I arranged for my father to be interviewed for this story.
707 calls Australia home once more: [1 All-round Country Edition]
Hicks, Ron
. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 15 Dec 2006: 34.
. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 15 Dec 2006: 34.
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Abstract
Australia's first Boeing 707 -- and the first in the world to operate outside the US -- will touch down tomorrow at 9am at Sydney Airport, where it will be met by a throng of dignitaries and former Qantas staff, some of whom flew the aircraft.
After receiving $1 million in funding from the federal Government, the historic aircraft was painstakingly and lovingly restored on a voluntary basis by Qantas engineers in what is believed to be the biggest project of its kind in aviation history. Fully restored, it began its homeward journey on December 8. Flown by two accredited 707 Qantas pilots, its first leg was to Dublin, then Tenerife (Canary Islands), Bermuda and Orlando, Florida.
There, Qantas's first jet met up with its sister ship, Qantas's 13th 707 from Boeing in Seattle, which has been bought and restored by Hollywood star and aviation tragic John Travolta.
Aviation history
ANY nostalgia over the looming Qantas takeover will be deeper tomorrow when the first true jetliner returns to Australian shores.
Australia's first Boeing 707 -- and the first in the world to operate outside the US -- will touch down tomorrow at 9am at Sydney Airport, where it will be met by a throng of dignitaries and former Qantas staff, some of whom flew the aircraft.
This included former pilot -- first officer at the time -- Andrew Stapleton, from Lismore, who flew the "revolutionary" aircraft to Nadi, Fiji, in one of its first flights, in September 1959.
"There was no simulation in those days. We went down to Avalon to train on the aircraft for two months. It was great," he said.
"It was such a privilege and delight to fly these 707s after the piston driven Super Connies (Lockheed Super Constellation). They could go roughly twice as fast, twice as far and they were far more comfortable for the passengers.
"The 707 was the greatest leap in aviation history. It marked the true beginning of the jet age.
"On the Super Connies it would take up to 28 flying hours and two stopovers -- Nadi, Honolulu -- before we reached San Francisco.
"But, coming back, sometimes we couldn't even get out of the airport. I remember being in San Francisco when we got the flight plan, then checked the weather and we had to tell the poor passengers that we couldn't take-off because we would not have made Honolulu because of the strong headwinds.
"And sometimes we had to put down at Canton Island halfway between Honolulu and Nadi because we could not make that 12-hour leg.
"All that changed with the 707."
Originally known as the City Of Canberra, after decades of service, Australia's first 707 ended up at Southend Airport in England, where it lay idle and decaying for six years.
The aircraft was bought for pound stg. 1 ($2.50) by the Qantas Founders Outback Museum -- on the condition that it was restored and came back to Australia.
After receiving $1 million in funding from the federal Government, the historic aircraft was painstakingly and lovingly restored on a voluntary basis by Qantas engineers in what is believed to be the biggest project of its kind in aviation history. Fully restored, it began its homeward journey on December 8. Flown by two accredited 707 Qantas pilots, its first leg was to Dublin, then Tenerife (Canary Islands), Bermuda and Orlando, Florida.
There, Qantas's first jet met up with its sister ship, Qantas's 13th 707 from Boeing in Seattle, which has been bought and restored by Hollywood star and aviation tragic John Travolta.
From there it went to Los Angeles. On the latter part of its journey, the restored jet followed its original route across the Pacific in July 1959 -- Honolulu, Nadi, Sydney.
It will travel on to Brisbane before making its way to its permanent home at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum in Longreach, Queensland, where Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services first started.
But Mr Stapleton admitted that this first 707, VH EBA (rebadged VH XBA for the trip) would not normally be allowed to land at Sydney -- or any other major airport -- today.
"Those first 707s were noisy and dirty. They wouldn't pass pollution and noise pollution laws today," he said.
"For instance, we had put five tons of water into the engines for two minutes to cool the turbines so we could inject extra fuel for take-off. That caused a tremendous racket."
The jets were also very different to drive from propeller aircraft and it spelt the end of the career for many pilots, who found it hard to adapt.
"For example, big piston-engine planes responded immediately, but these jets would take five or six seconds before they would respond," he said.
"But it was so much more comfortable for passengers and it ushered in a completely different era in air travel."
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