Flight engineers

End of an era for the ‘Royal Purple’

As the last QANTAS 747-300 ‘Classic’ is parked against the fence, it will not only signal the retirement of a pioneering aircraft type, but the last, parting flickers of a band of Australian aviation specialists; the Flight Engineers.

The Purple Empire:

As airline crews have walked through terminals around the world, the gold bars of rank with the purple background have always drawn comment. The ‘Royal Purple’ is synonymous with engineering and some believe that the right to wear the colour was awarded as Royal recognition of valiant engineers of the RMS Titanic who manned their post to the end on that icy night. In fact, engineers of the Royal Navy wore the ‘Royal Purple’ as far back as the mid-nineteenth century. Whatever the true origins may be, in aviation it has always proudly represented the Flight Engineers.