View source for Biology:City of Canberra (aircraft)

{{italic title}}
{{Use Australian English|date=February 2015}}
{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name = ''City of Canberra''
| image = Qantas (VH-OJA) Boeing 747-438 makes its final ever landing at Illawarra Regional Airport.jpg
| caption = The ''City of Canberra'' lands for the last time at Shellharbour Airport, 8 March 2015
}}
{{Infobox aircraft career
| other names = 
| type = [[Engineering:Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-438]]
| construction number = 24354 (Line Number 731)
| construction date = February 1989
| civil registration = N6046P (Boeing Test)<br>VH-OJA (Qantas)
| first flight = 3 July 1989
| owners = [[Company:Qantas|Qantas]]
| in service = 6 September 1989 - 13 January 2015
| last flight = 8 March 2015
| flights = 13,833
| total hours = 106,154
| total distance = 85 million kilometres
| status = Preserved by Historical Aircraft Restoration Society
| fate = 
| preservation = Shellharbour Airport}}
|}

The '''''City of Canberra''''' is a preserved [[Engineering:Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-438]] delivered to [[Company:Qantas|Qantas]] in 1989 and now on display at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society museum at Shellharbour Airport, Albion Park Rail, Australia.

On 16–17 August 1989, whilst en route from the Boeing Everett Factory in the United States following its registration as a newly completed Qantas aircraft, the ''City of Canberra'' made a non-stop delivery flight from London Heathrow to Qantas' headquarters in Sydney.<ref name="aa vh-oja">{{cite web |title=VH-OJA Boeing 747-438 |url=http://www.aussieairliners.org/b-747/vh-oja/vhoja.html |website=www.AussieAirliners.org |access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref><ref>Longreach ''Australian Aviation'' issue  323 January 2015 pages 45-37</ref>

{{Asof|February 2015}}, the month of the aircraft's final passenger-carrying flight, this was still the longest non-stop un-refuelled delivery flight by an airliner.<ref name=FlightmagRecord1>{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=26 August 1989 |title=Qantas flies London-Sydney non-stop |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%202606.html |volume=136 |issue=4179 |pages=8 |journal=Flight International |location=Sutton, Surrey  |publisher=Reed Business Publishing |access-date=8 February 2015 }}</ref><ref name=CanberraTimes>{{cite news |last=Freed |first=Jamie |date=29 January 2015 |title=World's longest flight record-holder, Qantas 'City of Canberra' 747-400, retires |url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/worlds-longest-flight-recordholder-qantas-city-of-canberra-747400-retires-20150129-1314lo.html |newspaper=Canberra Times |location=Canberra, ACT |access-date=8 February 2015 }}</ref>

==Aircraft==
The ''City of Canberra'', [[Engineering:Aircraft registration|registered]] VH-OJA, named after [[Place:Canberra|Australia's capital city]], was the first [[Engineering:Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-400]] delivered to [[Company:Qantas|Qantas]].<ref group="note">The aircraft is a Boeing 747-400 model; Boeing assigns a unique code for each company that buys one of its aircraft, which is applied as a suffix to the model number at the time the aircraft is built. Boeing's code for Qantas is 38, hence 747-438.</ref> It was not modified for the flight in any way &ndash; such as by the installation of extra fuel tanks &ndash; but some items of equipment were removed from the galleys and cargo compartments to save weight.<ref name=FlightmagRecord1/>

==Record-breaking flight==
The 747-438 took 20 hours and 9 minutes to fly a distance of 9,720 [[Nautical mile|nautical mile]]s (18,001&nbsp;km) from London Heathrow to Sydney. The elapsed time was six minutes longer than the quickest non-stop England to Australia flight, which was made by an [[Engineering:Avro Vulcan|Avro Vulcan]] of the {{wipe|Royal Air Force}} in 1961.<ref name=FlightmagRecord1/>{{sfn|Jacobs|2011|page=96}} The ''City of Canberra'' set a record for the longest un-refuelled flight by a commercial aircraft, as the Vulcan was a military aircraft and had to be refuelled in flight several times while flying from RAF Scampton to RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney.<ref name=FlightmagRecord1/>{{sfn|Jacobs|2011|page=96}} 

''City of Canberra'' also set the record for the shortest ever 747 flight. In March 2015, it flew from Sydney to Shellharbour, with a flight time of 12 minutes.<ref name=CanberraTimes/><ref>{{cite web |title=Boeing 747-438 Longreach City of Canberra HARS |url=https://hars.org.au/boeing-747-438-longreach/ |website=HARS Aviation Museum |access-date=4 July 2021 |language=en-AU}}</ref> This record was beaten by a British Airways 747-400 that made a nine minute flight from Cardiff to MOD St Athan in November 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=The shortest-ever Boeing 747 flight? |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/117737167/the-shortestever-boeing-747-flight |access-date=4 July 2021 |work=Stuff|date=26 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{https://web.archive.org/web/20191128004450/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/reason-boeing-747-made-possibly-17311750 The reason Boeing 747 made possibly the shortest journey ever from Cardiff Airport] ''WalesOnLine''  26 November 2019</ref>

