Qantas has confirmed it will donate its first Boeing 747-400, known as City of Canberra, to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) based at the Illawarra Regional Airport.
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It will be the first 747-400 in the world to be preserved for public display and the biggest aircraft to be on show at the HARS facility.
Shellharbour City councillors will be asked to endorse the donation when they meet for the first time in 2015 on Tuesday night.
Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba said the donation was ‘‘an absolute scoop’’ for HARS, the airport and Shellharbour City.
‘‘It will be a static display ... this will be in essence its resting place,’’ Cr Saliba said.
In a statement Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said it was important for such an iconic aircraft to be on display as a reminder of the role Qantas has played in aviation history.
The newly retired 747 made Australian aviation and Qantas history when it blazed its way in to the record books in 1989 for the longest non-stop commercial flight from London to Sydney in a time of 20 hours, 9 minutes and 5 seconds, a record that still stands.
“Qantas has been responsible for a lot of aviation firsts and many of them have centred on endurance and reliability,’’ Mr Joyce said.
‘‘The record breaking flight of this Boeing aircraft was a technical and symbolic achievement because it showed what was possible with the latest generation of aircraft.
“We are excited that by gifting this newly retired aircraft to the HARS museum, we’re helping create a local tourism attraction as well as preserving a bit of our past.’’
Qantas intends to deliver the aircraft, registration VH-OJA, on March 15 on what it says will be the airline’s, and perhaps the world’s, shortest ever delivery flight with an expected flying time of approximately 10 minutes from Mascot to Albion Park.
President of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Bob De La Hunty said HARS was delighted to be part of preserving a remarkable piece of modern aviation history.
“All our volunteers, including many former Qantas employees, are overwhelmed by the opportunity to showcase such a historic aircraft,’’ he said.
‘‘We expect it to attract lots of attention together with our Lockheed Super Constellation, both of which were integral in building Qantas’ international reputation.”
Cr Saliba said there were still some outstanding issues to be finalised between HARS and the council.
Mr De La Hunty said HARS was working with the council, emergency services and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
‘‘A huge amount of work is being done driven by the council to ensure all boxes are ticked,’’ he said.
The Qantas pilots operating the final flight will undergo special simulator training to prepare for the delivery.
‘‘The runway can handle the landing,’’ Mr De La Hunty said.
‘‘It is coming in light when it is arriving here so it will have less of a footprint than some of the business jets that come in to the airport.’’