Thanks for watching everyone! I should have made it clearer in the video that while he de Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner, it wasn't widely used (because of the years spent grounded due to the multiple crashes) therefore my comment that the 707 was the one that actually brought the world into the jet age. And apologies I called the Dash 80 concept the Dash 8. :) My Super Constellation video should be out this time next week. Cheers
@@PaulStewartAviation Also, the Dash-80 prototype fuselage width would have allowed 5 seats across (like the Douglas DC-9), not 4. This narrower width was continued for the KC-135 military production version.
Thanks for a very well-done video on the Boeing 707-138B! You got some incredible shots, and the panning speed was very good. What an incredible aircraft! For those who are interested in trivia about it, I would to add the following points: @ 1:05 - The large square panels on the engine nacelles allowed for more thrust at higher engine power settings (i.e.: takeoff, climb and missed approaches). The tech term for them is "plenum chamber doors". At takeoff power, the doors opened inward at the rear part, actually being sucked in by the airflow through the front of the engine. At lower power settings or when the engines were shut down, the doors would be closed by powerful springs. There are some 707 videos that show these doors in action. From 1:40 to 1:45 - The pylons for engines number 2, 3, and 4 are different than for engine number 1, in that they are larger, with a hole in the front. Inside the pylons were little turbines called, "turbo-compressors", which provided the necessary airflow for pressurization. The high-bypass turbofan engines used on modern airliners don't need them, since they use "bleed air" (literally air that is bled off both the high- and low-pressure engine compressor sections of the engine) for pressurization needs. The older, low-bypass turbofans and early turbojets produced insufficient power to bleed off enough air to pressurize the aircraft. However, it was found that a minimal amount of bleed air could be used to turn a turbo-compressor, after which this bleed air was dumped overboard through openings on the left-side of the engine nacelles on engines 2, 3, and 4. Only two- to three-engines were equipped with the turbo-compresor, since this provided for adequate pressurization plus redundancy, in case of failure (the turbo-compressor exhaust ports on -XBA have been covered, but they can be seen in other 707 videos). @ 2:50 - The long spike facing forward from the leading-edge of the vertical stabilizer is a HF antenna (High-Frequency radio) to allow for position reports and weather information while flying overseas, long distance from any ground stations. The HF radios operate in the Shortwave radio band and are not limited by terrain nor line-of-sight distance to ground transmitters. @ 3:30 - The small ventral fin at the aft end of the fuselage, directly below the vertical stabilizer, was added to early 707s to provide for more directional control in the event of engine failure, either during takeoff or go-around. @ 6:17 and @ 7:38 - The small blades visible on the left wing, just behind the number 2 and 3 engine pylon-attach points, are called vortex generators, and were installed to smooth the airflow over this area of the wing (at speeds approaching the speed of sound, the airflow would separate from the upper surface of the wing, blanking out the "high-speed aileron" but the vortex generators would slow the airflow over the wing, thus maintaining aileron effectiveness, even at high speeds. It should be noted that the outer ailerons (near the wingtips) were for low-airspeed use only and were locked in position any time the flaps were completely retracted.
I just love how you flow through your videos. I’ve become a huge fan of yours. Thank you for sharing this with us. Paul did you get to fly Concorde back in the day?
That's the "executive board meeting" motif. It existed in corporate America for a long time until those pesky computer people in the 90's changed things.
Engines 2, 3 and 4 have turbo-compressors embedded in their pylons, which provided pressurization for the aircraft. Since only 3 tc's were needed for normal and back-up, engine 1 has just a normal pylon. I have seen various configurations of tc's on the 707 - many airlines only had them on engines 2 & 3; some had them on all four engines; and I have seen a version in which the engines 1 & 2 pylons were reversed, with the tc in the outboard number 1 and a regular pylon on number 2.
For those interested, the KC-135 was derived from the Boeing Dash 80 around the same time as the 707, but the fuselage of the KC-135 is narrower than the 707, among other differences. The KC-135 and 707 are more like fraternal twins than the same airplane.
Many differences between them including design philosophy, type of aluminium alloy, access points, size, weight, flight controls, etc. The list goes on. They do look identical but they aren’t especially with the 700-300/400.
@@terrenceklaverweide6356 Actually, when you compare them side-by-side, the 707 is a giant oval and the 135 is wasp waisted". The overall construction of the 135 is beefier.
