distance by a commercial aircraft. The time over distance record still stands.
- The flight and subsequent media attention around the world at the time underlined Qantas’ role as the leader in long-range commercial aviation.
- All of Qantas’ B747-400 aircraft were named ‘Longreach’ as a tribute to our place of origin and to demonstrate the long-range of the aircraft.
Qantas fleet facts:
- Our first 747 was delivered in 1971; last in 2003.
- A total of 65 B747s have been operated by Qantas.
- Between 1979 and 1985 Qantas was an all-747 airline.
- There are 297 aircraft across the Qantas Group.
- Average fleet age 7.2 years.
- Qantas currently has 12 B747s; 9 of which have been reconfigured and will be kept beyond FY16.
