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VH-XBA (ex VH-EBA) Qantas's first 707
I came across this photo on Airliners.net of an ex Qantas 707 being restored to fly back to Australia again. Looks like it's destined for the Qantas Founders Outback Museum. Hope it won't just be a static display; would love to have a joyflight in a 707 :ok:
And here she is in her original colours. |
You'll find it all here. The aircraft will end up on static display.
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Thanks for the link. And a nice aerial pic of the Qantas 747-200 as well. :ok: Longreach would be a great home for that sad looking HS-125 VH-ECE mentioned in that other thread. Hope the Qantas Foundation Memorial folks will consider moving VH-ECE there as well.
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B707-138 now VH-XBA
And who will fly the B707 to Oz, my money is on John Travolta and in my opinion, rightly so!
Who else, close to qf, has the recent experience to do it and who, also has the respect of, I would say, a vast majority of Aussies not even connected to aviation.:D robroy |
The 'gos is that plan A is to have it at the Richmond Airshow later this year. Crew includes QF pilots that are current on type I am told. Will be good to see!
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At an intelligent guess.... The present Longreach airport passenger terminal will be demolished and relocated to te eastern end of the taxi way. The 707 will end up between the 747 Classic and the original Q.A.N.T.A.S. Ltd hangar.
And the airport may be "privatised" and the Council is again dreaming of a jet service......... |
We at SEN though very pleased at its imminent dep have grown used to it in Saudi colours. It is credit to QF to have this set up, hear at BA and UK plc we just cut them up.
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It is a little disappionting that QANTAS has said nothing about this restortation in its company news. I know it has nothing to do with them but considering the amount of airplay JT and his 707 gets you would think that QANTAS would see fit to promoting it some. Wait till its up and flying they won't stop talking about it then:mad:
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B707
Triadic,
qf have not operated 707 for over 20 years. Don't you think that is a tad too long for recent experience. robroy:= |
Who said the recent experience HAD to be with QF? :}
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robroy...
I think you will find that there are some pilots that are current on type, or at least have 'recent' experience. There is another operator in Oz if you think about it... :cool: |
Would those planes be grey overall?
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Vh-xba
Kookabat, your post # 10
re crewing the 707, refer to Triadic's post #5 Triadic, RAAF endorsements are not recognised as a civil endorsement. My money is on John Travolta and his crew, makes sense to me. robroy:ok: |
From Post 5:
Crew includes QF pilots that are current on type I am told. Current on type? Check. Current because they flew 707s with QF? Nothing in the above statement leads to that conclusion. There are, however, plenty of former RAAFies in QF... :} |
Originally Posted by robroy
(Post 2872675)
RAAF endorsements are not recognised as a civil endorsement. |
The rumour at SEN is it will be flown by pilots form a company called 'Omega' of the USA but who they are I do not know. At the present there is also a 707 exec that has been parked at STN for the last 6 weeks. There must still be some pilots with type approval.
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Originally Posted by HZ123
(Post 2873000)
The rumour at SEN is it will be flown by pilots form a company called 'Omega' of the USA but who they are I do not know. At the present there is also a 707 exec that has been parked at STN for the last 6 weeks. There must still be some pilots with type approval.
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Crew:
Two current RAAF B707 reserve aircrew (1 Pilot-QFI and 1 FLTENG) Three recent ex-RAAF B707 crew Refresher raining in the RAAF sims was due to start last week. Trust me.;) |
Originally Posted by Woomera
(Post 2867345)
The aircraft will end up on static display.
Anyone know whether VH-XBA will be coming to Melbourne? |
Here's more on the Qantas Foundation Memorial's 707 Preservation Project.
And a nice collection of Qantas 707 pics from a website supporting the project. :ok: |
I'm still waiting for an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (let alone a reply) from my emails to QFOM in January and April offering my services FREE in helping them get the thing going this end (UK).
Plain rude. :yuk: I had thought us Aussies were better than that. Maybe I've been away too long. :{ Either that or business is so good that they can be arrogant. :ugh: |
B707 Vh-xba
The story continues............
