The Longest Reach

It came to signify air travel and even those without an interest in aviation could recognise the signature ‘hump’ of the upper deck.

It was a hump that grew, stretching back towards the tail with newer variants and adding even more grace to the form. However, for what is now dubbed the ‘Classic’ 747, the 747-100, -200 and -300, time was marching on and by the 1980s technology threatened to leave the 747 behind.

Its smaller siblings the 757 and 767 were equipped with advanced two-pilot cockpits. Flight management systems and electronic flight instrument systems (EFIS) were rapidly replacing analogue dials and the role of the flight engineer. Consequently the decision was made to develop a new Jumbo Jet, the 747-400, and the project was launched in 1985.

The new model was characterised by 1. 8m tall winglets on each wingtip, but a good many changes were not as apparent to the nakedeye. Additional fuel was now carried within the horizontal stabiliser and the engines employed the efficient digital control of FADEC. Its wing span, maximum takeoff weight and range were all greater than its predecessor, the -300. The landing gear utilised carbon brakes and on the flightdeck the flight engineer’s station had disappeared. The implementation of new technology had allowed the 747-400 and its systems to be operated by just two pilots.

Even before the aircraft was rolled out, Boeing had a large number of orders in the queue with Qantas placing its order in 1987.

The first development aircraft flew in 1988 and the 747-400 entered commercial service in 1989. That same year, the -400 was to set a very special record for commercial aviation and the aircraft to achieve that was Qantas’s City of Canberra, VH-OJA.

A long way home

In addition to bearing the name of an Australian city, the Qantas 747‑400s all shared an additional common name – Longreach. This name served the dual purpose of recognising the traditional home of Qantas in Queensland as well as making a statement about the global grasp of the fleet’s flagship. And never was the far-reaching range of the aircraft more apparent than on its record-breaking delivery flight from England to Australia. The air route from the ‘Old Country’ had held significance since the dawn of Australian aviation. Since Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith had set the pace in their Vickers Vimy in 1919, a good many other pioneer aviators had faced the challenges of the demanding trek. Bert Hinkler, Amy Johnson and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith were just a few famous names that had set course to the great southern land in those early days of aerial uncertainty.

By 1989, the aviation scene had changed greatly. With swept wings, a metal airframe, four jet engines and a maximum takeoff weight of just under 400 tonnes, the 747-400 was an absolute giant alongside the frail airframes of the pioneer age. And at 70m in length it represented nearly twice the distance achieved by the Wright Brothers’ first flight.

However, the Qantas 747-400 would create its own history over the 16th and 17th of August 1989 when VH-OJA flew between London and Sydney non-stop.

A flight that took the Smith brothers nearly 28 days in 1919 was achieved in a little over 20 hours, 80 years later. It was a stark illustration of just how far aviation had advanced in a relatively short time frame.

The flight was under the command of Captain David Massy-Greene and he was joinedby three other Qantas captains: Ray Heiniger, Rob Greenop and George Lindeman. OJA had been flown from Seattle to the UK prior to the record-breaking flight that it would undertake with standard fuel tanks for the Boeing 747-400. As a consequence, the flight set the record for the longest nonstop flight for a commercial aircraft.

The flight covered around 18,000km of the earth’s surface but it was a distance that OJA would eclipse over the next quarter of a century. Estimates of 85 million kilometres and 110 return trips to the moon have been quoted to give context to the service of Qantas’s first 747-400. Whatever the actual distance may have been, it was impressive, but now it was time for OJA to leave those familiar skies.

Preparing for a new home

The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) president, Bob De La Hunty, received a call from senior management at Qantas that most aviation institutions can only dream of. He was advised that VH-OJA was scheduled to be removed from service and that ideally the aircraft would be preserved for future generations – was HARS interested? Bob certainly was and as he says, “How often are you offered a 747?” The wheels began turning immediately to make the concept a reality. The local Shellharbour City Council endorsed the concept in principle and set about undertaking multiple risk assessments relating to the project. Fortunately, the council saw the arrival of OJA as an opportunity for the Illawarraregion and had unanimously endorsed the project from the outset, leading to a streamlined and co-operative process.

From CASA’s perspective, the Airspace and Aerodrome Regulation division considered restricting the airspace for the arrival and evaluated the issues pertaining to narrow runways, while Operations conducted the safety assessment for the aircraft operation and Legal Services addressed the approvals process. Additionally, Qantas undertook its own series of risk assessments and provided tailored training for the flight into the Illawarra Regional Airport, with one simulator session being observed by two of CASA’s flying operations inspectors.

