See the final flight of Qantas' very first Boeing 747-400
By David Flynn, February 25 2015
Congratulations to AusBT readers Jeshurun Kulasingham and Angela Stronach, who as winners of our contest will enjoy a ringside seat for VH-OJA's touchdown at Illawarra Regional Airport this coming Sunday, March 8.
READER CONTEST | The first Qantas Boeing 747-400 is making its final flight on Sunday March 8 – and you’re invited to see this 'Queen of the Skies' land at her new home of Illawarra Regional Airport, where she'll be gifted to the Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) to preserve her special place in Australia’s aviation history.
With thanks to Qantas, two Australian Business Traveller readers will join the media bus leaving Sydney on Sunday morning to travel to Illawarra Regional Airport and witness the arrival and landing of VH-OJA from the exclusive VIP area.
You’ll also have the option to attend an exclusive pre-flight briefing in Sydney on Thursday March 5 for a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the preparations for this one-off Boeing 747 flight to a regional airport.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – so why not indulge your inner aviation geek?
To enter, share with us in 25 words or fewer what the Qantas Boeing 747 means to you.
Entries close at 11.59pm on Sunday March 1, and the two winners will be announced and contacted on Monday March 2.
Note that the media bus to Illawarra Regional Airport will leave from the Qantas Campus at Mascot at 5.15am Sunday – so you’re in for an early start, but an extraordinary day!
Click here to read the terms & conditions of this contest.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
12 Jun 2013
Total posts 732
Old and busted: win a round-the-world ticket
New hotness: win a bus ride to Wollongong
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
i wonder if anyone else gets this
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1559
And once again – I will miss 747 in our airports and in our skies. Ugly A380 is not a replacement.
12 Jun 2013
Total posts 732
Qantas, Thai... are these the last two operators of passenger 747s in Australian skies?
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2424
Off the top of my head China Airlines also has a Boeing 747 on its Taipei-Brisbane-Auckland flights.
25 Feb 2015
Total posts 1
And Korean Air are currently doing seasonal 744 flights, (up untill 2nd March) Thai are rapidly retiring their's so they have little time left. KE's may return next year hopefully (but probably will be 748's).
Also quite a few freighters still flying around Australia, even the odd 747-200 still pays a visit 10 times ay ear.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Jul 2013
Total posts 203
Serg, I can not agree with you more! The A380 - the marvel of engineering that it is - is no match for the beauty and elegance of a B747. I always feel I'm being swallowed up by an airborne whale when I board an A380, not an exciting or romantic notion and further stripping away of the "glamour of flying"...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
27 Aug 2014
Total posts 40
I'd be happy sitting in an A380 and looking at the 747 across the tarmac.
02 Jan 2013
Total posts 140
I agree Serg. An A380 just does not do it for me. Such a shame to see all 747's slowly dissappear.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Nov 2013
Total posts 475
David,
Do the winners need to be in Sydney? Or is Qantas offering to fly in any interstate winners?
mark
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2563
You have to be in Sydney and make your own way to Qantas HQ for the bus to the 'Gong.
British AIrways
08 Feb 2011
Total posts 22
If someone wants to head to Illawarra, any recommendations where to see the landling?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2563
There may be some useful information on the HARS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hars.gen/posts/433663980125740
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 Jun 2012
Total posts 40
I'd advise those who are going to be at YWOL to watch VH-OJA, to plan their day carefully as there will be a lot of road closures and diversions on the day.
For Sydneysiders I'd advise to take the train to Albion Park Station (It's located right next to YWOL). A train leaves Central at 5:19am and arrives at Albion Park at 7:21am a good 29 minutes to spare. The only other option is to overnight it somewhere close to the airport! :)
Unfortunatley I won't make it there as i'll be arriving back from MNL the morining of March 8. Good Luck to those entering the compertion!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Many thanks for the train times -- tis a pity it is so early that virtually no connections are possible from outside Central
Of course the other option is the Central 12.42am arriving Albion Park at 2.42am
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 Jun 2012
Total posts 40
No worries. If you do the 12:42am train it'll be a "Red Eye" train ride :) though you've got a 5hr wait at YWOL...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Aug 2014
Total posts 501
If only I wasn't stuck in Melbourne...
02 Mar 2015
Total posts 1
I actually worked on this plane during production in 1989, what a nightmare that was due to a very quickly increasing producion rate and a very inexperieanced work force at the time.
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