Sundays flight is now in doubt due to weather and a few snags that arose during the test flight.

And, weather permitting, they will try again on Monday! Today is “engineering day”…
See the “official update” below:

“Hi everyone,

Last night is a most remarkable day.

One Boeing 707-138B, in fact the first ever, has returned to the skies.

VH-XBA took off from Southend – on – Sea on Saturday 2nd Dec (last night our time) in the capable hands of the crew, Commander Murray Warfield, Captain Roger Walter Captain Brett Phoebe, Flight Engineers Harry Hermans and Joe Plemanuk.

On board were QFM 707 Preservation Team Maintenance Manager Peter Elliott, Avionics Engineer Denis Martin and Team Airworthiness Manager and CASA delegate Ken Cannane.

Nearly four hours of solid test flying over Eastern England/ Channel was followed by a practice go around and landing back on to the shortish runway at Southend.

There are number of items requiring followup maintenance but all are considered surmountable.

Peter, Murray and Ken were all very glowing about the aeroplane, its performance and its engineering integrity.

The QFM Chairman Warwick Tainton said “this has been a fantastic testimony to the more than 15000 man hours put into the aircraft over the last 6 months by our very dedicated team of volunteer engineers. I understand they had a bit of hesitance handing over their baby to ‘those pilots who only ever break things'”.

Behind the scenes are many, many volunteers doing support jobs of all descriptions. This achievement would not have happened without the efforts of every single one of them.
Support from companies and governments across the world has been extraordinary.

This project is probably the most difficult and technically advanced project ever undertaken by a team of volunteers in the world, ie returning a passenger jet to flight after 6 years on the ground.

Hats off, and throw them into the air with a great cheer. Well done Team.

This effectively is the end of the “get her into the air phase”. Now begins the “get her to the other side of the world” phase.

Back to reality;

Sunday will be an engineering day as the weather is forecast to be “UK Dec” you know, starts with a “Y”. A second test will happen soon.

Thanks

Paul

Paul Clarke
Director – Qantas Foundation Memorial”

Apologies if this has already been covered, but if this is the original VH-EBA, why doesn’t she revert to that serial? Furthermore, there is a good photo of her on http://www.Airliners.net and if you look closely at the ‘X’ in the registration, it appears to be thinner than the rest of the letters, indicating that this is a delivery registration and once she gets to Oz, perhaps there is an ‘E’ underneath awaiting to be uncovered.

Errrm Adrian… with a little digging the same website you are referring to actually provides the answer to your question.
Yep, the “rego” VH-EBA is still in use on another Qantas aircraft, an Airbus A330-201, see http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1142961/M/ …

As for the “X” in the “reggie”: perhaps this is a special designation for a “limited permit to fly”? I understand that she is only allowed 50 flying hours and 20 cycles by Australian authorities under her current registration. Anyone on this board who has some more specific knowledge ?
By the way, there were some problems with engine no.2 over the last few days, she may have flown for the first time this Friday afternoon. Otherwise the airtest will be on Saturday…

Sad as it is it was inevitable notice the pallets under the centre section structural problems? Was anything saved though as the engines and props looked ok?

Take a look at http://www.dpts.org/sevenseas.html .

This is being stated: “A team of mechanics has started to dismantle some vital parts of the DC-7 such as all sixteen blades, all four engines, doors and various other pieces that my help other Douglas aircraft remain airworthy. Some other parts will be sold to finance the Super Constellation project which also has its roots in Geneva. Once all parting out is over, the DC-7 will serve for a final exercise during which most of the aircraft will be cut into pieces. After that everything will be over.”

This page also gives a good impression of how the “Seven Seas” looked like inside. This former KLM-owned Biafra veteran might even have been the base of a restoration project, even though it would have required a MASSIVE effort and lots of money…

What I find criminal is that the nose wasn’t saved in one piece… Surely separating the cockpitwindows -and roof from the rest of the nose (and that includes the dashboard!) wasn’t necessary ??
Most of the gauges/meters were gone, but the yokes, rudder pedals, throttle-quadrants and most switches/knobs including the placards weren’t!

Is there anyone on this forum who can confirm that CL-44-0 Guppy 9Q-LCA has been sold to Heavylift Cargo Services in Australia for five-thousand-dollars and that it is the intention that she leaves Bournemouth-Hurn flying?

ANYONE who can more or less confirm this?

Or is she bound for Germany?

YouTube.com brings up a couple of Bob Hoover-related clips – this is the one you want to watch:

Bob Hoover clip

(and it was a roll, not a loop as I previously thought)

Bob Hoover can also be seen at
http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/2006-3-11_bob_hoover.avi .
A clip to see, and to save on your harddisk!

For those wishing to read that BBC report for themselves, see
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/5300748.stm

Sky News hasn’t yet picked up the “Vulcan story”…

My photoreportage…
http://www.avianews.com/photoreport/tu114crash/1.htm

Thanks for posting the link! For those with a weak stomach, you had better not look…
Such a d*mn shame…