Airlinertags
Qantas B747-338
VH-EBU
“Nalanji Dreaming”
TRI COLOUR
Hexagonal FLAG Tag
It’s QANTAS Tag Mania!
Annex
7
to the Chicago Convention contains standards adopted by the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the minimum standard for the display of marks
to indicate appropriate nationality and registration. These standards prescribe
the size, format and position of the nationality and registration on the hull
of the aircraft
As a voluntary member nation of The Commonwealth,
the position of the ‘Union Jack’ has
been retained in the top LH quarter of the Australian flag despite being free
of British rule
The Australian National Flag legally replaced the British
Union Flag on 14th April 1954 following the Flags Act 1953 as
introduced by the Menzies government
This hexagonal tag
was cut from the ‘Union
Jack’ red cross of Saint George on
the right or starboard side Australian flag
Aviation tradition closely follows maritime and
military precedents which see flags positioned on aircraft as physically
independent objects
For this reason, RH flag perspectives are reversed
to portray forward motion
It is a rare
opportunity to acquire such a definitive piece off a substantial Australian
aircraft
First flown as N5573P on 21st
December 1984 entering the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-EBU on 24th
January 1985
Qantas’ 60th Boeing and 26th
B747
Hexagonal tags do not feature a traditional
keyring hole
Instead, they are housed in a thick
clear sleeve in between two vibrantly printed cards which retain the tag in a
central location
The tag is housed in a small zip lock
bag between the front and back cards for further protection and positioning
Hex tags are definitely ready for
display on a rack or pegboard
Individually serialised as #1967 from a highly sought run of 2000 tags
Make me an offer Aussies!
VH-EBU languished in southeastern
Australia in an environment far from ideal with regards to preservation. Its
presence became a political football as the airfield owners wanted the aircraft
removed while state government authorities forbid on-site disposal
When permission to scrap was received,
the process was swift and un-relenting
Fortunately, a domestic re-purposing operation
were briefly permitted to access the fuselage prior to teardown
Airlinertags were fortunate enough to
acquire some of this material from this tenacious organisation once it was removed
from the site, transported to Sydney and painstakingly restored to reveal the
original ‘Nalanji’ colour scheme
These very tags are the result of
much fortitude, resilience, perseverance and craftsmanship
Static examples of the B747 Classic
variant are few and far between as they were withdrawn from service in an era
when scrapping was almost instantaneous. This outcome is made even more relevant
when the notoriety of EBU’s status as airborne art is considered
This particular colour combination was made in extremely low numbers and sold out as rapidly as it took to dismantle the aircraft
Don’t let this opportunity pass again
Further Reading
Second of three B747-338s ordered by
Qantas Airways on 18th November 1983. Allocated Boeing Block Number
RS272, EBU rolled off the production line at Everett on 6th December 1984
First flown as N5573P on 21st
December and entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-EBU on 24th
January 1985 as Qantas’ 60th Boeing aircraft and 26th
B747
Ferried to LAX the next day where it
transited before continuing to SYD via HNL as QF501
Named ‘City of Sydney’ at a special ceremony on 1st February
before operating its first revenue service as QF28 to MEL the next day. Its
first international service was as QF1 operating MEL – SYD – SIN – BAH – LHR on
the 3rd February
On 2nd September EBU temporarily
operated a British Airways LHR – BRU return service as BA384
Renamed ‘City or Warrnambool’ at SYD on 20th September 1989
Entered H245 at the Sydney Jetbase
for maintence on 19th October 1995. Simultaneously and secretly the
aircraft was also repainted as ‘Nalanji
Dreaming’ using a process of crude 1:1 scale paper templates with paint
application via roller brush over a base sky blue livery. It rolled out and was
unveiled as part of Qantas 75th Anniversary celebrations on 14th
November. It returned to service two days later as the QF21 SYD – NRT service
Fatefully, EBU was ferried to Avalon
as QF6195 on 1st February 2005. This was to location of a temporary ‘overflow’ maintenance facility which was
the precursor to the airline justifying further outsourcing abroad. This was to
be ‘Nalanji’s’ final flight
The aircraft was cancelled for the Australian Aircraft Register on 1st May 2008. Major components were observed removed by September 2010 while it went into further disrepair and derelict despite being repainted in an all-basic blue livery (fuselage only, tail remained red). It was utilised as a security training aid and later media production prop during 2015
The following year it underwent another amateurish
re-paint most likely on account of its increasing presence as an eyesore to the
