Barcaldine
Trip Start
Mar 26, 2008
1
70
94
Trip End
Jun 27, 2008
Barcaldine, Australia
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
We were going to visit the Qantas Founder Museum before we left Longreach this morning. This included time to wander around the museum before touring a former Qantas 707 which had been converted into a VIP jet and was previously owned by a Saudi Arabian businessman.
The 2nd plane we toured was a donated 747 Qantas jumbo which was flown to Longreach in November 2002. Before we headed onboard we watched video clips of the jumbo arriving in town and heard explanations by the pilot as to the changes in their flying approach they needed to alter in order to land the plane on a strip which was less than half the length and width of a normal 747 airstrip. They also needed to cut out the reverse thrust upon landing as there was dust on either side of the strip under the engines and this along with small stones would be sucked up into the engines.
We were taken under the plane by our guide who explained all about the radars, landing gear, nose cone, wiring, wheels, wings and engines and even before we headed inside the plane we were filled with a heap of new knowledge that we hadn't even considered before. Other things we learned were:
- The Black Box recorder is kept at the rear of the plan and is actually orange in colour. Orange is a more fire retardant colour and easily spotted in a wreckage.
- The Black Box recorder was invented by an Australian but rejected by the Federal Government. The inventor took it overseas and it was snapped up by the British Government. This invention has revolutionised air safety in jet aircraft.
- In 1971 a Qantas Engineer designed the emergency slide and raft as one unit. He won a prestigious world air safety award.
- The framework of a plane is painted in a special green paint which helps coat the plane against the freezing temperatures experienced at 35,000 ft. However if a plane is painted in a particular airlines colours and resold at a later date to another company, it must be chemically stripped back to the green paint and then repainted in the new airlines colours as the total weight of paint on any jumbo is around 3 tonne (we think).
- The front wheels of a jumbo can be manually operated in case the automatic system fails, however this isn't the case with the rear wheels.
- Contrary to what many people think, toilet waste is stored in the plane until the plane has landed, however grey water is released but to ensure that the pipes do not freeze as the water travels through them, it is heated in a tank beforehand.
- In the earlier 747's a cocktail bar was situated up above first class. However this was removed in part due to the extremely narrow and tight spiral staircase leading downward!!
- Flight engineers are no longer required on newer 747's as they are fully computerised with the systems being in charge of diagnostic checks.
By the time we completed the museum and the two tours it was well after lunch. We ate at the museum before driving the 100kms to Barcaldine (Mark Holden as Darcy incorrectly interpreted it!!!).
Dianne began making one of Darcy's favourites for dinner, Shepherds Pie, however when trying to retrieve some pieces of onion off the stovetop knocked the frypan which was browning the meat and onions onto the floor and that was it - we were off across the road to the Steak House for dinner.