The flight would be under the command of Captain Greg Matthews, manager of training and checking (Boeing) at Qantas. Also on the flightdeck would be Captain Ossie Miller, fleet captain (Boeing), First Officer Peter Hagley, acting technical pilot (Boeing) and Second Officer Michael East, who had beenthe chief flying instructor at South Coast Aviation, Illawarra Regional Airport prior to joining Qantas.

In all, there were six simulator sessions of four hours flown. The Illawarra runway modelled in the simulator was set at 1,500 metres in length compared to the actual runway which is 1,819m long. The aircraft was consistently stopping with 300 metres to spare on the shorter modelled runway.

Much of the time was spent assessing the optimum approach profile both laterally and vertically. The terrain precluded an approach to the north, so the landing had to be made on runway 16 to the south-east. This runway has a steeper 3. 7 degree approach path with the approach lighting set to match this angle, while the 747 normally flies a three degree approach path. The narrower 30 metre wide runway also offered the crew a different visual perspective. The decision was made that for OJA’s arrival a three degree path would be most appropriate and the approach splay was subsequently analysed by Qantas navigationspecialists to ensure a three degree approach provided sufficient obstacle clearance.

The weather also had to be near perfect. The airport did not possess an instrument approach for an aircraft as large as a 747, requiring the arrival to be flown entirely by visual reference by the pilots. Additionally, the reduced width and length of the runway meant that the landing could accept no more than 10 knots crosswind and zero tailwind.

Captain Matthews worked closely with Qantas navigation experts to develop a route that permitted visual flight south of the Illawarra escarpment to join a five nautical mile final approach leg on a three degree approach path. The inbound track commenced from a point east of Wollongong CBD and crossed the coast over the lighthouse at Flagstaff Point. This approach was flown many times in the simulator to ensure there was sufficient room to manoeuvre the 747 to join the final approach while maintaining adequate terrain clearance. For the delivery flight OJA would takeoff at 201,000kg, far lower than the 747-400’s maximum takeoff weight of 397,200kg. The reduced weight also meant that the approach speed prior to landing would be closer to 130kt rather than the 180kt normally associated with a 747 approaching to land. ‘Maximum’ would be set on the automatic brakes which would provide almost maximum braking as each main wheel touches the runway. The system then uses a sophisticated computer to control the rate of deceleration.

Once Captain Matthews was satisfied that the aircraft was decelerating as desired, the autobrakes could be disconnected and manual braking could be used to moderate the deceleration so as to achieve a full stop at the end of the runway. This reduced the load on the braking system and therefore the build-up of heat. A large Airservices ARFF fire-fighting vehicle was re-positioned to the Illawarra Regional Airport to provide a level of expertise indealing with any problems that may arise from the arrival of OJA.

Pavement strength was also a major consideration from two points of view. If the pavement failed, there would be the risk of damage to the aircraft and/or the runway and taxiways. Shellharbour group manager city services, Rosemary Crowhurst, was very helpful in providing runway strength data and ultimately a pavement concession to permit operation of the 747, and Boeing was consulted in relation to tyre pressure. Normally the 747’s tyres are inflated to approximately 208psi but for the final flight Boeing approved a reduced tyre pressure of 120psi in order to lessen the possibility of damage to the runway surface. Engineering data suggested that the landing could have taken place seven times without damage to the runway. To protect the apron where the 747 was to be parked initially, high density rubber matting would be positioned under OJA’s wheels until it was moved to its permanent location on a specially designed concrete pad. Several of the engines on VH-OJA had significant life remaining and after the flight they would be swapped out for time-expired units. So to reduce the risk of foreign object damage (FOD) from debris thrown up by the use of reverse thrust, it was decided to use idle reverse thrust unless full reverse was operationally required.

To successfully retire OJA was a team effort that called for Qantas, Shellharbour City Council, HARS, CASA, Airservices and the local emergency services to work in co-operation with each other addressing their particular issues. Ultimately when the risk assessments were satisfied and the training completed, all that remained was for the flight to be executed. . . and the weather to play its part as well.

The final approach

March 8 dawned at the mercy of the weather. If there was greater than 10 knots crosswind, a cloud base precluding a visual approach or anything else preventing a landing onto Illawarra’s runway 16, then the

After thousands upon thousands of flight hours, it came down to a brief 15 minutes of flight time.

flight – assigned the flight number QF7474 – would be delayed.

