Ktachiya From Japan, joined Sep 2004, 1732 posts, RR: 2 Posted (8 years 4 months 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 4801 times:
A few years back (3 or 4 years ago) I flew out of BNE on JL on a 747-300 and parked right next to us was the final Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS) 747-SP.
It seemed that in the final years, they only had 1 SP used.
This was parked in the international terminal though. Where route did this SP frequently serve?
The SP was a pioneer, I miss it. They were the basis for making the 747-SUD (Stretch upper deck to save fuel) and PanAm used to fly JFK-NRT first before JAL's 747-200B with brand new JT9D-7R4G2 engines came in and started flying the route.
BTW, I saw an NH colored SP a few years back in a Japanese airliners magazine in KIX. I know that they didn't order SP's but Saudi Arabia and Iran Air are the only ones that I know that have them.
Does any other airline have them? Did they come equipped with JT9D-7A or 7Q engines or could you choose from all 3 makers?
Dalavia From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 398 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 4446 times:
The 747-SPs pioneered Qantas direct services from Australia to China in the 1980s. I still remember going on a great non-stop flight from Beijing to Sydney in a Qantas 747-SP in December 1985.
The flights were certainly preferable to the only alternative at the time - CAAC - whose PEK-SYD flights had two intermediate stops, in Guangzhou and Melbourne.
I forget the precise flying time, but it was well over 12 hours. Sadly, Qantas flights to China ceased shortly afterwards, not to be resumed for many years.
VirginFlyer From New Zealand, joined Sep 2000, 4502 posts, RR: 49 Reply 7, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4260 times:
Quoting Timz (reply 6): What suited it to that route?
The 747-200s which Qantas had at the time could not be safely operated out of Wellington, because of the length of the runway. The SP could however, and did up until Qantas purchased 767s.
V/F
"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth." - Bahá'u'lláh
ClassicLover From Ireland, joined Mar 2004, 4528 posts, RR: 25 Reply 8, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4240 times:
The reason that the aircraft were deployed on SYD-LAX non-stop was because Pan Am started using their 747SPs on the route. Until Pan Am did it, Qantas didn't use them for that. The advantage for Qantas was that the RR engines were better than the Pratt & Whitney ones, and Qantas could do it non-stop all the time. Pan Am often had to have a tech stop.
I did read that Qantas optioned 2 x DC-10-30s for the WLG service, but eventually went with the SP instead. The model of a QF DC-10 is really weird looking due to the placement of the kangaroo in the top section of the fin above the engine.
More useless trivia
Trent.
I do quite enjoy a spot of flying - more so when it's not in Economy!
United_Fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7176 posts, RR: 8 Reply 13, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 3741 times:
BTW, I saw an NH colored SP a few years back in a Japanese airliners magazine in KIX
AFAIK,NH never operated SP's. No Japanese carriers ever opted for the SP,either.
John Travolta was rumored to be buying one of the stored QF SP's,but that never happened.
VH-EAA and -EAB were scrapped in MZJ (I got the pics at home to prove it)
[Edited 2005-02-16 15:25:07]
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
ScandinA340 From Australia, joined Apr 2004, 89 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 3720 times:
Hi-
If I'm not mistaken, QF painted their latter 747SPs in Australia Asia Airlines colours, specifically created for the TPE route (to avoid mainland China issues). Can anyone confirm?
QANTASFOREVER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 15, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 3657 times:
Quoting ScandinA340 (reply 14): If I'm not mistaken, QF painted their latter 747SPs in Australia Asia Airlines colours, specifically created for the TPE route (to avoid mainland China issues). Can anyone confirm?
True - although they only ever operated 2 747-SP aircraft. Both were painted in Australia Asia Airlines colours.
I once caught VH-EAA from DPS-SYD in seat 1A. Best flight I have ever had.
Ktachiya From Japan, joined Sep 2004, 1732 posts, RR: 2 Reply 18, posted (8 years 4 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2021 times:
It was back in 2001 April that it landed at KIX.
The magazine was suprised too and it did not give the registration. But judging from what the engines looked like, it seemed like a CF type. Don't ask me why it was painted in those colors and whose property that was. But there was a small ANA logo on the plane and it in the normal blue colors like NH. THe blue, white, with all the lines.
Has anybody heard anything about this irregular flight?
Iowa744Fan From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 928 posts, RR: 2 Reply 19, posted (8 years 4 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2004 times:
United_fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7176 posts, RR: 8 Reply 21, posted (8 years 4 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 1945 times:
I meant I had some pics of a QF -SP being cut up...
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
Yyz717 From Canada, joined Sep 2001, 16004 posts, RR: 59 Reply 22, posted (8 years 4 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 1924 times:
When QF added the SP, it had an all-742 fleet was not good for flexibility and some of the lighter routes. The SP's immediately went on the Wellington and Christchurch routes replacing the 742. The rationale I imagine was the slightly lower overall operating costs of the SP (despite a higher seat cost).
The SP was also used to open the SYD-LAX nonstop route which the 742 could not handle nonstop. I recall seeing a QF SP at LAX in 1981.
Panam, TWA, Ansett, Eastern.......AC next? Might be good for Canada.
ZK-NBT From New Zealand, joined Oct 2000, 5025 posts, RR: 12 Reply 23, posted (8 years 4 months 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1757 times:
Quoting Yyz717 (reply 22): The SP's immediately went on the Wellington and Christchurch routes replacing the 742.
QF never flew the 742 to WLG that I am aware of, infact only 3 full sized 747's have ever landed at WLG if I recall correctly. CHC may have got the SP but there are/were no restrictions on the 747 landing taking off from there.
Pretty sure they only flew SYD-LAX non-stop 3x weekly for most of the time.
In the latter years they mainly flew SYD-CNS-NGO and were also used on DRW-SIN for a time, and 1 or 2 others, MNL I think was 1.
They visited AKL from time to time, always a pleasure to see, VH-EAA last visited AKL on February 9th 2002 just a few days before her final flight for QF.
Zonky From New Zealand, joined Nov 2004, 432 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (8 years 4 months 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1750 times:
I've seen a NZ 747 doing touch & go's at Wellington a long time ago, the Qantas SPs, and i recall the United diversion- but what other 747's (fullsize) have landed there?
25 VirginFlyer: I am pretty sure you are correct there - prior to the 747SPs, I believe Wellington to Australia was flown with Electras - perhaps one of the older We
26 ZK-NBT: NZ landed a 742 there in 1998 to mark the opening of the new terminal, there was as you say the United diversion, and maybe another NZ in there. That
27 Zonky: Don't forget these used to fly Wellington-Sydney.... ... and they didn't even have to worry about the steep drop off into Evans Bay According to this
28 ZK-NBT: I thought TAA operated there on behalf of QF at some stage aswell?
29 Timz: "According to this [what?] NZ DC-8's used to operate Wellington-Sydney." When?
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