Farewell Events
Captain Owen Weaver, at Sydney Airport, ahead of the retirement of the Qantas Boeing 747 fleet. Picture: John Feder
As a boy growing up in the *Adelaide Hills, he was inspired to become a pilot watching the *majestic Boeing 747 fly over his home.
“It’s a very iconic shape with the upper deck bubble and I just have that vivid memory of it as a child,” he said.
Captain Weaver’s last flight on a 747 will be no less memorable as he joins the team taking the *superjumbo from Sydney to California’s Mojave Desert.
The first Qantas Boeing 747, the ‘City of Canberra’.Although Qantas always planned to farewell the airline’s five remaining 747s at the end of 2020, the COVID crisis has cruelly intervened to bring their retirement date forward.
With four engines and a *capacity for 364 passengers, the 747-400s are simply too big and too fuel hungry for a travel-shy, post-COVID world.
“It’s very hard emotionally,” said Captain Weaver.
“We deliver an absolutely world-rate, first-class aircraft (to the desert) and we park it.
“That’s a very hard moment when we’ve spent our lives keeping (the 747) as a nice, comfortable, safe place that people want to be part of.”
The final flight on July 22 will follow a series of one-hour joy flights next week that sold out within 15 minutes of going on sale on Wednesday.
In a striking example of public affection for the aircraft, passengers paid between $400 and $747 for one of 540 seats on the flights out of Sydney, Canberra and *Brisbane.
Captain Weaver said he believed the high regard for the aircraft stemmed from what it represented to many travellers, providing opportunities plenty had never had before.
“The 747 really brought flying to the working class. People could save up and go and see their aunty in Italy or their mother in Greece or the family back in England or around Asia — it really is the aircraft that enabled that,” he said.
“It is the one aircraft that will always be associated with that.
“This is its 50th year of flying, and when you look back over those 50 years, that was the time aviation crossed that boundary.”
Qantas placed its first order for the Boeing 747 in 1967, and began flying the aircraft in 1971.
There was even a period when Qantas operated an all-747 fleet, from 1978 until 1985 when the first 767s came into service.
In something of a happy ending for the 747s, Captain Weaver said the desert would not be their final resting place.
“The final aircraft have been sold and that backs up our decision (to retire them),” he said.
“It’s unfortunate for us but there’s a new world opening up.
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
ROBYN IRONSIDE
AVIATION WRITER
- 9:00PM JULY 8, 2020
- 80 COMMENTS
As a boy growing up in the *Adelaide Hills, he was inspired to become a pilot watching the *majestic Boeing 747 fly over his home.
“It’s a very iconic shape with the upper deck bubble and I just have that vivid memory of it as a child,” he said.
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Captain Weaver’s last flight on a 747 will be no less memorable as he joins the team taking the *superjumbo from Sydney to California’s Mojave Desert.
The first Qantas Boeing 747, the ‘City of Canberra’.Although Qantas always planned to farewell the airline’s five remaining 747s at the end of 2020, the COVID crisis has cruelly intervened to bring their retirement date forward.With four engines and a *capacity for 364 passengers, the 747-400s are simply too big and too fuel hungry for a travel-shy, post-COVID world.
“It’s very hard emotionally,” said Captain Weaver.
“We deliver an absolutely world-rate, first-class aircraft (to the desert) and we park it.
“That’s a very hard moment when we’ve spent our lives keeping (the 747) as a nice, comfortable, safe place that people want to be part of.”
The final flight on July 22 will follow a series of one-hour joy flights next week that sold out within 15 minutes of going on sale on Wednesday.
In a striking example of public affection for the aircraft, passengers paid between $400 and $747 for one of 540 seats on the flights out of Sydney, Canberra and *Brisbane.
Captain Weaver said he believed the high regard for the aircraft stemmed from what it represented to many travellers, providing opportunities plenty had never had before.
“The 747 really brought flying to the working class. People could save up and go and see their aunty in Italy or their mother in Greece or the family back in England or around Asia — it really is the aircraft that enabled that,” he said.
“It is the one aircraft that will always be associated with that.
“This is its 50th year of flying, and when you look back over those 50 years, that was the time aviation crossed that boundary.”
Qantas placed its first order for the Boeing 747 in 1967, and began flying the aircraft in 1971.
There was even a period when Qantas operated an all-747 fleet, from 1978 until 1985 when the first 767s came into service.