==Subsequent history==
===Service with Qantas===
[[File:Qantas Boeing 747-438 VH-OJA (22248250525).jpg|thumb|''City of Canberra'' at Frankfurt Airport in 2011]]
The ''City of Canberra'' remained in service with Qantas until January 2015, when it was retired as part of the draw-down of the airline's fleet of 747s.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Sullivan|first1=Mark|title=Wollongong final resting place for Queen of the Skies|url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/wollongong-final-resting-place-for-queen-of-the-skies-20150119-12tg9z.html|accessdate=11 February 2015|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 January 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160817063102/https://www.smh.com.au/business/wollongong-final-resting-place-for-queen-of-the-skies-20150119-12tg9z.html |archive-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> While in service with Qantas, the aircraft operated more than 13,000 flights, and carried more than three million passengers.<ref name="sf 2023-03-26">{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Steven |title=Throwback: When Qantas Flew A Boeing 747 Into A Tiny Regional Airport |url=https://simpleflying.com/qantas-boeing-747-regional-airport-flight-story/ |website=Simple Flying |access-date=28 March 2023 |language=en |date=26 March 2023}}</ref> Its last passenger-carrying flight was from Johannesburg to Sydney on 13–14 January 2015.<ref name="sf 2023-03-26"/><ref name=SMH>{{cite web|last1=Freed|first1=Jamie|title=How Qantas plans to land a Boeing 747 near Wollongong|url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/how-qantas-plans-to-land-a-boeing-747-near-wollongong-20150305-13vuyq.html|website=Sydney Morning Herald|date=5 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305172937/https://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/how-qantas-plans-to-land-a-boeing-747-near-wollongong-20150305-13vuyq.html|archive-date=5 March 2015|url-status=dead|accessdate=7 March 2015}}</ref>

===Leased by Ansett===
In October 1994, VH-OJA was wet leased by Qantas' then-main domestic competitor Ansett after its Boeing 747-300, VH-INH, was damaged while landing at Sydney Airport.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VH-OJA Boeing 747-438 |url=https://www.aussieairliners.org/b-747/vh-oja/vhoja.html |access-date=2023-07-12 |website=www.aussieairliners.org}}</ref> Another Qantas 747, VH-OJL, was also leased by Ansett to cover VH-INH's flights while it was repaired.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VH-OJL Boeing 747-438 |url=https://www.aussieairliners.org/b-747/vh-ojl/vhojl.html |access-date=2023-07-12 |website=www.aussieairliners.org}}</ref>

===Final flight===
The aircraft was subsequently donated to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at Shellharbour Airport via a delivery flight on 8 March 2015. Pilots trained on simulators for the landing and reduced the aircraft's weight including reducing the tyre pressure to 120 pounds per square inch from the typical 208, and carrying 25,400 litres of fuel, versus the maximum of 217,000 litres.<ref name=SMH/>

===Public display===
The ''City of Canberra'' was placed on public display after a short period of decommissioning.<ref name=CanberraTimes /> On a tour of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at Shellharbour Airport, members of the public can board the inside of the aircraft. Visitors to the aircraft can carry out such activities as going through the pre-departure checklist with a pilot, making announcements over the PA system, and arming and cross-checking the doors.<ref name="sf 2023-03-26"/>
[[File:CityofCanberraupperdeck.jpg|thumb|Business class upper deck of City of Canberra, on display at HARS]]

==Namesakes==
The ''City of Canberra'' name has also been carried by other first deliveries for Qantas, including two other Boeing 747s. The first [[Engineering:Boeing 707#707-120|Boeing 707-138]] delivered in July 1959, the  first Boeing 747-238 delivered in August 1971 and the first Boeing 747-338 delivered in November 1984, all carried the name.<ref>[http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/QEA%201st%20Aust-USA%20B707%20service%201959.htm Qanras Inaugural Australia-USA Boeing 707 Service - 1959] Civil Aviation Historical Society & Airways Museum</ref><ref>First 747  ''Canberra Times'' 16 August 1971 page 3</ref><ref>New Boeing for Qantas rolls off assembly line ''Canberra Times'' 26 September 1984 page 13</ref>

A 707-338C purchased by Qantas in 1967 also bore the name. After several post-Qantas ownerships, that aircraft was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 1992 for conversion to a [[Engineering:Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS|E-8C Joint STARS]] for the {{wipe|United States Air Force}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aussieairliners.org/b-707q/vh-eab/vheab.html |title=VH-EAB. Boeing 707-338C. c/n 19622-660. |website=AussieAirliners.org |access-date=March 23, 2023}}</ref> In 1996, it became the first of such aircraft to enter service, remaining in this role until it was retired on 10 February 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/02/16/first-jstars-jet-flies-into-retirement-after-nearly-30-years-of-service/ |title=First JSTARS jet flies into retirement after nearly 30 years of service |first=Rachel S. |last=Cohen |date=16 February 2022 |work=Air Force Times |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref>

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist|group=note}}
===Notes===
{{reflist}}
===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Jacobs |first=Peter |date=2011 |title=Stay the Distance: The Life and Times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham |location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire |publisher=Frontline Books |isbn=978-1-84832-552-4 |url={{GBurl|M7aLDXO1llsC}}}}
* {{cite web |last1=McHarg |first1=John |title=VH-OJA Boeing 747-438 - Delivery Flight |url=http://www.aussieairliners.org/scrapbook/vhojadelivery/vhojastory.html |website=AussieAirliners.org |access-date=19 December 2021 |date=April–May 2012}}
{{refend}}

==External links==

{{Boeing 747 family}}

[[Category:Individual aircraft]]
[[Category:Qantas]]

{{Sourceattribution|City of Canberra (aircraft)}}