It was a late night flight with my girlfriend, now wife, on an AirTran flight. Shortly after Southwest bought out AirTran. I used my Southwest points for some AirTran first class seats. I was on a business trip to San Francisco and I brought her along with me. :) I'll never forget her resting her head on my shoulder as we took off.
Thank you for a great video of this historic flight. Most memorable 717 flight was in September 2002 on EC-HNY of Aebal (Spanair Link) Madrid to Malaga. As I was working for Spanair at the time I was able to travel in the flight deck for the whole flight and enjoy the scenic approach. Have fond memories dispatching MDs.
I flew the mini mad dog numerous times with Delta from my hometown of Baton Rouge, LA to Delta's hub in Atlanta. I always felt like it was a small plane with a big plane feel. The takeoff was always sporty and the engine noise was old school.
Was lucky enough to tick the 717 off in May when I flew from MEL-CBR and back with the new A220 in one day. The take-off performance of the 717s were just phenomenal.
As a pilot of the 717 the takeoff performance is average. In hot weather its not good at all esp at Alice Springs. 757s are like sports cars compared to this.
Fascinating to see so many QF staff on the apron watching the final flight of this 717, many of them filming it. No doubt there are quite a few AVgeeks amongst staff who feel that they are in their dream job.
I grew up in the far reaches of the Northern Territory, and for most of my childhood the only way into and out of town at certain times of the year was on a Qantaslink 717. You couldn't miss them every morning and afternoon when they came and went on their way between Darwin and Cairns. This aircraft was the cornerstone of my childhood and I am thrilled I got to fly on them many, many times. A genuinely sad day for Australian Aviation, there will never be another aircraft like the 717.
Thank you so much for this video Paul. The 717 will be sadly missed. I'm not a frequent flyer and probably fly once every 10 years. I booked a flight home in early 2018 and deliberately made sure the aircraft was a 717. Even the ticket said it was a 717 being used so imagine my disappointment when a 737 turned up at the gate. My Favorite of the 717 fleet was VH-NXL. She was one of the first to retire and retired 12 months ago. I lost track of her after she landed in the desert at Victorville.
So sad to see the end of such a great plane in Australia. I was lucky enough to spend some time in the QantasLink hanger in Canberra a few weeks ago where they were retiring the 717s. Glad I could say bye to them up close!
A sad day for the "Mad Dog" I've flown so many times on the DC9 and MD80 family in the US in past years! This planet has always been one of my all time favorite planes to fly in! Thank you for the great video send off!
Great to hear the spooling up of the engines on this last Boeing 717 - 200 Qantas flight. Very nostalgic and sad for many - but great memories. Thanks Paul again for great filming and commentary.
Certainly a sad moment in the history of Australia aviation, but incredible to know that Qantas was one of the last airlines to fly this incredible aircraft. Thanks for producing yet another amazing video and I can't wait for the next one!
The Boeing 717 holds a very special part in my heart. My dad first began his career as an airline pilot in the early 2000's flying the Boeing 717 for Impulse Airlines. Shortly after he joined the company, Impulse were purchased by the Qantas Group and eventually became Jetstar, where Dad continued flying the 717 before eventually transitioning to the A320 family. Similarly, I also began my career in aviation as cabin crew onboard these same 717 aircraft that my Dad flew years prior. Throughout my short time operating on these aircraft I met so many interesting people and made so many great memories with my fellow crew members. The Boeing 717 was a fantastic plane and whilst I am really sad to see it go, I am glad I got to have played a small part in its story with QantasLink. Farewell 717, thank you for the fond memories and the safe travels around Australia!
What an excellent video of this farewell flight Paul! Well done, captured the moment for those that's couldn't ride along. Nice to see QantasLink celebrating what an amazing aircraft it is. Flew the 717 and many MD-88's and 95's with American and Delta.
This video just came up in my YT feed. Once you explained the McDonell Douglas connection it made sense. I grew up in Long Beach, California and there was a huge plant there. They made DC9, DC10, MD80, etc. Right next to the airport. A main road ran between the plant and the airport. There was a special set of traffic lights about 100 yards or so apart. When they went on all traffic was stopped for 10 minutes and a brand new, completed airliner would taxi from the plant to the airport, then at some point off to wherever the buyer was. I was neat b/c planes were painted for airlines we didn't have in America since they were sold all over the world. Thanks for the memories.
I was lucky enough to fly on the fabulous 717 from Paraburdoo to Perth and return in Western Australia, over the past 15 years. it was really an amazing aircraft to fly on and has served Qantas for many years. You've done a great job displaying its glory.
