Qantas Boeing 747 takes off with five engines (video)
Qantas Airways has just sent a jet with five engines to Johannesburg.
The fifth engine was attached to the side of a Boeing 747 in a rather efficient way of delivering the engine to where it's needed.
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The mechanics for the rare event are apparently simple enough, according to the airline.
The wing of the aircraft is fitted with anchor points which allows a supporting strut to be attached under the wing.
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The strut is fitted with a winching mechanism so the engine can be hoisted up and secured safely for its journey.
A photo posted by Qantas (@qantas) on Jan 6, 2016 at 8:09pm PST
Qantas pioneered the air-faring fifth engines way back with Boeing 707s. The last time such a delivery was made was in 2011.
On their website Qantas said: "We're undertaking this rare task to get our customers and our aircraft on their way as quickly as possible – rather than shipping the engine across by boat or chartering a freighter aircraft."
The engine that is being replaced in Johannesburg will be sent back to Sydney by boat which will take significantly longer than it would on board a plane.
Just last week Qantas was revealed as the World's Safest Airline for a third year in a row.
The airline was placed top in AirlineRating.com's list and was heralded for it's "fatality free record in the jet era".
Cathay Pacific, Emirates and KLM were also awarded a high safety rating in the list.
