Cyclone Tracy 1974
Folks,
Not sure if it is mentioned in any of the posts, but the first QF B707 out of Sydney broke the curfew in Sydney. Qantas Ops made application to the Minister (the only person who could authorise the exemption, Mrs. Jones' wonderful son, Charlie) but the exemption was refused, but the Minister's determination was ignored, and the aircraft left anyway.
Sadly, the executive who took this humanitarian decision "took early retirement" soon after, as a result of pressure from Canberra.
To Charlie, Labor votes in Sydney were more important than an emergency in Darwin.
Tootle pip!!
PS: That aircraft took a bunch of HF and VHF radios and as many charged batteries as they could find around the hangars, plus an R/O and radio tec., it turned out to be a very smart move.
Not sure if it is mentioned in any of the posts, but the first QF B707 out of Sydney broke the curfew in Sydney. Qantas Ops made application to the Minister (the only person who could authorise the exemption, Mrs. Jones' wonderful son, Charlie) but the exemption was refused, but the Minister's determination was ignored, and the aircraft left anyway.
Sadly, the executive who took this humanitarian decision "took early retirement" soon after, as a result of pressure from Canberra.
To Charlie, Labor votes in Sydney were more important than an emergency in Darwin.
Tootle pip!!
PS: That aircraft took a bunch of HF and VHF radios and as many charged batteries as they could find around the hangars, plus an R/O and radio tec., it turned out to be a very smart move.
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Qantas 747 out of Darwin 1974
Various sources report a single Qantas 747 flight carried 673 people on a flight out of Darwin in 1974.
Asides from the regulatory problems of overloading, is this the single biggest airlift in 747 history?
Asides from the regulatory problems of overloading, is this the single biggest airlift in 747 history?
Can you imagine the reaction these days to carrying more than the normal number of pax should the same thing happen tomorrow?
Even if they did carry the correct amount of pax if the pax were not bathed in the protective blanket provided by a yellow vest or have photo ID the world would end.
I often think we are going backwards as an industry and society....
Even if they did carry the correct amount of pax if the pax were not bathed in the protective blanket provided by a yellow vest or have photo ID the world would end.
I often think we are going backwards as an industry and society....
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I was an ATCO in the Brisbane Centre when the evacuation of Darwin commenced and apart from the communication difficulties with Mount Isa, there were several notable occurances. First was the Qantas B747 that came on frequency and had two requests. The first was for a cleaning party to meet the aircraft on arrival as they had a large number of new born babies on board but no nappies! The second request was for a representative from the Guinness Book of Records because they thought that they had just broken the record for the greatest number of passengers ever recorded on a B747. This was confirmed, but I forget the actual number.
The second occurance was the F27, can't remember if it was Ansett or TAA that was flying in with a plane load of pregnant ladies. The number of "souls on board" had to be increased at least three times during the flight as more arrivals arrived en-route.
At one point I remember 49 aircraft inbound to Brisbane when there was a request for a departure from Brisbane to Darwin with urgent medical supplies. The only available level was FL430. Luckily the aircraft was a Gulfstream and was able to accept and make the level.
The second occurance was the F27, can't remember if it was Ansett or TAA that was flying in with a plane load of pregnant ladies. The number of "souls on board" had to be increased at least three times during the flight as more arrivals arrived en-route.
At one point I remember 49 aircraft inbound to Brisbane when there was a request for a departure from Brisbane to Darwin with urgent medical supplies. The only available level was FL430. Luckily the aircraft was a Gulfstream and was able to accept and make the level.
Thread Starter
On the beach
Thanks for reviving this dormant thread.
The full story of the TAA F27 loaded with new-borns can be read at this link.
First In
The Gulfstream II would have been Associated Airlines' VH-ASM which was noted in Brisbane on 27DEC74, the day before Qantas 747 VH-EBB set the pax record of 673.
The full story can be read at this link:
Aviation in the Aftermath of Cyclone Tracy
Thanks for reviving this dormant thread.
The full story of the TAA F27 loaded with new-borns can be read at this link.
First In
The Gulfstream II would have been Associated Airlines' VH-ASM which was noted in Brisbane on 27DEC74, the day before Qantas 747 VH-EBB set the pax record of 673.
The full story can be read at this link:
Aviation in the Aftermath of Cyclone Tracy
