100 years of Qantas in a safety video
Pictures: Qantas Founder’s Museum
As you possibly know, 2020 is Qantas centenary year and a whole programme of activities to mark this remarkable milestone will go on throughout the whole year.
A few days ago we reported on the inauguration of an exhibition of historical Qantas travel posters.
This week, it is the launch of a truly amazings safety video (at over 8’ it is rather long but well worth it!) celebrating the history of Qantas from its origins, when it was flying fragile post-WWI era biplanes all the way through to today’s Dreamliners.
I counted up to seven different aircraft make their appearance during the video, starting with an Avro 504K, the very first aircraft that Qantas operated.
Also featured are the Short Empire flying boat (those interested in WW2 civilian seaplane operations and the so-called “Horseshoe Route” should read this book!), the Supèr Connie (one of which, although not an ex-Qantas one, was recovered and restored by the Qantas Founders Museum, as I reported it for CNN), the Boeing 707, Boeing 747 and, finally the Boeing 787.
A pre-WW2 four-engined biplane also appears early in the film, but I could not identify it (neither could I find any reference on Qantas historical fleet). Any ID clues are welcome!
UPDATE: the mysterious four engine biplane has been identified as a DH-86. It was the first aircraft to have the pilot up the front and was used for Qantas overseas service from 1935.
The Qantas Founders Museum (which is a not-for-profit organization separate from the airline) played an active role in the filming of the video. It is in fact at its location in Longreach, Queensland, that Qantas started up as Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Service. The Avro 504K that appears at the start of the video is, actually, part of the museum’s collection, as is as a listed 1922 hangar that acts as the setting for the film.
Enjoy the film!
By the way, if you found this of interest, you may want to check also this retro safety video celebrating TAP Air Portugal’s heritage, as well as our chronicle of KLM’s own centenary celebrations.