The Last Qantas 747 Performed A Flying Kangaroo Off The Coast Of Australia

Prepare to get out the tissues as Qantas' last ever 747 drew a Flying Kangaroo off the coast of Australia on its final flight.

Qantas has been slowly getting rid of the Boeing 747, dubbed the Queen of the Skies, however the coronavirus pandemic quickened their efforts to decommission it.

They've been making their way to the Mojave Desert in the US, which has become a massive aircraft graveyard for airlines dumping their planes. The desert acts as the perfect location for the planes to maintain their parts due to the dry humidity.

As the 747 was farewelled during a huge ceremony in Sydney, it took off and headed north, but before it started the long journey to mainland America, plane watchers were delighted to see it perform one last trick.

Flight QF7474 drew a Flying Kangaroo, the Spirit of Australia, or the Qantas logo, over the Pacific Ocean.

Flight Radar

Many came out to Sydney Airport to say goodbye to the aircraft that made commercial flying at long distances a reality for people around Australia.

It was an incredibly emotional day for some who had flown on the aircraft personally and professionally for decades.

First class flight attendant Jen Perrie was there and got to write a special message on the hull of the plane after working with Qantas for 35 years.

She told Traveller: "It was always the Queen of the Skies - it was the most perfect aircraft you could find. It's a really sad day. She was our family away from family."

PA

Noel Taylor, one of the oldest living former Qantas employees at the age of 94, added that the plane changed the way people fly today.

He told the ABC: "I was enthralled with aeroplanes before I was a teenager...I was always interested in aviation. When I look at pictures of 747 and look at the A380, it's like chalk and cheese, the size."

The 747 has been there for some unbelievable and historic moments in Australian history, which is another reason why it's sad to bid it farewell.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the Boeing 747 will always be thought of as the Queen of the Skies.

"It's brought the Queen in, it's brought the Pope in, it's been there for every Olympics team since the 1984 Olympics," he said. "It's a bittersweet moment...this aircraft has changed world aviation, Australian aviation and Qantas."

Topics: Flying, News, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie