‘The Mighty 747’ by Jim Eames
Released on: November 1st, 2022
🛫
What the book is about, as stated by the publisher.
The world's most iconic commercial aircraft, the Boeing 747, and its Australian story.
'We have decided we must have the 747.' - Bert Ritchie, Qantas Chief Executive, 1967
From its first Qantas flight in 1971, the Boeing 747 brought millions of people to Australia, overseas for work, back to their homelands, to holiday destinations, and out of danger.
In The Mighty 747, Jim Eames - author of The Flying Kangaroo and Courage in the Skies - traces the early development of the jumbo, an aircraft of unprecedented size, and the vision of Joe Sutter, the man who guided it into existence. A major watershed in aviation technology, the 747 has flown over 3.5 billion passengers, and over the next few years is scheduled to be phased out around the world.
In this jet-set nostalgia journey we see how the 747 dramatically changed travel from Australia, offering fares cheap enough to be within reach for the first time for migrants and their children to revisit home, and the plane's extensive teething problems, but also the people in Qantas who had the vision to see the jumbo through those difficulties to be a massive success.
We see the high points of its Qantas life - the uplift out of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy, out of China after Tiananmen Square, in more recent days from Wuhan and the coronavirus outbreak, and its role in charters to the Antarctic. We discover how the 747 came in all shapes and sizes - from a Combi for cargo and passengers to the Special Performance version which could fly non-stop to the USA, and eventually the 747-400 which created a world distance record on its delivery flight from London to Sydney in 1989. We also find out about the 'near misses', of how close we have come to disaster on several occasions. And finally the jumbo's nostalgic farewell and how it departed Australia's skies for the last time on 22 July 2020.
So much more than aircraft history, The Mighty 747 is woven with the humour and nostalgia of the people at Qantas who sold the 747 to Australia, serviced it and made it work on the ground and in the air.
'Jim Eames takes us on the journey of the Boeing 747, the plane that dominated international travel. A former leader in the airline that bet its (and Australia's) future on the 747s, Jim guides us through the jet's remarkable design, construction and operations that put Australia on the world's stage. The Mighty 747 is essential reading for every person who has an interest in aviation, and Jim's knowledge, experience and insights put him in the captain's seat to explain how Boeing, the 747 and Qantas changed the world.' - Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny, Pilot in Command and author of QF32
About the author: Jim Eames
Jim Eames has been involved with airlines since he began work as an aviation writer in the 1960s. He has been a ministerial press secretary and aviation adviser to governments and a senior executive with Qantas. He is the author of nine books including Taking to the Skies: Daredevils, heroes and hijackers, Australian flying stories from the Catalina to the Jumbo, The Flying Kangaroo: Great untold stories of Qantas . . . the heroic, the hilarious and the sometimes plain strange and Courage in the Skies: The untold story of Qantas, its brave men and women and their extraordinary role in World War II.
✈️
MY REVIEW
Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin for my review copy.
____________________________
This is quite a comprehensive nostalgic history of not only the 747 but also Qantas’ part in its development and how this plane changed the world of travel. I was amazed at the contributions of Australia on the 747. Pieces of Australian design wisdom were woven into that aircraft: suggestions that became active components and standard maintenance procedures. One particular invention was by Qantas operations safety superintendent Jack Grant. He combined the escape slide and the raft into one inflatable item. This emergency evacuation unit was adopted around the world by aviation authorities and won him an award.
The mighty 747 has a long history of international travel for the Australian people. Passengers on holidays heading to other countries for adventures and work trips made this plane a huge part of their plans for long distance transport. A vast variety of memories are wrapped up in this impressive aircraft, from the very start of its arrival in Australia and first Qantas flight in 1971. Jim provides many unforgettable stories that will keep the reader fascinated. Those who were around may remember, or at least recall where they were, when significant incidents occurred. He sheds light on the business and design dealings at Qantas with this aircraft and provides intriguing behind the scenes information that made this plane an icon.
Some of the 747 amazing features that stood out back in its day, even now astonish us. First, being the largest aircraft of its time in 1969. Then there is the noticeable queenly hump on its head that housed the cockpit and allowed the nose door to open for cargo loading. The later models of the 747 extended the huge hump to originally offer luxuries such as bars, lounges and restaurants which later became used for business or first class seating. The four giant engines made it slightly faster at the time. The 747 also became a worthy workhorse carrying 787 parts in its oversized cargo area used in a Dream Lifter design. And Nasa’s space shuttle flew on the 747, helping to advance the space age. Also, NASA sent the engines (JD9s) of a particular 747 aircraft to Sydney (Overhaul Centre) where they modified them to accommodate the space shuttle! This was a serious reliable plane when well maintained and fitted to a variety of purposes.
Aviation people hate to say goodbye to a plane they love or have had a great deal of history with. I remember being impressed with the aircraft as a teenager. I had a passion for planes and wanted to fly them and later wanted to become a flight attendant (but it was not to be as the height requirements at the time excluded me). As a gift from my parents, I got a charm bracelet for my 16th birthday and guess what charm I was given? Yes, the mighty 747 Boeing plane! That bracelet later became filled with charms from various places I travelled, including trips on the aircraft. Flying was my favourite transport and I loved lift off and soaring across the skies. I am originally from Canada so flying to Australia meant many journeys on the 747. It always filled me with a sense of wonder. Later I became the wife of a Qantas Engineer and although it was the last years of his time working on that particular plane, I remember well visiting the hangar and being awed by the sheer immense size of the aircraft, its engines and other aspects of it up close.
In closing, I recommend The Mighty 747 by Jim Eames as a very readable and thorough text. There is so much one could say about this plane’s history: its creation, development and uses. Plus, all the people who worked on it, with it or in it from the ground to the top. Although there are a fair number of perspectives offered in the book, including the businessmen, design engineers and pilots, the Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s (LAME) point of view is only touched upon lightly (known there as ground engineers). So I thought it would be good to get the personal opinions and experiences of three long standing Senior Qantas LAME’s who worked on this legendary aircraft. They have eighty-two years of combined work efforts logged with the 747.
