Goodbye in the skies: Qantas' last ever 747 flight leaves Sydney for LA after the iconic aircraft was forced into early retirement thanks to coronavirus - as its pilot leaves a brilliant final message
- The final Qantas 747 flight left Sydney on Wednesday after an early retirement
- The iconic aircraft was forced into retirement early due to the COVID-19 crisis
- On its way to California the plane created Qantas' kangaroo on the flight radar
The last ever Qantas 747 flight left Sydney on Wednesday ending a significant chapter in Australian aviation history.
In its final journey, to Los Angeles for desert storage, the Boeing's pilot flew a kangaroo-shaped flight path off the eastern coast of Australia.
The Qantas Boeing 747 was retired six months ahead of schedule due to the global COVID-19 crisis.
The last ever Qantas 747 flight created the airline's iconic kangaroo logo on its path out of the country on Wednesday (pictured) as a farewell to Australia
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said it 'was hard to overstate' the impact the 747 (pictured) had on aviation and on Australia specifically
Qantas took delivery of its first 747 in August 1971, the same year William McMahon became prime minister and Australia welcomed its first McDonald's.
It is remembered as the aircraft which made international travel financially possible for millions of people.
Their size, range and reliability also meant the 747s were used for rescue missions after disasters such as Cyclone Tracy in 1974 and the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the fleet ushered in a new era of lower fares and non-stop flights.
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'It's hard to overstate the impact the 747 had on aviation and a country as far away as Australia,' Mr Joyce said in a statement on Wednesday.
'This aircraft was well ahead of its time and extremely capable.
'(It) put international travel within reach of the average Australian and people jumped at the opportunity.'
The airline's first female captain, Sharelle Quinn, was one of six pilots in command of the final flight - which had no else on board - and said it had been an 'absolute privilege' to fly the 747s for 36 years.
The airline's first female captain, Sharelle Quinn, (pictured left) who was one of six pilots in command of the final flight, said it was sad to see the plane go but it was the right time
'It has been a wonderful part of our history, a truly ground-breaking aircraft,' Ms Quinn said.
'While we are sad to see our last one go, it's time to hand over to the next generation of aircraft that are a lot more efficient.'
Another pilot on the historic flight, Greg Fitzgerald, said he would farewell that particular aircraft, which was bought by Qantas 17 years ago, with a 'heavy heart'.
'Everybody in Australia, everybody in the world knows the shape of the 747,' he told ABC Radio on Wednesday ahead of take-off.
'It's like Aeroplane Jelly and Vegemite - it's always been there. We don't know life without the 747 in the skies.'
The aircraft completed a flyby of Sydney Harbour and a low-level overfly of the HARS Aviation Museum in Wollongong, where Qantas' first 747 is stored, before heading over the Pacific Ocean towards America.
Aviation enthusiasts (pictured) turned out to farewell the final flight out of Sydney as the plane heads to California for desert storage and breakdown
