The Qantas Boeing 747 Farewell – 5 Years On.

It’s cliche…everybody says it…but where does the time go? Yet, on July 22nd it will be 5 years since we departed Sydney to fly the final Qantas Boeing 747 to its resting place in the Mojave Desert. Although that rest was short lived with VH-OEJ, “Wunala” subsequently being ferried to Michigan, where it has been progressively cannibalised for parts.

I was reminded of the upcoming anniversary as I cleaned out my study last week and came across a drawer filled with items from the flight. There was the flight plan, mud maps of the sector into Mojave, ACARS print-outs, load sheets, photographs and the final Qantas Boeing 747 cap that I wore on the flight.

Many have expressed dismay at the gradual demise of this once mighty “Queen of the Skies” but the harsh reality is that time marches on. Having served Qantas proudly, some solace can be found in the fact that Wunala is allowing the Boeing 747’s proud history to extend well beyond its half-century.

Even after 5 years, people are reading my book, “Boeing 747 – Farewell from the Flight Deck” and contacting me about this amazing aircraft. Personally, discovering the drawer of 747 items gave me pause to reflect on those few days in July 2020. Yes, there was the fanfare of the farewell but the quiet moments are among the most vivid for me.

Walking the length of the aircraft in darkness as we crossed the Pacific. Empty seats and the hum of the engines the only sound. When those engines finally fell silent, the quiet moments as the crew contemplated the end, sharing a few words before the doors were opened and the media arrived. The bustling Tom Bradley terminal at Los Angeles Airport, like a ghost town for our departure home.

Most of all, I recall the silence of the coach ride back to Manhattan Beach where no one spoke as the now four 747s at rest grew smaller in the back window.

As Wunala lived out her next 5 years, my journey shared many twists and turns. There were the trying times of the pandemic, command training on the Boeing 737, cardiac surgery and the long road back. Now, I’m flying the Boeing 787 and instructing in the simulator.

Having turned 60, my own retirement from airline flying is imminent – although I hope to not be parked in Michigan and carved up for spare parts. I embrace what lies ahead and the time with my family. Aviation will still play a major role in my Air Force Reserves work and working with cadets, flight instructing new pilots at Orange Flight Training and of course, writing.

In all likelihood, I will be busier than ever, back to the grass roots of aviation. Although in all honesty, I have never left. Rather than the perceived idleness of retirement, I contemplate the future as merely a change in my busy schedule. The earth will still fall away from the wheels at regular intervals, it is just that those wheels will not be quite so big.

For now, I’ll sit back and recall those wonderful memories from the days of the Qantas Boeing 747s final farewell – 5 years on.

(A special thanks to Seth Landon for the use of the images of “Wunala” as she looks today)