End of an era - B747-300

[Travel Guru]

Thought this may be of interest for some of you airline buffs.


End of an era - B747-300
Tuesday 20 January will mark the end of an era for Qantas, with the last of the airline's serviceable B747-300s
(VH-EBV) to depart Australia, bound for Marana in Arizona. The first Qantas B747-300 entered service in 1984, with a further five aircraft delivered through to May 1987. Since then, the fleet has accumulated more than 524,000 hours and more than 97,000 cycles. Following many years of international service, the fleet reverted to operating domestically. This aircraft will join two other Qantas aircraft in Arizona. The retirement of the fleet also means the end of another era – Qantas' use of Flight Engineers in the coughpit.

TG

 

[oz_mark]

....and less chemical toilets in the air

 

[docjames]

Any ideas on last operating flight - the last couple to leave have done AKL-LAX but I cant find any scheduled for 20/1 - all the AUS-USA flights are listed as -400s except SYD-HNL which is an A330.

 

[Batesy]

Whilst not a fan of their reliability I really liked flying on the 743's during my two year stint in Perth. PTV's, great in-flight service, good chance of an upgrade to J, which I always felt was a better J service than other domestic services. International crew as well that provided great service.

Always much better flying experience than a 737.

 

[serfty]

I do not believe there have been any commercial operations this year.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Many posts on the Sydney Airport Message Board here: Final 743 flights (with good photos)
The last commerical flight is noted on one of the posts

 

[docjames]

I'm surprised they'll "dead'head" them all the way to the USA. I'd have thought they'd run them all operationally until the LAX-graveyard site.

Maybe parts etc have been stripped here (interior spares for other a/c??) rather and the plane is no longer operationally flyable.

 

[Mwenenzi]

I'm surprised they'll "dead'head" them all the way to the USA. I'd have thought they'd run them all operationally until the LAX-graveyard site.

Maybe parts etc have been stripped here (interior spares for other a/c??) rather and the plane is no longer operationally flyable.

One did QF25 MEL-AKL-LAX and then to the graveyard (as a post on Syd message board). There were comments on FT about cancelled - revised flights before Xmas so guess this is why. As the flight base is Aust aircraft need to do round trips.

 

[2muchplastic]

...End of an era - B747-300
Tuesday 20 January will mark the end of an era for Qantas, with the last of the airline's serviceable B747-300s
(VH-EBV) to depart Australia, bound for Marana in Arizona. ...

I've seen VH-EBV parked with it's back end over one of the water pits (no idea what they are) at the edge of SYD airport the 5 times I've flown in/out over the last three weeks. Looked in a bit of a state, really showing it's age. (The plane, not the airport. Although...)


Rest In Pieces EBV

 

[JohnK]

I can't be certain but I think my first long haul flight, only my 3rd flight at the time, was on a QF 743 back in 1990. It will be sad to see them go....

 

[Mal]

Last flew on one in Nov (LAX-AKL). While showing their age, I'd still fly one in Economy over a 767 any day. (if in Business though, I'd much prefer a skybed!)

 

[simongr]

I remember flying AKL-LAX after a PE flight BKK-SYD and then 767 SYD-AKL - truly awful J flight but thankfully I was exhausted and slept...

 

[Flying Fox]

Once it arrives at its final resting place, will it still be owned by QF or has it been sold as scrap?

 

[NM]

I remember flying AKL-LAX after a PE flight BKK-SYD and then 767 SYD-AKL - truly awful J flight but thankfully I was exhausted and slept...

Some of us are old enough to remember a time when we looked forward to having a Dreamtime seat for a trans-Pacific flight . Back then, QF's J was as good as many other airline's F as far as seats were concerned. Perhaps we have become spoilt.

 

[toowongman]

Qantas's final Boeing 747-300 heads for graveyard

From SMH.com.au/AAP
(Qantas's final Boeing 747-300 heads for graveyard)

As Australia's last Qantas B747-300 departs for a plane graveyard in the United States it will mark an end of an era for the airline.
The first Qantas B747-300 entered service in 1984 with a further five aircraft delivered by 1987.
Between them the fleet clocked up more than 524,000 hours of flying time in more than two decades of operation.
The last commercial service was a Melbourne/Auckland/Los Angeles flight on December 29 last year.
The retirement of the fleet also means the end of another era - Qantas will no longer need to use flight engineers in any of its coughpits.
The last remaining serviceable Qantas B747-300 will depart Sydney at 7pm (AEDT) on Tuesday bound for the jet graveyard in Marana, Arizona, pending sale.
AAP

 

[SeaWolf]

Re: Qantas's final Boeing 747-300 heads for graveyard

Here's some photos of the last one departing Sydney:
Gone at last. The biggest looser in the Qantas fleet - Plane Talking

 

[notzac]

Re: Qantas's final Boeing 747-300 heads for graveyard

Here's some photos of the last one departing Sydney:
Gone at last. The biggest looser in the Qantas fleet - Plane Talking

[nitpick]Yet another example of someone who doesn't know the difference between "loose" and "lose". Nice pics though! [/nitpick]

 

[docjames]

The jet built in 1985 spent much of its final year bringing misery to Qantas passengers on the transcontinental routes to Perth as well as international services, like other unsatisfactorily maintained elderly 747s in the airline’s fleet. This model 747, the first to sport a stretched upper deck, had an illustrious career with airlines that looked after them. It was a very sound airliner. But without a ready inventory of spare parts at ports like Perth, and without the TLC that was missing for all of last year as Qantas discovered it couldn’t run a proper engineering and maintenance program without high levels of over time from a work force already in revolt over pay and conditions, these older jumbos were an operational millstone for the carrier.
This 747 was among a cluster of three ‘classics’ that Qantas never intended to keep in service as long as it did. But Airbus screwed up their intended replacement through the delayed deliveries of the giant A380, and Boeing contributed to the general aged aircraft issues confronting Qantas by not delivering expected Dreamliner 787s. These delays meant Qantas was not receiving new fleet that would require less maintenance, and less fuel.

Mmmm, quality journalism. Not to mention the grammatical error in the title!

i thnk you'll find he's being intentionally "offensive" (for lack of a better word atm).

 

[notzac]

i thnk you'll find he's being intentionally "offensive" (for lack of a better word atm).

Another one of those zany people from the Internets!

 

[rwatts]

Mmmm, quality journalism. Not to mention the grammatical error in the title!

i thnk you'll find he's being intentionally "offensive" (for lack of a better word atm).

Its about par for that author's aviation output.

Richard.