Coming Home

[NM]

The first Boeing 707-138 delivered to Qantas is coming home. It has been sitting at Southend in the UK for several years after retiring as a VIP transport. Qantas has purchased the aircraft and will be bringing it home to add to the static display at Longreach.

It has just been repainted and is now in original Qantas scheme and registered VH-XBA (the original rego was VH-EBA). It has undergone pressurisation testing and should be doing taxi testing today. The plan is to fly it from Southend to Dublin on 26th November. From there to Montreal and on to Seattle where Boeing will final servicing and checks. It will then follow the original 1959 delivery route via Honolulu and Nadi to Sydney. It will then visit a few select locations in Australia before heading to Longreach for static display alongside the 747-200.

Here is what it looked like before the restoration.

The story can be followed through this thread on Sydney Airport Message Board.

 

[serfty]

Good links NM, quite informative ... I like the rego XBA, just wish it had been assigned to those VH-ZX's, then one would at least know one was flying an eX BA aircraft.

 

[maninblack]

It looks absolutely sensational

 

[thadocta]

Good links NM, quite informative ... I like the rego XBA, just wish it had been assigned to those VH-ZX's, then one would at least know one was flying an eX BA aircraft.

Nothing wrong with the VH-ZX* 767-336's - the mini-cabin in WHY is great, and the extra exit row seats are fantastic.

(Which reminds me, why do some 763's have only over wing exits, whilst others have full size doors fore-and-aft of the wing? Always wondered about this.....)

The only downfall is the lack of personal air-vents, but I can live with this on a SYD-MEL/BNE flight.

Dave

 

[serfty]

Nothing wrong with the VH-ZX* 767-336's - the mini-cabin in WHY is great, and the extra exit row seats are fantastic.

(Which reminds me, why do some 763's have only over wing exits, whilst others have full size doors fore-and-aft of the wing? Always wondered about this.....)

The only downfall is the lack of personal air-vents, but I can live with this on a SYD-MEL/BNE flight.

Dave

I have to disagree with you here Dave, I believe there is enough wrong with them to queitly swear every time I have to travel in one.

!Yeah Dave I know they have extra pitch exit rows, a mini cabin but no airvents. Of those, for me ONLY the mini cabin is a benifit... not much of one really.

I don't go for exit rows much as all too often some COS is sitting beside you and while you feet are free to stretch out, there is no such extra space laterally you spend the entire flight leaning to one side.

Have I mentioned the two hours I was stuck in one in CNS while ground crew wrestled with a cargo door with PAX already loaded. It was early afternoon and had a full load of PAX who i'm sure must have run from the centre of CNS to the airport. Directional airvents certainly would have helped!!

 

[NM]

(Which reminds me, why do some 763's have only over wing exits, whilst others have full size doors fore-and-aft of the wing? Always wondered about this.....)

The exit door configuration was an option to be specified at the time of order from Boeing. Qantas decided their 767-338 should have the dual over-wing exits so they could maximise seating (don't lose a few rows), while BA decided the full size door was their choice on their 767-336 specification.

From my observation, most 767-300's were specified with the dual over-wing exits.

 

[smithym]

This bird finally made it home today. You can see some good pics of it here

 

[ksthommo]

It's making an appearance at Longreach on Easter Saturday.

 

[Skyring]

The first Boeing 707-138 delivered to Qantas is coming home. ... It has undergone pressurisation testing and should be doing taxi testing today.

I wonder how much excitement it created on the rank. I was wondering why there was a B707 parked at Sydney a few weeks back. I usually enjoy the shuttle bus through the jumbo park, but this was a bonus. I think it's also the first time I didn't have my camera ready to hand - I was travelling with my wife, and she considers it undignified to hold my feet while I hang out the window to get a shot.