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About this book
The world's most iconic commercial aircraft, the Boeing 747, and its Australian story.
'We have decided we must have the 747.' - Bert Ritchie, Qantas Chief Executive, 1967
From its first Qantas flight in 1971, the Boeing 747 flew millions of people to Australia, overseas for work, back to their homelands, on holiday and out of danger. For most Australians, the 747 was their first experience of international travel. And now, history's most iconic commercial aircraft is scheduled to be decommissioned around the world.
In this jet-set nostalgia journey, Jim Eames - bestselling author of The Flying Kangaroo and Courage in the Skies - tells us how the 747, a watershed in aviation technology, dramatically changed air travel, and recounts the high points of its life at Qantas, including the uplift out of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy, the return of the Diggers to Gallipoli and the evacuation of Australians from Wuhan. We discover how the 747 came in all shapes and sizes, eventually becoming the 747-400, which set a world distance record from London to Sydney. We also find out about the near misses and how close we have come to disaster on several occasions. And finally, we remember the 747's farewell to Australia, when it departed our skies for the last time in 2020.
The Mighty 747 is the jumbo's Australian story, and is woven with the humour and nostalgia of the people at Qantas who sold the 747 to Australia and who made it work on the ground and in the air.
'Jim Eames takes us on the journey of the Boeing 747, the plane that dominated international travel. A former leader in the airline that bet its (and Australia's) future on the 747s, Jim guides us through the jet's remarkable design, construction and operations that put Australia on the world's stage. The Mighty 747 is essential reading for every person who has an interest in aviation, and Jim's knowledge, experience and insights put him in the captain's seat to explain how Boeing, the 747 and Qantas changed the world.' - Captain Richard de Crespigny AM, Pilot-in-Command and author of QF32
'We have decided we must have the 747.' - Bert Ritchie, Qantas Chief Executive, 1967
From its first Qantas flight in 1971, the Boeing 747 flew millions of people to Australia, overseas for work, back to their homelands, on holiday and out of danger. For most Australians, the 747 was their first experience of international travel. And now, history's most iconic commercial aircraft is scheduled to be decommissioned around the world.
In this jet-set nostalgia journey, Jim Eames - bestselling author of The Flying Kangaroo and Courage in the Skies - tells us how the 747, a watershed in aviation technology, dramatically changed air travel, and recounts the high points of its life at Qantas, including the uplift out of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy, the return of the Diggers to Gallipoli and the evacuation of Australians from Wuhan. We discover how the 747 came in all shapes and sizes, eventually becoming the 747-400, which set a world distance record from London to Sydney. We also find out about the near misses and how close we have come to disaster on several occasions. And finally, we remember the 747's farewell to Australia, when it departed our skies for the last time in 2020.
The Mighty 747 is the jumbo's Australian story, and is woven with the humour and nostalgia of the people at Qantas who sold the 747 to Australia and who made it work on the ground and in the air.
'Jim Eames takes us on the journey of the Boeing 747, the plane that dominated international travel. A former leader in the airline that bet its (and Australia's) future on the 747s, Jim guides us through the jet's remarkable design, construction and operations that put Australia on the world's stage. The Mighty 747 is essential reading for every person who has an interest in aviation, and Jim's knowledge, experience and insights put him in the captain's seat to explain how Boeing, the 747 and Qantas changed the world.' - Captain Richard de Crespigny AM, Pilot-in-Command and author of QF32
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Yes, you can access The Mighty 747 by Jim Eames in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Business & Transportation Industry. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- COVER PAGE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- TITLE PAGE
- COPYRIGHT PAGE
- CONTENTS
- A SENTIMENTAL FAVOURITE
- 1. THE FATHER OF THE 747
- 2. TEMPTATIONS AND DOUBTS
- 3. âITâS BOEINGâ
- 4. THE JET BASE
- 5. READY TO FLY
- 6. A TALE OF TWO CITIES
- 7. THE FIRST QF BOEING 747 TOUCHES DOWN
- 8. ITâS ALL ABOUT THE ENGINES
- 9. STORMY SKIES AHEADâAND NOT JUST WITH THE WEATHER
- 10. âTHE PILOTSâ AIRLINEâ
- 11. POLITICS AND MINISTERS
- 12. A PILOTâS VIEW
- 13. THEY CAME IN ALL SHAPES
- 14. AND THEY CAME IN ALL SIZES
- 15. CHRISTENINGSâA TALE OF POLITICS AND MEDIA JUNKETS
- 16. HI HO, HI HO, ITâS INTO THE AIR WE GO
- 17. INTO THE RECORD BOOKSâNON-STOP ACROSS THE WORLD
- 18. KEEPING âEM FLYING
- 19. KEEPING WATCH IN THE COCKPIT
- 20. âLUCKâS A FORTUNEâ
- 21. THE HUMOUR OF IT ALL
- 22. NOT JUST ANY PASSENGERS
- 23. THE ANTARCTIC AIRLINE
- 24. THE RETURN OF THE DIGGERS
- 25. THE SOUND OF GUNFIRE IN MOGADISHU
- 26. THE âOSHKOSH EXPRESSâ
- 27. âTHIS 747 IS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAMEâ
- 28. REARRANGING THE DECKCHAIRS
- 29. SAVING OUR âQUEEN OF THE SKIESâ
- 30. THE FINAL FAREWELL
- REFLECTIONS
- PICTURE SECTION
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- SOURCES