Longreach--Qantas Founders Museum

(Am catching up with a number of posts all at the same time beginning with "More Cairns.")

Our second day in Longreach began with a tour of the Qantas Founders Museum. (Click here for more information.) Although not owned by Qantas, the museum is dedicated to the individuals who began a flying service in Winton and then Longreach to provide service in this region where travel was so difficult. Qantas stands for "Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Service." Started by two individuals, it grew to the airline which is today essentially the flagship for Australia.

The museum was divided into about three parts. Outside were three planes available for tours. An indoor portion contained memorabilia and explanations of the history, and the third portion was the original hanger building for the airline. Kathie and I did the tour of the three planes first. Because it was so hot (still 43º) we all started by gathering in the shade under the wings of the Catalina you see below. This plane was Qantas's contribution to the effort in the second world war when they transported communications in the region, avoiding the Japanese in the process.

A Boeing 747 was on display as well, and we got the most extensive introduction to it. There was evidently quite a ceremony the day it was flown to Longreach and donated to the museum by the airline. Many Qantas pilots had volunteered to be the one to do this. We were told that a 747 is supposed to have 3 kilometers of runway available for landings. Longreach has less than half that, so this was seen as a challenge by the volunteers. The pilot chosen for the privilege managed to bring the plane to a stop in less than one kilometer. A large crowd was on hand for the event. Margaret told us she was there that day.

Not sure I remember the exact details, but this plane was built in about 1979 and is, I think, a 747-200. I have always thought of these as such modern planes, but we really saw some of the dated features of this plane, particularly in terms of passenger comfort and features. Very fun nevertheless.

Our guide was very knowledgeable. She claimed not to be an airline professional but said she was a bibliophile and loved to absorb details and information. Here she is explaining the front landing gear of the 747. There was lots of fascinating info about the tires, brakes, and other things, including how the pilot could crank the gear down by hand in an emergency.

The back landing gear were also discussed.

These engines were Rolls-Royce engines. I believe the guide said that a different brand is in use today.

Inside the plane, we got to see where the so-called black box devices are kept. They have never been black. These are orange. Evidently a reporter who first wrote an article about the involved technology simply said that these were black box devices, meaning that one could not see anything about their internal workings--the name stuck after that. In the photo you can see them, plus you can see the lining of the plane's fuselage. We were told about how the life of a plane like this is largely dependent on the numbers of pressurizations and depressurization that this lining can take during the plane's service.

A typical cabin door was shown with some of its covering removed so that we could see how it worked and how an attached raft deploys with it and the slide in an emergency. The guide also demolished the idea that such a door could be opened during flight because of the extreme pressure difference between the outside and inside. As she said, "Of course Hollywood can do it all the time."

This is the cockpit, of course. Close behind was a tiny bedroom for the flight officers to use during long overseas flights.

The second plane we toured, with just a walkthrough, was this 707. Qantas used many of these years ago. There are few still in existence, so when the museum had a chance, they obtained this one and repainted it in the Qantas livery. However, this particular plane had quite a history, having once belonged to Michael Jackson, among others. Its interior had been completely redone for private use, and this part of the display was left alone.

Fancy wood furnishings, special seating arrangements, and even bedrooms were all a part of the interior.

The indoor part of the museum had a flight simulator based on one of the original Qantas planes. Kathie gave it a try. She made lots of barrel rolls and heavy bounces on the ground, mostly unintended. I didn't even try.

This is a replica of one of the first Qantas planes.

Outside was a DC-3, which I found really fun to see. My first-ever flight was in a DC-3. In my sophomore year at the UI, when I was in the marching band, the band traveled to Columbus, OH for the game. It took three DC-3s and one DC-6 to get the band there. The DC-3s flew from the Iowa City airport, while the DC-6 required use of the Cedar Rapids airport. So lots of memories for me associated with this particular aircraft.

Finally, here is a replica of the second iteration of Qantas planes. This one had more passenger space, which you may be able to see in the form of the window strip between the wings. The pilot still flew in an open cockpit.

Really enjoyed this tour, as you can probably tell.