City of Canberra (aircraft)

The City of Canberra is a Boeing 747-438 delivered to Qantas in 1989. During its delivery from the Boeing Everett Factory in the United States, it made a non-stop flight from London Heathrow to Sydney. As of February 2015, this remains the longest non-stop un-refuelled delivery flight by an airliner.[1][2]

For the Boeing 707 formerly operated by Qantas, see Qantas Founders Outback Museum.

City of Canberra
The City of Canberra lands for the last time at Illawarra Regional Airport, 8 March 2015
Type Boeing 747-438
Construction number 24354 (Line Number 731)
Registration N6046P (Boeing Test)
VH-OJA (Qantas)
First flight 3 July 1989
Owners and operators Qantas
Last flight 8 March 2015
Status Preserved by Historical Aircraft Restoration Society
Preserved at Illawarra Regional Airport

Aircraft

The City of Canberra, registered VH-OJA, named after Australia's capital city, was the first Boeing 747-400 delivered to Qantas.[note 1] It was not modified for the flight in any way – such as by the installation of extra fuel tanks – but some items of equipment were removed from the galleys and cargo compartments to save weight.[1]

Record-breaking flight

The 747-438 took 20 hours and 9 minutes to fly a distance of 9,720 nautical miles (18,001 km) from London Heathrow to Sydney. The elapsed time was six minutes longer than the quickest non-stop England to Australia flight, which was made by an Avro Vulcan of the Royal Air Force in 1961.[1][3] The City of Canberra set a record for the longest un-refuelled flight by a commercial aircraft, as the Vulcan was a military aircraft and had to be refuelled in flight several times while flying from RAF Scampton to RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney.[1][3]

Subsequent service
City of Canberra at Frankfurt Airport in 2011

City of Canberra remained in service with Qantas until January 2015, when it was retired as part of the draw-down of the airline's fleet of 747s.[4] The last commercial flight was from Johannesburg to Sydney. It was subsequently donated to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at the Illawarra Regional Airport via a delivery flight on 8 March 2015. Pilots trained on simulators for the landing and reduced the aircraft's weight including reducing the tyre pressure to 120 pounds per square inch from the typical 208, and carrying 25,400 litres of fuel, versus the maximum of 217,000 litres.[5] The aircraft was placed on public display after a short period of decommissioning.[2]

Namesakes

The City of Canberra name has also been carried by other first deliveries for Qantas, including two other Boeing 747s. The first Boeing 707-138 delivered in July 1959, the first Boeing 747-238 delivered in August 1971 and the first Boeing 747-338 delivered in November 1984, all carried the name.[6][7][8]

A 707-338C purchased by Qantas in 1967 also bore the name. As of 2021, that aircraft is still in service as a USAF E-8C JSTARS.[9]

Notes
  1. The aircraft is a Boeing 747-400 model; Boeing assigns a unique code for each company that buys one of its aircraft, which is applied as an infix to the model number at the time the aircraft is built. Boeing's code for Qantas is 38, hence "747-438".

References
  1. "Qantas flies London-Sydney non-stop". Flight International. Sutton, Surrey: Reed Business Publishing Ltd. 136 (4179): 8. 26 August 1989. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  2. Freed, Jamie (29 January 2015). "World's longest flight record-holder, Qantas 'City of Canberra' 747-400, retires". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  3. Jacobs (2011), p.96
  4. O'Sullivan, Mark (19 January 2015). "Wollongong final resting place for Queen of the Skies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  5. "How Qantas plans to land a Boeing 747 near Wollongong". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  6. Qanras Inaugural Australia-USA Boeing 707 Service - 1959 Civil Aviation Historical Society & Airways Museum
  7. First 747 Canberra Times 16 August 1971 page 3
  8. New Boring for Qantas rolls off assembly line Canberra Times 26 September 1984 page 13
  9. "VH-EAB. Boeing 707-338C. c/n 19622-660". AussieAirliners.org. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  • Jacobs, Peter (2011). Stay the Distance: The Life and Times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-552-4.
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