Qantas 747-400 VH-OJA "We go further"

[Tony P]

Hi all,

This year in August marks the 25th anniversary of the delivery flight of the first 747-400 to Qantas. What was remarkable was that it set a world record for distance from London Heathrow to Sydney. I was there for the arrival and the hand over ceremony at the Jet Base. What I just learned (and probably forgot) was that VH-OJA had titles "We go further" applied not long after delivery. I'd like to do a model of this scheme but a bit confused if I should go 1/200 or 1/144. 1/200 would be easy as there are Hasegawa boxings of this scheme apart from the special titles which I can print off easily enough. The problem is in 1/144. What are my options as I have heard that the Revell kit is not all that good and has many errors (I don't know what they are). Who makes decals in 1/144.
It is great to know that OJA is still going strong after nearly 25 years of service. I think she is due to be retired this year. I hope she can go to Longreach.
Tony

4630_913l.jpg (95.1 KiB) Viewed 4628 times

[scotty100368]

Tony,

Hawkeye Models decal sheet CDS-081 is the one you need. It's available in both 1/200 ($19) & 1/144 ($29).



Scott.

[hrtpaul]

Hawkeye to the rescue once again. And welcome Scott

[Tony P]

This site is paying for itself already!
Thanks Scott. Nice to see you here too. Hope things are well with you and your family.
My usual question, does it come with white roos and are they white enough so there is no bleed through from the red?

Thanks
Tony

[scotty100368]

Tony,

I'm fairly certain that it comes with white roos, but being an older print, they may not be perfectly opaque. Just ask Peter if he'll include a second set of roos for a few more quid!

Scott.

[Tony P]

...and it's confirmed. The old girl is being retired at the end of the year. She does the JNB run a fair bit and for peps in Melbourne, you usually see it going over with contrails in full bloom.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j ... 2246,d.dGY


Wouldn't mind seeing her depart for the last time.

[Adam the Akrodude]

Ah yes, Oscar Juliet Alpha - one of our best performing chem-trailers of all time - Moh Hah Hah Hah!

[tor lives]

Given her pedigree and record-breaker status, I would love to see her go to the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach....could there be a more appropriate aircraft. But I guess ya can't save them all .
TOR

[Tony P]

Yes
http://www.airlinehubbuzz.com/qantas-fi ... gnificant/

[tor lives]

Well she has done her final flight and the airline has confirmed she will be preserved, (after all, she is the flagship and original name-bearer of the 747-400 "Longreach" fleet), but just precisely where she will be retired to has not yet been announced.
http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act ... 7147137662
If it is Longreach....I wanna be there the day she arrives, cause the 747-200 arrival was specky enough, imagine the 400 landing at this small outback airfiled
Here is OJA as a brand new jet just having been rolled out of the final assembly hall at the Everett Boeing plant.





While the quality of the photos is dodgy at best, (crappy little camera with no wide-angle lens), I feel fortunate and indeed privileged to have been able to photograph this most significant jet all those years ago. At the time I was a young RAAF Boeing 707 crew member who was being given a tour of the 747 factory as a guest of Boeing. We could not believe our luck coming face-to-face with the first Qantas 747-400 on this day. I never realised at the time that, like OJA, I myself would be a permanent Qantas fixture for over two decades.
Our next big retirement will be next week when our last 767 leaves the fleet.....that will be a very sad day for me as I have a real soft spot for the ol girls!!....I really did enjoy crewing our 767s.
TOR
PS: note that in the above photo OJA has not yet got her "Longreach" titles applied