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HARS Aviation Museum
HARS Aviation Museum

VH-OJA (City of Canberra) – What happens next?

VH-OJA_landing_20150308_0747How can I see the 747 arrival if I missed the landing event?

There are a number of media outlets including TV outside broadcast units which will be at the airport to cover the landing so check your TV programs for their (hopefully live) coverage.  Also check YouTube and the HARS Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hars.gen

What happens after it arrives?

VH-OJA will remain adjacent to the HARS precinct for a period of time, maybe a month or more whilst QANTAS does final maintenance and handover checks before it is available to HARS to organize internal public access inspections.

The City of Canberra will be ceremonially handed over to HARS at the next HARS Open Day – the official handover ceremony is planned for Sunday 15th March.

Please be patient about getting access inside the 747.  HARS will open the 747 for inspection but not for the next month or more.

Why will it take so long to make the plane available for viewing?

QANTAS has a lot of work to do to make the aircraft safe.  Some activities include: draining residual fuel; removing gas bottles; disabling escape slides; etc.  QANTAS also wishes to retrieve some of the engines, so they will need to be swapped with others.

All this will take time, hence the plea for patience.

Final comments

The donation of the City of Canberra is a great event and HARS is exceptionally proud to have been selected by QANTAS as the permanent home for this historic aircraft.

HARS commits to displaying the aircraft fully and we understand everyone is keen to get inside and have a look!

However please be patient whilst we go through the necessary safety and related procedures so that when it is opened it is fully safe and appropriate for your visit.