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...-23349,00.html Plane that brought world closer to home flies final kangaroo route Steve Creedy, Aviation writer October 10, 2006 THE plane that changed the way Australians view overseas travel is on its way home. The federal Government is paying $1 million so a group of volunteer Qantas pilots and former engineers can fly the airline's first Boeing 707 back to Australia after six years on the ground in Britain. It is due to arrive next month and join the collection at Queensland's Qantas Founders Outback Museum. The City of Canberra was the first of a fleet of 13 707 "V-jets" that changed the way the nation connected with the world. It was also the first Boeing 707 ever to be exported from the US and only the 37th ever made. The planes were specially built for Qantas and had a cruising speed twice that of the Super Constellations they replaced. This reduced the travel time from Sydney to London from 48 hours to 27 hours, helping open up the so-called kangaroo route and playing a significant role in bringing migrants to Australia. A cruising height of 10,660m, compared with 6060m for the Super Constellation, also meant passengers could fly over weather for the first time. The aircraft would also blaze another trail when Qantas retrofitted its first six 707s and became only the second airline in the world to operate a new type of quieter and more powerful engine using a by-pass fan. This came as a relief to Sydneysiders alarmed by the black smoke and noise from the pure jet engines on the City of Canberra when it was delivered in July 1959. Ten retired Qantas engineers have been working in Britain to get the plane ready to bring it back to Australia, and a Boeing 707 certified flight crew is standing by to fly it back via the US. Qantas chairman Margaret Jackson said yesterday the aircraft had played an important role in the nation's history. |
Anyone know whether the 707-100s had navigators as a part of their flight crew complement? I wonder how they navigated back in those days? I'd imagine INS systems weren't around then. Did they just track from one VOR or NDB to another?
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Originally Posted by mingalababya
(Post 2900506)
Anyone know whether the 707-100s had navigators as a part of their flight crew complement? I wonder how they navigated back in those days? I'd imagine INS systems weren't around then. Did they just track from one VOR or NDB to another?
As for methods... I can't help, sorry. I think things like LORAN/triangulation of beacons was the go (but that's a guess on my part). And I'm STILL waiting for my emails to Longreach to be even acknowledged, let alone answered! :ugh: |
Haven't you blokes heard of astro??:)
G'day ;) PS the means of navigation, not the wonder-dog:cool: |
Only astro I worry about is making sure those GPS satellites are doing their thing. :E :ok:
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Just because the aeroplane is 1959 on the outside doesn't necessarily mean it's 1959 on the inside.
Regards Here's a list of Qantas 707 Navigators |
.................backtracking off the Sydney NDB, waiting for the Honolulu NDB to provide a useful bearing..............
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Originally Posted by Feather #3
(Post 2900844)
Haven't you blokes heard of astro??:)
G'day ;) PS the means of navigation, not the wonder-dog:cool: |
You're right, tailie, they didn't have an astrodome they used a Kollsman Periscopic Sextant.
Loran was also used in the Pacific. Doppler was fitted and used on all sectors, pilot nav or pro nav. Navs were on board, in my time, only on long oceanic sectors. For the sake of our livers it was just as well, too!! |
As the a/c was with Saudi Royal Familly / Saudi UN Ambassador in NYC surely it must have undergone a number of upgrades as in the early days they spent liberally on their fleet.
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Qf B707 Vh-xba (vh-eba) (Monster Merge!)
I have heard that Qantas has reacquired and restored its first 707 and intends to fly it to a permanant home at the LRE Qantas Museum. Does anyone know if there any plans for an event like the 747 arrival? That would be an ideal excuse for another PPRUNE bash!
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Jamair. There's been a couple of threads on the B707. Here's one in History and Nostalgia Forum.
I think it will be awhile before it gets to Longreach as I believe it may be going where the present Terminal now stands. And yes, good excuse for a repeat of the B747 PPRuNe Cultural Event!! :ok: But this time not at the Welcome Home Hotel!!! |
lets go!!!!!!!!
let me know.....lets Go!
J:ok: |
It wouldn't be a "Longreach event" without Chimbu Chuckles!!! :{
I'll check with the Council and see if I can get an approximate date. |
Yeah it'd be great to have chuck there.
The whole crowd could gather around while he told us about the time he flew an inverted NDB approach, engine-out to the US aircraft carrier in Moresby harbour in '81, stole the captains hat (with 5 gold bars) and then picked up the captains wife and went back to the airways hotel with her and pammy anderson, sunk 2 slabs of SP and still made it up at 5am the next day for a Hagen return.:rolleyes: |
Here's a more recent pic in its original colours again;
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5838101 and compared with how it looked in 1961 as the original VH-EBA http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0132392/M/ |
Qf B707 Vh-xba (vh-eba)
To add some info to the now closed "Woomera" started thread a while back on the ole girl...
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5859559 VH-XBA Has completed most checks at Southend in the UK, and is expected to depart there within the next week to Seattle. In Seattle it will be involved in celebrations along side John Travolta's B707. After that, it will re-enact its delivery route to Australia across the pacific. Visits to Brisbane, Sydney & Canberra are expected, prior to its final resting spot in Longreach along with VH-EBQ. Great to see this kind of thing happening. Maybe a DC9 & 727 would be a great addition to the collection..:) |
Back to the top... anyone have an update???
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Thanks FB:ugh:
When did telling funny war stories over mutitudinous beers stop being a favorite pilot passtime? Given what is going on at work wth refleeting etc I will be unlikely to make it if it happens in the next 12 mths...but sounds like at least one person will be relieved.:ok: |
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