To offer the best chance for suitable conditions a morning flight was planned with an ideal arrival time of 7:47 to tantalise the waiting public. And there were thousands of them.

Many had gathered before sunrise, selecting vantage points along the airport’s edge or within the airfield itself. Coffee carts and sausage sizzles were doing a roaring trade amid a scene of excitement more reminiscent of a sports stadium than a regional runway. Volunteers and police marshalled the constant flow of vehicles, their high-visibility vests reflecting in the headlights. The air was still and just a slight haze hung about the field, promising that the weather was also willing to play its part. The moon’s halo was enhanced by the haze but slowly it gave way to daylight which in turn highlighted the size of the gathered crowd.

The airport and airspace along the route had been established as a temporary restricted area to give the 747 exclusive access for its arrival. One by one light aircraft came in to land at Illawarra Regional Airport before the restriction came into effect, providing yet another form of entertainment for onlookers and the gathered media.

In front of the HARS hangar the crowd included dignitaries from Qantas Flight Operations, Boeing and the many parties that had made this flight a reality. Breaks in conversation provided an opportunity to check iPhone flight tracking apps for the impending departure of OJA from Sydney and the excitement level peaked when the word came through that the City of Canberra was airborne. After so many millions of miles and thousands upon thousands of flight hours, it came down to a brief 15 minutes of flight time.

Necks craned and eyes squinted, peering to the north for the first glimpse of the 747. One by one hands were raised with pointed fingers and children clambered onto parental shoulders for a better view. The mighty four-engined airliner with its brilliant lights cutting through the remaining mist was visible, tracking across the coast towards that final three degree approach that the crew had rehearsed in the simulator so many times. One last turn to align with the runway and OJA was counting down its last feet of flight. With absolute precision, QF7474’s 16 main wheels contacted Runway 16 at 7:47 am.

Captain Matthews lowered the nosewheel to the centreline, accompanied this time by the roar of the crowd rather than the roar of reverse thrust. With an apparent lack of effort the massive Boeing smoothly slowed with a great deal of room to spare before coming to a complete halt at the runway’s end. As it shut down its engines and waited for the ground vehicles to arrive, there were still cheers rising from the crowd. Among their number were numerous past pilots of OJA who came to see the ‘old girl’ one last time. Significantly, members of that first record-breaking flight were there to see the final chapter of the book they had started.

OJA was pushed to its prime parking space slowly but surely with one of the pilots waving from an open hatch atop the Boeing’s flightdeck. When it finally came to rest, the media moved towards the aircraft in a controlled surge to meet the crew as they emerged and deplaned down a set of stairs.

Cameras tripods and microphones filled the tarmac as the crew graciously handled the rapid-fire questions before moving to the crowd line and thanking everyone for turning out to welcome them. As the four pilots moved along saying hello, there were special pauses for wide-eyed kids and familiar oldfaces. Fittingly, Captain Massy-Greene and two of his original crew members were asked to join the current crew, completing the loop for OJA and making for a wonderful scene. The ‘keys’ to the aircraft were then handed over to Bob De La Hunty and the City of Canberra had come to rest for the final time.

A new beginning

The many hours of planning, training and co-ordination had been safely and impressively executed in a short twelve minute flight. It had been a day to remember. It took a good while for the crowd to dissipate but it eventually receded. The 747 had fallen silent, dwarfing the aircraft that were to be its future companions at HARS, including another Qantas classic, a Lockheed Super Constellation.

However, one would be mistaken to think that OJA’s days were over.

Bob De La Hunty and his passionate team at HARS have welcomed OJA as another opportunity to educate the next generation in the ways of aviation and this nation’s proud history in the field. From apprentices and aeronautical engineering students to excited schoolchildren, the retired Boeing 747‑400 will provide a significant, tangible platform.

If its wings could speak, OJA would undoubtedly have many tales to tell of long nights over the Pacific and foggy dawns at Heathrow. However, the old Boeing cannot speak so those pilots and passengers, past and present gathered in numbers one last time to speak on her behalf. It was fitting farewell to a fine aircraft and now her new life begins beneath the contrails rather than among them.

OJA had conquered many miles time and again, but on a misty morning in March it conquered many hearts and perhaps for all the years aloft, this was truly its longest reach.