I saw this aircraft on finals to Sydney last Sunday (Oct 20th, 2024) and thought it special to see, but I didn’t realise how special. Very sad we’re not going to see its shape in our skies again. Thanks for making the video. 👍 Subscribed.
God, I'm gonna miss these little 717's! Have done the Sydney to Hobart run & back on these countless times, and really enjoyed my time on them. Like Paul, I am a bit of an avgeek and always chose a window seat at the rear where possible to enjoy the sweet music of those BR715's.
I flew on the 717 many times doing the PER-ASP-PER flight and also KTA-PER / PHE-PER. Great aircraft...will be missed. Great video as always mate, well done.
A special aircraft for many. Having lived in regional cities, I have had the privilege of many flights in the 717. It's awesome that you were able to book on the last flight ever and share with us. Thanks, Mr Stewart.
I'll miss taking a ride on the 717 in and out of Launceston. It's been quite the workhorse. Went on my last 717 2 weeks ago. Was on a dash 8 this afternoon. Theyre good fun.
Great video Paul … and certainly a bittersweet occasion, as you say. My most memorable 717 flight was island hopping with Hawaiian Airlines and landing on a runway atop a lava flow (Kona).
Hey Paul, loved the video of the last flight of the 717. As an engineer working on the 717 in Canberra I feel you did the aircraft proud. I will miss the (as the Americans say) ‘Seven - Seventeen.’ The evening you rode her into Canberra I was scheduled to carry out the final Terminal and Daily checks on that aircraft but got held up working on an A220. The 717 was a great jet to fly on and to maintain as an engineer. Bye bye little seven one seven.
I remember flying on SAS DC-9s when I was young. I was always amazed by the climb rate. The height they reached in the time it took to take off from Fornebu, do a 180° turn, and head back past the airport was phenomenal.
The 'Mad Dog' were one of the workhorses of aviation in Colombia during the 80's and 90's. I flew several times on them (Md-83 Avianca / AeroRepublica) And they are an absolute joy!
There is a fun fact that China's ARJ21 is based on the DC-9 and is powered by the CF34 turbofans. The manufacturer that was in charge of building the MD-90 in China also purchased the blueprint in the 1990s.
She's a good bird. I got to fly it for a year here at Delta, and although I'm very happy to be flying the 757/767, the 717 will always have a special place in my heart, and I do miss it
Thank you so much for doing this. From all the DC-9 derivates, this is my absolute favorite type - Such a sexy plane and beauty of engineering. That breathtaking climb performance and all - Sad to see it go.
It was nice meeting you on the flight (and the flight back to Melbourne) Paul! YQW was originally going to do the service for QF1511 but it had a compressor stall on it’s way out of CBR on that morning, so YQS came to the rescue. You could see poor YQW stored in the hangar at SYD yesterday.
Was very fortunate to get one of the last 717 flights from MEL to HBA earlier this month. Was a great flight, performance as mentioned is fantastic. Had the A220 on the way back, and although a nice aircraft with WiFi, it just didn't have the same feel. Much more Vanilla.
Thanks Paul, great video and what a treat to get the opportunity to enjoy the last flight. I loved the 717 and flew on one of the first when Jetstar started. 👍
Thanks Paul from WA hope all is going as planned for you in your "day job" as a an old DC9 lad loves the 717 and has given sterling service in oz. There are still a couple of Fokkers about for your next rear engine fix. But be quick the jungle jets are lurking in the weeds :)
The design aged quite well and your particular aircraft looked like it was well maintained. I remember frequently taking 717s for the SYD-DPO/DPO-SYD journeys back when I was a FIFO Pharmacist working in Tasmanian hospitals.
Great video. Loved flying these Melbourne to Hobart and sitting right down the back with the engine whirl in my ear. End of an era, for sure. Been flying on DC9's since I was a kid. Bloody shame to see these go!
Was lucky enough to see the water cannon salute from the taxiway in CBR, was doing a city loop of Canberra and my friend just landed on runway 30 just after the B717 landed.
I was lucky enough to get bumped from a dash 8 to the 717 a couple weeks back. Nice surprise to fly this great plane one more time. About the only in time I’ve been happy to have been delayed!
0:60 In the mid 90s I worked in those Qantas hangers just opposite the Sydney domestic terminal and it completely spun me out the first time I saw a B717 taxi past with virtually no engine noise. I thought this was a absolutely travesty...I love aircraft noise! 😀🇦🇺
I´m so lucky I managed to fly on the 717 (vh-nxe) in early june(MEL-LST) its really memorable especially the sound of engine spooling up and its also my first flight on any plane built or designed by md
Hey Paul. I was there at the airfield taking photos of it landing. Hope you had a good time on her and its going to be sad not seeing them around CBR anymore
Was lucky to enough to fly on VH-YQW just a couple weeks ago from CBR-SYD. I was also extremely lucky to see it come into CBR on its last commercial flight! #717forever
As someone who lives in Canberra I am grateful the 717 is being retired; it was not a comfortable aircraft to fly on, particularly in economy. So I am very grateful that QF have moved to the new A220s.