airfield owners. Accordingly, it was painted all over white and adorned with ‘Avalon Airport’ corporate titles
The aircraft was finally dismantled
in June 2023 after EPA restrictions were lifted enough to permit on-site
scrapping. Ironically after sitting mostly dormant for close to twenty years,
the teardown process was rapid with minimal opportunity to access material and equipment
before the cutters arrived
‘Nalanji’ roughly translates to ‘our place’ and
its dreaming’s are a celebration of nature’s balance and harmony. Its diverse
colouring reflects tropical Australia’s lush colour palette. It was also known
as ‘Turtle Dreaming’ in some circles
within the industry
Qantas B747 History
The Qantas Airways relationship with the 'Jumbo' spanned 50 glorious years
VH-EBA 'City
of Canberra' -Qantas' first B747, arrived at Kingsford Smith on the 16th of
August 1971
The airline marked the end of its relationship with
the 'Queen of the Skies' with a
series of relatively short 'joy flights' using its last 747, VH-OEJ Wanula
These flights took place over Sydney, Brisbane and
Canberra and raised money for HARS where the flagship VH-OJA is statically
preserved
VH-OEJ - the last QF B747, made its final departure
from Australian soil on Wednesday
the 22nd July 2020
The iconic sight of a Qantas Jumbo
flying over Sydney Harbour, the CBD and its surrounding suburbs and
beaches is now a thing of the past
After just over an hour into the flight and
the crew provided a fitting tribute and initiated a series of expertly
executed manoeuvres which allowed the flight path to approximate the
outline of the iconic flying kangaroo
After arriving in LAX ‘Wanula’ flew Victorville the following day into permanent storage and eventual dismantling once robbed of all its re-usable components
The 744 Dilemma
The Boeing 747-400 is an advanced variant of the B747 series. The "Advanced Series 300" was
announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow. The -400 is a larger, more
efficient and longer-range Jumbo variant which enabled the over-flight of
traditional tech-stops. It introduced a glass cockpit and reduced the number of
dials, gauges and knobs from 971 to 365 via enhanced avionics eliminating the
role of the third knob – the flight engineer. It retained the original airframe
with the -300 EUD and introduced 1.8m drag reducing winglets. The -400 also
featured tail fuel tanks, revised engines, and a new interior. Powerplants
included the Pratt & Whitney PW4062, General Electric CF6-80C2, and
Rolls-Royce RB211-524, equivalent and interchangeable with those utilised in
the parallel production of the B767’s
Northwest Airlines were the launch customer and ordered ten aircraft on
the 22nd of October 1985. The first -400 rolled out on January
26th 1988 with a maiden flight on the 29th of April.
Type certification was received on the 9th of January1989, the
first commercial flight occurred on the 9th of February 9
between Minneapolis and Phoenix
An extended range freighter (ERF) entered service in October 2002
followed by a passenger version (ER) in November. Qantas were the only airline
to order the -400ER initially for the Melbourne to Los Angeles and Dallas to
Sydney routes allowing a commercially viable service with full passenger and
cargo payloads. Prior to introducing the -400ER, Qantas blocked out E zone to
weight limit passenger numbers and associated baggage. The -400ER featured the
Boeing Signature Interior, which was later offered as a retro-fit on previous
models
The -400ER also introduced flight deck enhancements, including the
replacement of CRT displays with LCD’s and the three standby instruments were
amalgamated into a single combined integrated standby flight display LCD, both
of which became standard across the series in late 2003
In March 2007, Boeing announced that it had no plans to produce further
passenger versions of the -400, the final delivery occurring in April 2005 for
China Airlines. However, orders for 36 -400F and -400ERF freighters were
already in place. The -400 was superseded by the stretched and improved
Boeing 747-8, introduced in October 2011 to an albeit mild reception
With 694 -400’s delivered between 1989 and 2009, it was by far Boeing's
best-selling 747 variant. The largest operators of the jet included Singapore
Airlines, Japan Airlines and British Airways
The -400s leasing, resale and salvage value has dropped steeply due to
relatively expensive operating costs above more efficient twinjets. Age is
also not on the -400s side as most airframe exceed twenty years. Airlines are
beginning to replace them with more fuel-efficient aircraft such as Boeing
777/787s and Airbus A350s. The change in emphasis from hub and spoke operations
to point-to-point flights has also reduced the need for large, multi-engine
jets
Moreover, economic weakness in air cargo markets has slowed demand for
cargo conversions. Since the cost of replacing a 747-400 is high, most appear
to be operating the -400 to the conclusion of its accepted useful life and then
scrap it. The current parts resale value for this aircraft has been
reduced to its engines