Originally Posted by Dianne47

What a great aviation tour. I lived in Sydney from 1973 to 1977 and flew a lot on Qantas. I'm sure my first 747 flight was on Qantas.

There were no non-stops from Australia to the USA back in those days, the routes operated with a stop in HNL (some flights also stopped in Fiji). After several trips I figured out that breaking the trip with a night in HNL meant no jetlag.

I knew several Qantas pilots and when I left Australia to move home (1977) I flew Sydney - Perth - Mauritius - Johannesburg. On the SYD - PER leg one of my pilot friends was deadheading, he came to get me (of course I was flying economy) and brought me to the top deck first class lounge. That was the ultimate in luxury and comfort, but it only lasted to Perth. The rest of that long daylight flight took many many hours, and we weren't allowed to get off the aircraft in Mauritius.

I agree that a trip to the Longreach museum is a must for aviation enthusiasts. Your video is superb.