In something of a happy ending for the 747s, Captain Weaver said the desert would not be their final resting place.
“The final aircraft have been sold and that backs up our decision (to retire them),” he said.
“It’s unfortunate for us but there’s a new world opening up.
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
Nunc est bibendum
G’day Going Boeing. Doing a 737 course a few months after a 747 course would be daft in the extreme. I can’t see Dick ever saying yes to something like that. I suspect it was more that if ever Owen ceased being a 747 Tech pilot (or any other management role associated with the 747) that he would revert to being a 737 Captain. IE he wouldn’t be able to cease a management role and retain his slot on the 747. That is how I recall the discussion I had with the HOFO at the time. Again, what a waste of everyone’s time. When Owen ceases to be in management he’ll go to where his seniority permits him to go. Until then.....
I find the whole issue quite bemusing. I’ve said to a few people over the years when the subject has arisen that whether it’s five numbers or five hundred the principle is the same. A lot of people are OK with management pilots 5, 50, 70 or even 100 seniority numbers out of order, or when it’s occurring on a fleet with which they have little interest (the A330 or 767). But somehow this specific case raised (and obviously still raises) significant angst. It seems hilarious that it’s not the principle (given that it happened previously on the 767 and the A380, and has happened since on the A330 and 787) but that it was either the gap in seniority numbers or the fact that it was the 747. That Captain Weaver is living rent free in many pilots minds six years down the track from his appointment says a lot more about those pilots than it does about Owen.
Ironic too that some who criticise Captain Weaver are quite prepared to accept generous offers from him when he’s gone above and beyond on their behalf. Again, that says much more about those people than it does about Owen. That wouldn’t possibly apply to any critics on this thread. Would it Andrew?
I find the whole issue quite bemusing. I’ve said to a few people over the years when the subject has arisen that whether it’s five numbers or five hundred the principle is the same. A lot of people are OK with management pilots 5, 50, 70 or even 100 seniority numbers out of order, or when it’s occurring on a fleet with which they have little interest (the A330 or 767). But somehow this specific case raised (and obviously still raises) significant angst. It seems hilarious that it’s not the principle (given that it happened previously on the 767 and the A380, and has happened since on the A330 and 787) but that it was either the gap in seniority numbers or the fact that it was the 747. That Captain Weaver is living rent free in many pilots minds six years down the track from his appointment says a lot more about those pilots than it does about Owen.
Ironic too that some who criticise Captain Weaver are quite prepared to accept generous offers from him when he’s gone above and beyond on their behalf. Again, that says much more about those people than it does about Owen. That wouldn’t possibly apply to any critics on this thread. Would it Andrew?
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There's a special unofficial website set up for the QF747 finale, includes photos and stories from QF747 fans, it's atwww.qantas747.com.
G’day Going Boeing. Doing a 737 course a few months after a 747 course would be daft in the extreme. I can’t see Dick ever saying yes to something like that. I suspect it was more that if ever Owen ceased being a 747 Tech pilot (or any other management role associated with the 747) that he would revert to being a 737 Captain. IE he wouldn’t be able to cease a management role and retain his slot on the 747. That is how I recall the discussion I had with the HOFO at the time. Again, what a waste of everyone’s time. When Owen ceases to be in management he’ll go to where his seniority permits him to go. Until then.....
It’s interesting that you mentioned the HOFO as he benefited from the Trojan Horse effect of Owen’s appointment.
Nunc est bibendum
I’d still argue that virtually every pilot in an identical situation would have done the same thing.
Time’s short for me at the moment. I’ll re-visit tomorrow.
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Glad to see I’m not the only one seeing an overt Orwellian overtone connection with this “appointment on merit” !
Will be interesting to see where the “ topic of conversation “ manages to weasel his way post 747 ,(787 command SYD?) now that his ,747 2 engine taxying senior Management Patron is no longer in a position to “galvanise “ opinion !
Will be interesting to see where the “ topic of conversation “ manages to weasel his way post 747 ,(787 command SYD?) now that his ,747 2 engine taxying senior Management Patron is no longer in a position to “galvanise “ opinion !
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The first Qantas Boeing 747, the ‘City of Canberra’.Although Qantas always planned to farewell the airline’s five remaining 747s at the end of 2020, the COVID crisis has cruelly intervened to bring their retirement date forward.How long would it to take to strip the present colour scheme and paint the aircraft in the original scheme. A little bit of money involved
though the sentiment would be fantastic.
