Pre-Radar Transcontinental Airway System

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Very Interesting!

Its interesting an actual system of visual navigation aids were used to aid the early pioneering pilots. I didn't realise radio navigation came so much later.

OBTW, Ben: That 727 flap sequence was filmed from the ramp of Perth airport - the disaster that happens to be the regional centre of this corner of Australia. If you look around their channel some more - you should find videos of Perth's "Glory Days" where QANTAS 747's, Thai A300's, Singaporean A310's, Ansett F-28's and the like were common visitors.

Nowadays, the most interesting visitor Perth gets is an A380 from the Middle-East - its otherwise a mix of Boeing's and Airbii with about 1/4 of the world's Fokker 100 fleet thrown in for some superb measure.

The other day, Perth got a REAL 747 rarity: a QANTAS 747 with the "5th-pod," which had to make a technical stop due to the limitations imposed by the extra (non-operating) engine on its way to Jo'burg, South Africa to save another QANTAS jumbo.

www.flightradar24.com

How Qantas Ferried an Engine on the Wing of a 747 | Flightradar24 Blog

When Qantas 747 VH-OJU had engine trouble in Johannesburg, VH-OJS came to the rescue ferrying a spare Rolls Royce engine from Sydney to Johannesburg for the stricken plane. We wanted to find out more, so we talked with Qantas about how they go about carrying an extra engine across the ocean...
www.flightradar24.com www.flightradar24.com
 
Pillar of Fire Church, Dec. 16, 1960

I was home sick from school that morning and remember when this news came on the TV. I recall some news person remarking on the "aptly named Pillar of Fire Church" which was hit by the crashing plane and was engulfed in flames. A lady who worked in a florist shop told a reporter that when she heard the huge explosion, she thought that the subway had exploded and I wondered how the subway could explode.

I Googled Pillar of Fire Church NY 1960 and there were the stories, one of which I linked.

Another event I remember was the fire at Our Lady of Angels Catholic School in Chicago on December 1, 1958. In the Yearbook we received with our World Book, there was a photograph of the school where so many children lost their lives in something like the disasters of the year section. It made me glad that my schools were single story buildings.

 
Love those old airline videos---back in the days when flying was really FUN!!!And the airline took care of you and did everything to make your trip pleasent.Now they do everything to make it UNPLEASENT and a drudgery!The Quantas video of "deadheading" the RR engine was very interesting!!
 
I've also seen airlines "deadheading" engines on 747's by hanging them off a wing too. But I imagine that Qantas has to fly their engines much further out than most airlines and a speed pack would offer much less drag than an extra engine hanging out there on the wing. And less drag equals less fuel used.
 
And all along thought those engines were shipped by truck or rail.Learn something new all the time.But for Quantas-guess the engine shop is outside of their country.So shipping by rail or truck-long wet trip????So the motor has to go by air.
 
@tolivac

Problem here had more to do with the fact QF has downsized their 747 fleet dramatically the past 5 years from 20+ frames to about 12 or less IIRC.

This perhaps leaves them quite "short" in spares department if something goes very wrong - since you can't really substitute another 747 if they're all deployed on the network (and remember QF also have the 747-400-ER, which isn't fitted with the 5th pod option from what I've read: The GE engine can be split in two and carried as cargo FWIW).

What happened here was Qantas waited for the flight going to Africa the next day and put the passengers up in a hotel for the meantime. The next plane arrived, the spare engine installed and both flights left to Sydney eventually.

As for the dead engine, per Qantas, there is no need to transport it back in the same manner (no urgency: They've got plenty of spares), and it will be sent via freighting service, e.g. FedEx or UPS.

The repaired plane then carried out a regularly scheduled flight to Los Angeles not long after its arrival into Sydney (with several hrs delay).
 

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