Qantas 747 takes off from Sydney with extra engine on wing
The Qantas 747 prepares to take off from Sydney with an extra engine on its left wing. (Qantas) Qantas
A Qantas 747 had an unusual extra passenger on a flight from Sydney to Johannesburg yesterday – an extra 10 tonne jet engine.
Flight QF63 took off with the extra Rolls Royce turbofan on the left wing, nestled between the port inner engine and the giant aircraft's body.
The extra engine was not powered for the flight and sat on a special support strut attached to anchor points on the wing.
Qantas says it is flying the spare part over to South Africa to be fitted to another of the airline's Boeing 747s in Johannesburg.
"We're undertaking this rare task to get our customers and our aircraft on their way as soon as possible – rather than shipping this engine across by boat or chartering a freighter aircraft," Qantas said in a statement.
"The fifth engine adds extra weight and drag to the aircraft, meaning today's flight had to make a quick refuelling stop in Perth.
"Additional drag is caused by air travelling around the spare engine during flight and, to counterbalance this, our pilots are trained to use the flight controls to ensure the aircraft flies straight, level and safely."
Once QF63 lands in Johannesburg the engine will be removed and placed on the plane that will operate the QF64 flight back to Sydney.
The last time Qantas carried an extra engine on a 747 was back in 2011.
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