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Boeing 707
Image: Boeing 707
Source: Museum Victoria
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 allowing 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 introducing limited stop or non-stop intercontinental services with greater speed and comfort than the piston-engined machines they replaced. The Sydney-London flight time was cut from 63 hours in a Super-Constellation to just 33 hours in a Boeing 707.
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 707s 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 707s were later purchased and converted as air-to-air refuelling tankers to support the RAAF strike capability. The first Qantas 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.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 10) 11 items
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Aeroplane Model - Lockheed Super Constellation, Qantas, VH-EAG, 1954 (Sectioned)
Cut-away promotional model of the fuselage of a Qantas Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation airliner. Carries the civil aircraft registration VH-EAG. This aircraft was the first Super C ...
Images: 1 -
No Image Available
Aeroplane Model - Boeing 707 -138, Qantas
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 Briti ...
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 0 -
Aeroplane Model - Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
This model of a B-17G was commissioned by the Museum from the modelmaker Mr R.D Ramsay in 1974. It carries no squadron identification markings but appears to be in a late-war factory sc ...
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 2 -
Aeroplane Model - Boeing 707
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 Briti ...
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Aeroplane Model - Boeing 707 -138, Qantas
This 1:72 scale model of a QEA Boeing 707 was donated to the Museum by Qantas Empire Airways in 1959.
Images: 1 -
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Aeroplane Model - Boeing 707, Qantas
Aeroplane model of a Quantas Boeing 707. This model was donated to the Museum in 1994 by The Hon Graeme Swartz. Mr Swartz was Federal Minister for Aviation between 1966 and 1969. This m ...
From: Seattle, United States Images: 0 -
Aeroplane Model - Boeing 747, Qantas
This 1:100 scale model of a Boeing 747-238B aircraft in Qantas markings was donated to the Museum by Qantas Airways Ltd in 1980. It is a commercially produced example of airliner models ...
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Aeroplane Boarding Pass - Issued to Lam Huu Minh, Qantas, Kuala Lumpur, 14 Jul 1978
Qantas boarding pass for Mr Lam Huu Minh, from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, dated 14 July 1978. Huu Minh escaped from Vietnam in March 1978, with his wife. They spent several weeks in a r ...
From: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Images: 6 -
Aeroplane Ticket - Issued to Lam Huu Minh, Qantas, Kuala Lumpur, 14 Jul 1978
Qantas passenger one way airline ticket for Mr Lam Huu Minh, from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, 14 July 1978. Huu Minh escaped from Vietnam in March 1978, with his wife. They spent several ...
From: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Images: 7 -
Aeroplane Ticket - Issued to Tran Thi Cuc, Qantas, Kuala Lumpur, 14 Jul 1978
Qantas passenger one way airline ticket for Ms Tran Thi Cuc, from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, 14 July 1978. Cuc and her husband escaped from Vietnam in May 1978. They spent several weeks ...
From: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Images: 7
