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Aeroplane Model - Boeing 707
Reg. No: ST 025410
- Summary:
- Aircraft History
Developed from the Model 367-80 first flown in 1954, the first Boeing 707 flew at Seattle on 20 December 1957 and entered airline service the following year. The British-built De Havilland Comet had demonstrated the potential of the four-engine jet airliner in the early 1950s but structural failures slowed progress in Britain allowed American aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing to establish a dominant position in jet airliner development which has only recently been challenged by Airbus Industries in Europe. The 707 quickly became the most popular long haul international jet airliner allowing limited stop or non-stop intercontinental services with lower costs, greater speed and comfort than the piston-engine machines they replaced. The Sydney-London flight time could be cut from 63 hours in a piston engine Lockheed Super Constellation to just 33 hours in a Boeing 707. While still expensive, international air travel was now possible for many Australians. Immigrants increasingly arrived by air.
In Australia, the government-owned Qantas Empire Airways placed an order for seven Boeing 707-138 aircraft in 1956. The 707-138 was a shortened fuselage model designed specifically for Qantas. The first aircraft, VH-EBA was delivered to QEA in 1959 with the others following shortly thereafter. VH-EBA was the first turbojet aircraft to be given a civilian registration in Australia. Crew training took place at Avalon airfield near Geelong in Victoria. The 707 was not permitted to operate from Melbourne's Essendon airport which stimulated pressure for a new airport to be built. QEA had to fly Melbourne passengers to Sydney to connect with the London flight, the first of which left on 15 October 1959. A Sydney-Tokyo 707 service began in November 1961. The new 707 fleet were later marketed as 'V-jets' and carried this name on their tails. During the Vietnam war, Qantas 707's were frequently used to fly Australian troops in and out of Saigon. In Melbourne, 707 spare parts were made at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation factory in Port Melbourne. The RAAF also operated the 707 from 1979 after taking delivery of two ex-Qantas aircraft. Additional 707's were later purchased and converted as air-to-air refuelling tankers to support the RAAF strike capability. These aircraft were retired in 2008. Qantas' first 707, VH-EBA was purchased in the UK by a syndicate in 2005 and flown back to Australia. It is currently displayed at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland.
Model History
This model was built under contract for the Museum by Mr B.D. Hede in 1963. It is painted to represent a Qantas Empire Airways Boeing 707-138B with the original paint scheme worn by these aircraft in the early 1960s. It features 'cut-away' sections in the wing, fuselage and tail to illustrate construction for display purposes.
| Discipline: | Technology |
| Dimensions: | 210 mm (Height), 890 mm (Width), 930 mm (Length) |
More information
| Tagged with: | model aeroplanes, passenger aircraft, scale models, wars conflicts |
| Themes this item is part of: | The Boeing 707 & Qantas, Engineering Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection, Transport Collection, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, Boeing 707 |
| Primary Classification: | AIR TRANSPORT |
| Secondary Classification: | Aircraft |
| Tertiary Classification: | model turbo jet aircraft - passenger |
| Model Name/Number: | 707 |
| Modelmaker: | B. Hede, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1963 |
| Manufacturer of Item Modelled: | Boeing Airplane Co, United States of America, circa 1959 |
| Manufacturer of Item Modelled: | Boeing Aircraft Corp |
Themes
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