It really is the end of a great era. The first B747 for QF arrived in 1971 and the last "classic" is leaving on the 20th Jan 2009. The average hours flown by each aircraft would be approx 95,000 achieved over 20-24 years of service. They still fly straight on their last day of service which is a credit to the purple empire who maintained them (& flew them as FEOs) as well as the many pilots who were lucky enough to get the opportunity to fly them. It's a shame that QF management isn't giving this last aircraft (& FEOs) the appropriate send-off.