Australian Thoughts at the Weekend. 8th and 9th November 2008

Australian Thoughts at the Weekend. 8th and 9th November 2008

Last Friday afternoon, as our plane landed at Mascot Airport in Sydney, I looked around to see if I could see Qantas newest plane the Airbus A380. It was only in the last month or so it has come into service. I could not see it, but across at the International Terminal, I did notice an A380 in the colours of Singapore Airlines. It was certainly much bigger than the Boeing 747 parked beside it, so it must have been an A380. It was almost exactly 3years ago that I saw an A380 at Brisbane Airport. Here is what I wrote at the time. (19th November,2005):

A380

On Tuesday afternoon last week, I was driving home from work when I heard the new Airbus A380 was at Brisbane Airport. Now, as I was working north of Brisbane, I had to go right past the airport to get to home. So I made a deviation from the main road and drove to the back of the airport when the Qantas maintenance hanger is.

There parked just inside the airport boundary fence was not only the A380 but in the hanger I could see the former Qantas 707B which had been parked outside the day before. Now the A380 for those who do not know is the world’s newest and biggest passenger jet and it is not due to come into service until next year.

At first it did not look so big. However, when I parked my car, and began to look at the people standing around it, it put it into perspective. I soon realised that while there was nothing between it and the boundary fence, it was probably more than 50 metres inside the fence.

Outside the fence were an assortment of adults and children. Some people had brought ladders or happened to have their work ladder on their truck. Some stood on the top of their 4WDs or work vans. Others had climbed nearby trees. Most people had a camera. One fellow stood on the top of his 4WD and camera with a huge telephoto lens mounted on a tripod. I noticed a few people were talking excitedly on their cell phones to friends and describing the plane.

At one stage the crowd started calling out “John , John, John and there walking in front of us and under the tail section of the plane was John Travolta. Yes, that John Travolta! The former Qantas 707B I mentioned earlier has the registration number N707JT is John’s private jet and is painted in the original delivery Qantas colours. John is an ambassador for Qantas.

The A380 is a fantastic creation. The people walking around on the ground below it place it into perspective. The tail soars way above them. The wingspan is 80 metres (262.5 feet). Each wing is just 100 feet (30.5 metres). Did you realize that the Wright Brother’s flight was not much more than the length of one wing? The Wright Brothers first flight was 120feet (36.5Metres).

Except that their wings were too wide ay 40 feet, the Wrights could have taken off and flown that first flight in the cabin of the airbus (length 73m (239ft 6in). Open the front window to let them land! It was only 102 years ago that the Wrights made that first pilot controlled heavier than air flight.

The Airbus A830 and John Travolta were in Brisbane to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Qantas which was formed at Longreach as The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. I was fortunate top grow up just a few miles from Brisbane Airport so I remember some stages of the growth of Qantas. I particularly remember the Super Constellation and how we stood and looked at its long and sleek silver body with its characteristic shape. It looked so modern and must be the ultimate in international transport. However, it did not seem too long before a BOAC (later British Airways) Comet flew over our school on its way to the airport.

However, as fantastic as the jet engined Comet might be, we soon learnt that Qantas would buy American Boeing 707 planes. Again, we eagerly watched the skies as this modern day transport arrived. However, it was only a few years and Qantas announced it would buy the new Boeing 747 planes. These were still the days when flying was something very special and something one dressed up for and the air hostesses or stewards treated one like royalty. Or so we pretended.

It is not that long ago that men and women stood and watched the birds and dreamt of flight. Today, some of us catch planes with no more thought than catching a bus to the city or a train home after a day’s work. Yet there is still something marvellous about a huge plane than can lift 55 passengers and take them safely and seeming little effort to the other side of the world.

I notice Qantas has ordered 10 Airbus A830s. Emirates airlines have ordered 48!

I wonder whether Isaiah had stood on the Mount of Olives and watched eagles soaring. He certainly was thinking of this wonderful spectacle when he wrote his wonderful God inspired promise:

For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
31But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind.
(Isaiah 40: 30, 31. The Message).

Call on Jesus

I'm so very ordinary
Nothing special on my own
I have never walked on water
I have never calmed a storm
Sometimes I'm hiding away from the madness around me
Like a child who's afraid of the dark

But when I call on Jesus
All things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles and soar
When I call on Jesus
Mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call

Weary brother
Broken daughter
Widowed, widowed lover
You're not alone
If you're tired and scared of the madness around you
If you can't find the strength to carry on

Call Him in the mornin'
In the afternoon time
Late in the evenin'
He'll be there
When your heart is broken
And you feel discouraged
You can just remember that He said
He'll be there
Author : Nicole C. Mullen
from "Talk About It"

For they that wait upon the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings,
They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
They shall run and not be weary;
They shall walk and not faint:
They shall run and not be weary;
They shall walk and not faint:
They shall run and not be weary;
Shall walk and not faint.
The Salvation Army Song Book: Chorus Number: 66

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