Oldest a/c

again an interesting snippet.

Dude, your SO on my buiddy list.

Anything I can do to help…

again an interesting snippet.

Dude, your SO on my buiddy list.

A little Tidbit for all, JT’s 707 is neme Jet Clipper Ella after his daughter who I beleive was new born round about the time he got the 707.

… and the Jett part of the name is the name of his other daughter… what a hero he is! 😀

interesting, very interesting! Thank you once more for that!

A little Tidbit for all, JT’s 707 is neme Jet Clipper Ella after his daughter who I beleive was new born round about the time he got the 707.

I heard it was previously owned by Frank Sinatra?

It could actually be true, Frank Sinatra owned N108BN (its previous registration) from 24 February 1972 to 1975 according to http://www.707sim.com/jt3.html.

According to the Boeing Jet Airliner Production List by TAHS as well as S.C. Verbrugge’s Airlinerlist.com, the aircraft was withdrawn from use and stored in October 1973, after having been operated by Braniff Airways since 1969.

The story of N707JT differs slightly when checking the above two sources. TAHS’s books usually never miss any details of an airframe, yet the http://www.707sim.com/jt3.html page adds lots of tidbits which aren’t in the book nor on the Airlinerlist website. I’ve taken the liberty to write down the details from the book with the info from 707sim.com in brackets:

Boeing 707-138B c/n 18740, l/n 388
– First flight 29 July 1964
– Delivered to Qantas as VH-EBM City of Launceston
– Withdrawn from use and stored in Sydney on 1 November 1968
– Sold to Braniff Airways as N108BN 24 June 1969
– Withdrawn from use and stored in October 1973
– (Sold to Frank Sinatra 1973)
– Sold to Boeing in June 1975
– (Sold to Atlas Air Systems in 1975)
– Sold to Tracey Investments in September 1975
– (Sold to Kirk Kerkorian on 1 November 1975)
– Sold to TAG Aviation in January 1977
– (Sold to Tracinda Corporation on 28 March 1977)
– (Leased to Sheikh Akram on 26 September 1977)
– (Withdrawn from use and stored at Newark on 25 August 1981)
– (Ferried to Le Bourget for further storage in August 1983)
– (Returned to service in December 1983)
– (Sold to Trans Oceanic Aviation in November 1987)
– (Hushkits installed in 1989)
– Re-registered as N707XX on 1 July 1990
– Sold to Aviation Methods in 1995
– (Ferried to Istanbul for storage on 29 October 1995)
– (Total No of flying hours in September 1996; 27,682 hrs)
– Sold to Jet Clipper Johnny LLC on 20 May 1998
– Leased to John Travolta the same day
– Re-registered as N707JT on 11 December 1998
– Named Jett Clipper Ella

In any case, Frank Sinatra seems to have owned the 707 in question, even though it isn’t mentioned in the TAHS Production List. Other sites mention Sinatra having owned it as well. What else can you expect from a man who gave the world Come fly with me?

I heard it was previously owned by Frank Sinatra?

I’ve not heard anything about that in my research… I’ll check it out

Coincidentally, just 4 days later the prototype Comet 3, G-ANLO, first flew at Hatfield. However the Comet 3 programme was abandoned as a result of the Comet 1 problems, and 10 Comet 3 airframes were scrapped.

On 15 July it is 50 years since the first flight of the 367-80, which later became the C-135, which later became the 707. Has anyone heard of any events celebrating this? Wasn’t there something planned for the 50th anniversary of the Comet in 2002, did it ever come to fruition?

In Iran there are six passenger configured 707’s flying for Saha Air, converted ex-IIAF 707 tankers. Servaas Verbrugge’s brilliant production list (last updated 26 April) lists 53 707’s still in service with airlines, and 99 in military use. Also, the USAF is still flying lots of re-engined C-135s built in 1958 and 1959 but they are of course military…

It’s tragic when you get excited seeing a 737-200 these days. It only seems like yesterday they were everywhere. :rolleyes:

Thanks for that info sonnenflieger!

I’m been unable to dig out any info. But I have heard of a 707 still flying pax somewhere on the african continent

In Iran there are six passenger configured 707’s flying for Saha Air, converted ex-IIAF 707 tankers. Servaas Verbrugge’s brilliant production list (last updated 26 April) lists 53 707’s still in service with airlines, and 99 in military use. Also, the USAF is still flying lots of re-engined C-135s built in 1958 and 1959 but they are of course military…

It’s tragic when you get excited seeing a 737-200 these days. It only seems like yesterday they were everywhere. :rolleyes:

I’m been unable to dig out any info. But I have heard of a 707 still flying pax somewhere on the african continent

Then it’s maybe JT’s 707. If not, the answer has to be found in Africa.

JT’s 707 is indeed an ex-Qantas jet.

http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=707&ViewReportF=View+Report
This may help as well, but they don’t give CN’s and registrations so it’s very hard to know if the aircraft is still operational today or not. Isn’t this one of these still flying today, but eventually re-engined?
US Air Force (U.S.A.)

707-120 PW 14-May-1958 3 3 – 19-May-1959

John Travolta has his own Boeing 707 painted up in QANTAS colors, I believe it might be an ex-QF bird. Garret Aviation at LAX there are some privately owned 707, 727, 737’s along with the Bizjets that are parked there.

No, all Mercure 100’s have been retired since only Air Inter used them.
I think I found it – but it was recently retired. The Boeing Dash 80! http://www.airliners.net/open.file/545490/L/

The dash 80 is not and has never been a pax jet. It only ever served as a flight test aircraft. As we all know it was the prototype of the 707

No, all Mercure 100’s have been retired since only Air Inter used them.
I think I found it – but it was recently retired. The Boeing Dash 80! http://www.airliners.net/open.file/545490/L/

Someone some weeks ago posted about a Mercure still in use ….

Probably a DC-9 belonging to a US airline. Maybe NW or Midwest?

I think Midwest is in the process of phasing out their DC-9’s which would leave Northwest with the only 9’s in operation here in the future. The new PanAm startup is operating 727’s which have to be pretty old.

Looking at cargo outfits, UPS still runs DC-8’s domestically and FedEx runs 727’s domestically as well.

currently working in a livery for a DC-8. Its a cargo outfit out in the Eastern continent.
Can’t disclose names but the aircrafts reg was N966CF. Has since been re-registered to its new owner and is in peru awaiting delivery.