Great Video Paul! I had the pleasure of flying this same 717 (YQS) from Melbourne to Launceston with my dad and a few friends just over a month ago we thought we better get in before there all retired! Not much can beat the beautiful sound of those Rolls Royce engines! And the steep climb out just adds to the fun even more! Will be sad to no longer see them😥
Great video! Never had the chance to fly on a QantasLink 717 but did get to fly on a Hawaiian one at least :) I also loved the parallel landing that you captured in the background as your plane tookoff; almost looked like a race there for a little bit!
It was a pleasure to meet you in Canberra Paul. You got this video turned around quickly! I spied myself in it 3 times... Thanks for doing such a great job documenting this.
Was lucky enough to fly on that aircraft from Darwin to Alice Springs during a holiday to the NT in April of 2018! I also had a window seat that was in a row towards the back back left where the fan blades were visible which I really enjoyed as you can really feel the power on takeoff like if you’re on a trill ride! :)
I flew this aircraft in june with a discover tasmania livery from melbourne to launceston sad to see ot go i watched your flight land in canberra aswell i wasin the terminal watching 🫡
As an employee who was there when they first arrived for Impulse and then followed them to JQ these have always been my favourite aircraft, and i was glad that i got to fly on one again on her last day LST/SYD and it was sad to think that they will never be seen in our skies again. To get to LST i went via MEL on a B738 and A220 and i have to say i think the A220 will do a great job filling the massive shoes left empty by the B717 but nothing will ever match the climb rate of the 717. Farewell old friend 😢✈ " keep the blue side up"
Great video Paul. Whilst my favourite aircraft is the 747, ive always been fascinated with aircraft with rear mounted engines. Maybe its because when i was a kid, most of the planes flown by TAA & Ansett were 727's
So sorry to see the end of 717s in Oz. We're from UK and we flew in a Qantas 717 Cairns to Uluru (Ayers Rock Airport) a few years ago. As we walked out to the aeroplane I thought we were about to board a DC9 or MD80; I'd never heard of the Boeing 717! Incidentally, although rear mounted engines do have the advantages you refer to in the video, they come with downsides, too. They shift a lot of weight to the rear of the aircraft so to keep the CG in the right place the wing has to be mounted further back on the fuselage. This means a short rear fuselage and long front fuselage giving much reduced yaw stability and a short 'moment arm' for the horizontal stab, elevators, and rudder. So the fin has to be much bigger to compensate for that, as do those control surfaces. It's all made worse if a T tail is used as is usually the case with rear engines, as the fin has to be strong enough to take the pitch loads from the stab and elevators as well as yaw loads, so is heavier. Just look at the lovely VC10! Massive fin! Thanks for the vid. Vince
Fantastic video mate, very jealous! I loved the crews speeches, nice to see how much they will miss the aircraft. Also, what a sound those engines make :D
This 717 was a regular to Coffs Harbour. I always looked up when she flew over Sawtell/ Boambee East way. I heard her take off the other afternoon last week & thought ‘nah I’m too busy, catch her next time’ Well we all know what thought, thought. Silly me missed her.😢
I loved the 717. I live in Canberra and have travelled many times on them. Faster boarding and quiet. I am yet to experience the A220. I liked the interesting trivia of the very early design of the 737 with rear mounted engines. Thanks.
It’s a bit sad to see the 717 retire, but it makes sense. I remember how solid it felt-like a flying brick-and how loud it was! It never seemed or looked particularly fuel-efficient, either. I’d love sitting up the back 😊
Worthwhile noting that while Qantas owned/leased the 717s, while in Qantaslink colours, the 717s were operated and maintained solely by National Jet Systems pilots, cabin crew and engineers. Only in 2020 did Qantas "buy" the NJS operation to make it a wholly-owned subsidiary. NJS also operated the BAe146 for Qantas before the 717.
great video Paul, it was wonderful to meet you yesterday. flying on the 717 is a truly fun experience. while i was taxiing in after landing from Launceston, we also stopped by Shep’s Mound which i thought was very special :)
My first flight, 6 weeks before I was born, was on a Delta DC-7 in November 1967 from TYS to CHA. Three days later my second flight was on a Delta DC9-10 CHA to TYS. Have had many DC-9, MD80 and 717 flights over the decades since then so it’s a little sad to see the last ones of that great lineage go. But the A220 is a great upgrade including the cabin with the larger and higher placed windows.
