Qantas 747-400 VH-OJU - End of an Era

Описание: Qantas 747 Last ever Landing at Wollongong Airport (VH-OJA)
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Qantas 747 Antarctica Charter Flights (Ending in November)
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https://www.antarcticaflights.com.au/

After a near 20-year career with Qantas, Boeing 747-400 VH-OJU will have a second life flying as a Rolls-Royce test aircraft.

It was announced on Tuesday (US time) Qantas had sold the recently retired VH-OJU Lord Howe Island to Rolls-Royce, which will convert the aircraft to a flying test bed.

The 747-400 operated its last commercial flight for Qantas on Sunday as the QF99 from Sydney to Los Angeles after flying more than 70 million kilometres – the equivalent of almost 100 return trips to the moon – with the flying kangaroo on the tail.

After two days on the ground at Qantas’s Los Angeles Airport maintenance facility, VH-OJU was ferried to Grant County International Airport at Moses Lake in Washington State.

Over the next two years, technicians from engineering firm AeroTec will remove the 364 business, premium economy and economy seats to make room for the instruments and testing equipment for Rolls-Royce’s engine testing program.

The retirement of VH-OJU, which was the last remaining Rolls-Royce-powered 747-438 in the Qantas fleet, left six GE-powered 747-438ERs (VH-OEE thru OEJ) delivered between 2002 and 2003.

In all, Qantas has operated 65 747s, taking delivery of 57 new 747s from Boeing, purchasing three 747‑400s second-hand and operating five leased aircraft at various points.

Qantas 747-400 Aircrafts that were featured in this video;

VH-OJS Retired in Feb 17 2019 ( to Mojave desert )
https://australianaviation.com.au/201...

VH-OEE - Still flying
VH-OEJ - Still flying
VH-OEF - 'One World' Livery - Still flying ( yeah! )