When Retro was the Real Thing

The ‘retro roo’ remembers a very different Qantas of the 1970s and 1980s, as former Qantas Captain Bill Anderson recalls

Qantas recently saw the arrival of a new Boeing 737-800 which is painted in a 1970s era ‘retro’ livery. Timely, as it seems to me there are many loyal Qantas staff, both current and retired, along with thousands in the public domain, who are looking back with pride in this great airline.

In 1965 Qantas commenced its Cadet Pilot Training Scheme which remained in place for seven years, training over 250 young men who graduated and went on to make up a significant proportion of the captains and management pilots over the last 25 years. I was fortunate enough to be one of those young men.