How Qantas drew a giant kangaroo in the sky with a 747 jumbo jet

Mid-air moves had watchers wondering, but this is how Qantas formed its farewell ‘Sky Roo’ as the last of its 747 jumbo jets departed Australia.

People watch as the last Qantas Boeing 747 airliner prepares to take off from Sydney airport to the US on July 22. Picture: (AFP)

On Wednesday the last of Qantas’s Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets departed Sydney Airport amid much fanfare to make a final flight to its resting place in California’s Mojave Desert.

Flying over the Pacific Ocean after a victory lap of Sydney’s beaches, flight QF7474’s path was keenly followed by plane spotters on internet flight trackers.

However, elation quickly turned to alarm when eagle-eyed spectators noticed the jumbo had made a turn not far off the coast and was changing elevation.

“No, something’s not cool – she’s descending, wrote one observer on Twitter.

No, somethings not cool - she’s descending #QF7474@flightradar24 pic.twitter.com/2dCi3aXSsk

— Mat Jessep (@MatJessep) July 22, 2020

“Is QF7474 having a problem with communications? Heard a few radio check calls,” wrote another.

Is QF7474 having a problem with communications? Heard a few radio check calls. #qf7474 pic.twitter.com/aAMB94c1d6

— Michael Doherty (@M_Doherty00) July 22, 2020

But by late afternoon it became observable that the plane known as the Queen of the Skies wasn’t in strife – it was simply leaving a parting message for her subjects: a giant rendering of the Qantas Kangaroo, 275 km wide and 250km high.

VIDEO: Qantas' final Boeing 747-400 VH-OEJ created a Flying Roo logo in 'flight tracker art' after its departure from Sydney today, heading to LAX then on to Mojave after 49 years operating the type. | Source: Qantas.

LIVE: Track #QF7474: https://t.co/xDqPPMjDlB #QF747 pic.twitter.com/HtOeKfpdN7

— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) July 22, 2020

The “Sky Roo” as it affectionately became known around Qantas HQ was the brainchild of the six long-term 747 pilots who were tasked with flying the jet to the plane boneyard in the Mojave.

“It was a joint effort and we’re so glad that all the elements came together on the day so we could do the roo,” Fleet Captain Owen Weaver told The Australian from LAX.

“The reaction we’ve seen from all over the world has been unbelievable, to be honest.

“We were never expecting the reaction that it got, but I guess this just shows how much the 747 meant to so many people.”

The 747 that Captain Weaver was flying was the last of the six remaining 747-400s in the Qantas fleet, ending an iconic pairing between the jet and the airline that began in 1971, when Qantas received its first delivery of 747-200s.

To celebrate the final Qantas 747 leaving Australia the Sky Roo was meticulously planned in advance, with Qantas's Navigation Team manually entering each waypoint before it's final flight took off on Tuesday.

The jet - large enough to seat hundreds but engineered with precision to make it one of the most fuel efficient planes in the sky - was instrumental in bringing down the cost of a plane ticket, rendering the rest of the world accessible to the average Australian.

It was also the first responder in times of emergency, ferrying hundreds of Territorians out of Darwin in the aftermath of the 1974 hurricane, rescuing Australians in the aftermath of the Arab Spring in Cairo in 2011 and most recently, evacuating hundreds of Australians from Wuhan as coronavirus spread across the world.

It was that same pandemic that contributed to the jet’s premature demise, with their retirement date moved forward by six months as demand for international travel plummeted.

But even in the midst of what CEO Alan Joyce called the “biggest crisis the aviation has ever had,” Qantas was not going to let the Queen of the Skies abdicate without a royal farewell.

Five simulator sessions

Working with the Qantas Navigation Team, Captain Weaver plotted the latitude and longitude of a series of waypoints in the sky to form the shape of the sky roo – including its paws, which were dropped from the current version of the logo in 2016 – before performing a “trial run” in a digital B747 simulator to see if it would work.

“There was 75 waypoints, so a lot of effort was involved. We did five simulator sessions to ensure we got it right,” Captain Weaver said.

Clearance to perform the manoeuvre had to be obtained from Airservices and the Air Force – including permission to fly into restricted airspace by the Williamtown RAAF base near Newcastle.

The Qantas 747 plane VH-OEJ as it departs Sydney for the last time. Picture: Christian Gilles

“Airservices and the Air Force were extremely accommodating and we could not have done it without their support,” Captain Weaver said.

“The Air Force allowed us in their restricted area for this operation. Airservices spared nothing to support and enable the Sydney fly over and sky art.

“They even did a radio check as we approached the western boundary of the area to ensure that all was OK and we reassured them that we would turn soon.”

The final part of drawing the roo – the iconic head and paws – looks to the average observer to be the result of extreme skill, with flight QF7474 making incredibly precise U-turns 30,000 feet above the ocean to complete the task.

Just another day on the job

But for the skilled crew aboard, it was just another day on the job.

“There were a few sharp turns but no real g-force, just some careful use of altitude, speed, flaps and thrust,” Captain Weaver said.

“We were confident with our roo but a little bit nervous about the connection to the Flightradar24 system to ensure it painted correctly to everyone watching.

“We had moved the design twice on Airservices advice to ensure that it would all be captured.

“We were ecstatic when we received a message from the company saying that it had worked.

“Our crew, our staff and our passengers have shown their love for this aircraft over the past 49 years, and we were sure that this was a fitting tribute to them.”