Музей Основателей Qantas: История Австралийской Авиации

The Qantas Founders Museum is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The museum was opened on 9 June 1996 in the heritage listed Qantas Hangar, built by Qantas in 1922. Stage 2 of the Qantas Founders Museum was part of a 1999 A$110 million Queensland and federal government project, the heritage trails network. The Qantas Founders Museum is located from Winton, Queensland, the original home of Qantas. The museum tells the history of Australia's national airline Qantas, from its early beginnings in Outback Queensland in the 1920s to present day. Qantas was registered on 16 November 1920 and held its first Board Meeting in Winton in 1921 where it was decided to move operations to Longreach. The Qantas Founders Museum has a variety of interactive displays and exhibits telling the many stories of the airline over its 100 year history.

The museum is home to a number of aircraft which can be observed by the public in the museum and on guided tours. The aircraft include a decommissioned Qantas Boeing 747 200, a Boeing 707 138B, a Consolidated PBY 6A Catalina, a replica Avro 504K, a replica de Havilland DH.50, a replica de Havilland DH.61 and a former Qantas Douglas DC 3, VH EAP. The Boeing 707 138B is the airline's first jet, a Boeing 707 short body, originally VH EBA. The 707 was the first of its type and specifically manufactured for Qantas. The Boeing 707 138B was restored at Southend Airport in England in mid 2006 and returned to Australia in December 2006 after 47 years since its original transfer from Boeing to the Qantas fleet. Over five years the interior and exterior of the Super Constellation was restored by volunteers and contractors to resemble the Qantas Super Constellation 'Southern Spray" VH EAM. Restoration of this aircraft was completed in 2019 and will be on display to the public later in 2020. In September 2019, work began on the construction of a $14.3 million Airpark Roof and Light and Sound Show Project. This project was funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments and is expected to be completed in 2020. The Airpark Roof will provide protection from the sun to Museum visitors and the museum's Boeing 747, 707, DC 3 and Super Constellation. The Light and Sound Show will use state of the art light and sound technology to tell the history of Qantas by projecting onto the fuselage of the Boeing 747, Super Constellation and Boeing 707. The Light and Sound Show is expected to be completed and available to the public in 2020. In April 2021, members of the Qantas Board unveiled a new exhibit at the museum, a custom made replica of the Boeing 747 onboard Captain Cook Lounges from the 1970s. The Captain Cook Lounges were features of the earliest B747 200s operated by Qantas from 1971, until the introduction in 1979 of Qantas's first Business class deck 747.