Qanta s Heritage
U
nlike many of the world’s airlines, Qantas and the Australian
people care deeply about its heritage. The Qantas
Founders Museum, situated at Longreach, Queensland, is
a jewel in the airline’s crown and displays include examples of former
Qantas aircraft – including its first Boeing 707-138B VH-EBA. The
volunteers at the museum confidently show the airline’s history in a
way that would make Sir Hudson Fysh proud.
The museum is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm (except Christmas
Day & Boxing Day) and special opening hours are available to groups
and charters by prior arrangement. Bookings are essential for all
guided tours. For more information visit http://www.qfom.com.audelivered on February 15, 1965.
Qantas was acutely aware of the success the 707 had brought
to its operation so in March 1966, when Boeing announced
it was to build a new airliner that would dwarf its first jet, the
airline was keen to learn more. Although it was in the midst of
opening its own Wentworth hotel in Sydney and acquiring a
whole inner-city block for its new headquarters, Qantas engaged
in negotiations with Boeing regarding the new 747.
The manufacturer pushed Qantas to order three examples of
the new ‘Jumbo’ but the airline was fully committed to readying
its older 707-138 fleet for sale and preparing for the arrival of the
707-338Cs, so it was forced to let the 747 proposal lapse. As it
happened, the 707-138s had no problem finding new homes and
soon departed to airlines such as British Eagle in the UK and
Pacific Western in Canada.
Early in 1967 Boeing increased the pressure on Qantas to
commit to an order for new 747s and on February 10 it told the
airline that “due to increased activity from various customers
we find we are unable to protect any longer the quotes we have
made to you regarding delivery positions for new aircraft.”
The airline management board knew it needed 747s to
remain competitive and unwilling to lose its position in the
queue, Qantas placed an order for four 747-238s on June 1.
The total cost of the project – including aircraft, spare engines,
ground support equipment, simulator, training aids and new
maintenance hangars – was estimated at US$109 million dollars,
although this was later revised to US$134.5 million. The
aircraft were to be delivered in August, October,
November and December 1971 but the first
example actually arrived a few days early on
July 30. The first revenue service took place on the September
17, when the aircraft operated a rotation to Singapore.
Later in the 1970s Qantas would place an order for two
McDonnell Douglas DC-10s for flights to New Zealand and
other Pacific Rim countries but the orders were never taken up.Retirements & Upgrades
The L-188 Electra fleet served the airline well and its
economics and serviceability were on a par with the 707 fleet.
However, by April 1971 the last aircraft had left the fleet.
In March 1979 another stalwart was to depart. Qantas had
enjoyed a 20-year-long association with the Boeing 707 – in
the form of both the unique 138 series and the larger and more
profitable 338 series – but the type’s final commercial flight took
place on March 25, 1979 when the last 707 in service flew from
Auckland to Sydney. Until the delivery of the first Boeing 767
in 1985, Qantas held the mantle of the only major airline in the
world to operate an all Boeing 747 widebody fleet.
By this time the 747-238 fleet had been bolstered by the arrival
of more capable 747-338s and in 1989 the Jumbo fleet was
further upgraded with the delivery of the first 747-438. The first
example, VH-OJA City of Canberra, went into the record books
when it flew 10,576 miles (17,020km) non-stop from London
to Sydney in 20 hours and 9 minutes. This historic aircraft was
retired in March 2015 and presented to the Historical Aircraft
Restoration Society for permanent display.
In 1992, the Australian government sold the domestic carrier
Australian Airlines, formerly TAA (Trans Australia Airlines)
to Qantas in a move that would see the carrier exit government
control and return to the private sector.
Since Qantas’ inception in 1920, it has become a serial
innovator. The introduction of new types of aircraft and its
outstanding cabin service have placed the carrier at the forefront
of the world’s most respected airlines. From the first 304-mile
(489km) journey in 1922 to today’s non-stop 10,576-mile
(17,020km) flights from London to Sydney, Qantas has come a
long way in a short space of time.Over the decades
Qantas has operated
the 747-238, 747-338
and 747-438 variants
as well as the shorter
747SP. An example of
the latter is VH-EAA
which spent its entire
career – from 1980
to 2002 – with the
Australian airline.
C C
CVH-EBA was the f irst
747-238 delivered to
Qantas and arrived
on July 30, 1971. It is
believed to have been
scrapped at Riyadh
in 2012.98 AIRLINER Classics 2018