Friday the 16th of October 2020 – Longreach, Queensland

Posted on by bebraveontour

Today was basically QANTAS day! I visited the QANTAS Founders Museum this morning and then Susan and I visited the museum again tonight for the “Sound & Light” show that is shown on the forward fuselage of the B747-200 aircraft on display. I have to say the show tonight was absolutely great, unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos which I understand. So anybody thinking of coming this way, make sure you take in the night show. I know I’m biased but anyone would be hard pressed not to like it.

The museum is situated around the original QANTAS hangar that was built in 1921 and where QANTAS built their early aircraft such as the DH-50’s and DH-61’s. QANTAS was one of the few airlines to build its own aircraft right in the very hangar pictured below.

There are a number of aircraft on display as you would expect, with the B747-200 “City of Bunbury” the main attraction and it certainly stands out. Also next to the 747, is QANTAS’s first B707, built in 1959. It’s also the first 707 ever bought by an airline outside the US. The aircraft was found in the UK in the early 2000’s. It had not been flown for 6 years but QANTAS engineers took 6 months to get it airworthy, QANTAS flight crew then flew it out here to Australia and eventually to Longreach. With the 747 and 707, is a Super Constellation and DC3. Plus a number of replica aircraft from the 1920’s.

I really enjoyed the museum and its a pity that COVID has spoilt the opportunity for a big 100th anniversary celebration. The museum is not funded by QANTAS, its a local volunteer not for profit venture, so hopefully tourists continue to visit and keep it open.

The original QANTAS Hangar.
‘City of Bunbury” is the main attraction. It was flown here on its retirement from service in 2002. It’s a early 200 series 747 that QANTAS purchased in 1979. Pity a 400 series couldn’t be added to the collection.
A DC3, which was a civilianised C47 “Dakota” military transport from WW2. When I left RAAF Wagga in 1979 after finishing my training, “Mumma” the Dakota at RAAF Pearce became the first aircraft I worked on. So I have a special connection with this aircraft.
The Rolls Royce RB211 engine fitted to QANTAS’s fleet of 747’s. In the 2000’s when things got tight on sales with Kidde, we could always rely on the QANTAS engineers to damage the fire detectors on the engines during maintenance. One year QANTAS spent nearly a million dollars on new detectors for these engines. After a few visits and some deft training, the demand dropped off dramatically and unfortunately that hit our bottom line.
PBY Catalina. QANTAS flew the “Cats” during WW2 from Perth to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and one flight still holds the world record for the longest continuing flight @ 32 hours. These flights became know as the double sunset flights.
Replica of QANTAS’s first ever aircraft, an AVRO 504K.
A DH-61 in the original QANTAS hangar!

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