Nunc est bibendum
Angry, we’ll have to agree to disagree but I suspect you already knew that. Sartori, Ford(s) as well as other A380 TREs, A380 TFOs, 787 trainers, current A330 management pilots, are all times it’s occurred... probably a bunch I’ve missed. You’re right though, it seems it’s never been about the principle, it was about some of us being demoted at the same time as Owen got the 747 job. That sounds more like tall poppy syndrome.
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Keg , I believe there are a few issues being conflated here.
If the Management prerogative of certain Managerial appointments was based purely on the concept of “best person” for the job , then begrudgingly? there would be no argument !
Unfortunately what we see is definitely no Dutchy and certainly not even close to a Dolly !
The million $ question , just what is being delivered ? , apart from the plum jobs of ferrying aircraft to the desert ?
The bastardisation of the original nobel concept of the best person for the position
in order to circumvent past practice and principle appears to be the growing trend .
If the Management prerogative of certain Managerial appointments was based purely on the concept of “best person” for the job , then begrudgingly? there would be no argument !
Unfortunately what we see is definitely no Dutchy and certainly not even close to a Dolly !
Do you reckon Owen would have retained his management position for the last decade if he wasn’t delivering?
The million $ question , just what is being delivered ? , apart from the plum jobs of ferrying aircraft to the desert ?
The bastardisation of the original nobel concept of the best person for the position
in order to circumvent past practice and principle appears to be the growing trend .
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Farewell QFb747 Fleet
Sad to see "The Queen of They Sky" being retired. Over the years flew as a passenger on all B747 types flown by QF. The first 200 series even had a cocktail lounge behind the flight deck. Can also remember there was a massive galley below cabin level where the flight attendants who prepared the trolley's and heated the meals were known as Air Chefs (early B747 models). At least QF have couple of models on display in Australia. Also the legroom in economy was reasonable compared to the seat pitch these days. Can anybody tell me if the early models that QF purchased had the capacity to use Water Methanol for takeoff?
JT9 had water injection. Takeoff data out of places like Athens at MTOW planning for an engine failure or loss of water pump was an interesting experience.
That all disappeared with the advent of the RB211.
That all disappeared with the advent of the RB211.
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QFB747 Cyclone Tracey Evacuation
A QFB747 was used in the evacuation of Darwin after cyclone Tracey. I think it may still hold the record for the amount of passengers ever carried on the type. Around 700 pax and crew if my memory serves me correctly.
boaccomet4
I recall it was just demin water not water/meth. The figure 1800 kgs seems to stick in my mind.
The Darwin evacuation flight was VH-EBB on 28DEC74 with 673 pax. You can find a list of the flights here:
Cyclone Tracy Evacuation Flights
Rgds
I recall it was just demin water not water/meth. The figure 1800 kgs seems to stick in my mind.
The Darwin evacuation flight was VH-EBB on 28DEC74 with 673 pax. You can find a list of the flights here:
Cyclone Tracy Evacuation Flights
Rgds
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Your spot on Chambo, here is the wikipedia extract. Happened on May 25 1991. A flight from Ethiopia to Tel Aviv. All the cargo holds would of been full to get them in for that number.
The operation set a world record for most passengers on an aircraft when anEl Al747 carried well over 1,000 people to Israel. The record itself is uncontested, but the number of passengers is unclear: Guinness World Records put the number at 1,088, including two babies who were born on the flight. It noted that contemporary reports cite numbers as low as 1,078 and as high as 1,122.
The operation set a world record for most passengers on an aircraft when anEl Al747 carried well over 1,000 people to Israel. The record itself is uncontested, but the number of passengers is unclear: Guinness World Records put the number at 1,088, including two babies who were born on the flight. It noted that contemporary reports cite numbers as low as 1,078 and as high as 1,122.
1800kgs for demin water was the right number ex BNE and other places where there was a short runway but from BKK, ATH, HNL etc., the load was 2400kgs. You might recall that when CNS first opened for B747 operations, demin water was tankered from BNE. If not required ex CNS was was dribbled into the apron. Eventually it was locally sourced.
Aaah yes.. I recall the T/O Data card with the “ X” in the box. And hoping that the Flight Engineer would not call out “ Setting dry thrust” as we thundered down the runway!