I flew into Fiji in 73 in one of these . We were stranded by a cycline in Fiji by fir three days . Thos slender wings were bending REAL HARD as we came in through the heavy weather . My fathe , an ex RAAF ww2 air gunner reassured me that the wing flex was normal . To which I replied” And the engines ? are they supposed to shake so much too? “ He just smiled and said “yeah that’s normal too “ He was LOVIN IT . .
In 1974 I flew Sydney to Amsterdam in a 707 and flew back in 1975 in a 747. Still brings a tear to my eye and feel so lucky to have had that experience.
Awesome Video, Love This Aircraft and wish that Qantas had a Heritage Flying Fleet of The DC 9, 727'S both 100 and 200 Series as well as 707, 747, Would do their public image if maintaining a Working and Safe Passenger Tourist Venture well worth the good publicity in my thoughts.
The Dash 80 seated five-abreast like the Convair 880; the KC 135s were/are the same. 707s have a wider, six-abreast double-lobe fuselage. 707-120s were ordered by a number of airlines but QANTAS got unique, shortened 707-138s, not -120s. And yes, I know what QANTAS stands for.
After more than 60 years, the 707 still looks modern. If the four engines were swapped for two large ones, and the vertical rudder needle removed, I believe hardly anyone would be able to tell the difference in a modern airport today. Especially if it had a modern livery.
The airline navigator wasn’t replaced by GPS, but by Doppler Radar and inertial navigation systems earlier on. These came about in the early and late 60s respectively. The former worked by shooting Doppler waves toward the ground to attain the plane’s ground speed and position. It was more accurate when the seas were calm as rough waves could misdirect reflecting waves on their way back to the airplane. The inertial navigation systems used gyroscopes and sensitive accelerometers that detected the planes’ movements in order to calculate its position relative to a given point. It’s dead reckoning done by a computer. On the ground, pilots insert the plane’s initial coordinates and once it starts moving, the INS calculates where the plane is based on movement data recorded by the gyros and accelerometers. Once the plane was over land navigation was done by radio and tuning into VOR stations and NDBs.
Another feature of the Qantas 707-138 was the ability to become a five engine jet. A hard point located between the fuselage and number two engine could be used to transport a spare JT-3D. Too much bad experience with R3350s?
A few 5 engined 707s were used in SEA where extra lift was needed to takeoff from the tiny unprepared mountaintop airstrips, they also had extra wheels for the rough strips.
I thought I was going nuts...looking at the tail, it didnt look like a 707 to me. Well, its shortened, so the angles are way different. I worked on 707s...still have a love hate thing going on lol
If there was one or more airplanes I can compare to the Boeing 707 they'd be the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 and the Airbus A340. All three of them are Quadjets But the A340 is a wide-body quadjet, it's bigger than the 707 and DC-8, and it's a modernized airplane having a glass cockpit and fly-by-wire controls. And the A340 ended production in 2011.
I did a tour of the QANTAS founders museum back in 2017. I seem to remember the guide saying that at one stage it was refurbished as a private executive jet for a purchaser in the Middle East. Unfortunately, they made the luxurious leather upholstery from pig skins, so the sale fell through.
I remember following the restoration of this plane back in 2006 as I live 20 mins from Southend airport. The plane was tucked in a quiet corner of Southend airfield awaiting scrap until the QFM spent nearly a year painstakingly dismantling the tail section, repairing the engines, fuel control units and testing engines. The plane then went on several test flights over the English Channel before making its final journey to Australia. There are several videos on here- you tube.
He told me of the call sign of the 707duering an escort by us fighters via singapore to vietnam. Mother hen Mother hen, can you please slow down. The Chicks cant keep up. the 707 was very fast.
Miley Cyrus has a 707 it flew right over my house when she was in England a few years back it was very low and billowing black smoke from all 4 engines!!
Does any airplane museum leave the planes in an operational type state? Like, just add oil, fuel, a good preflight check, and then you're off? The couple airplane museums I've been to, it seems they just park them there and that's that. No draining fluids or anything, they're just parked.
The restoration documentary of this aircraft is on RU-vid, but it’s too cut up to be usable to view. I wonder if there’s a way to get a proper copy of the documentary?
I flew the KC-135 for the Strategic Air Command a few years back and loved it immensely. There are still hundreds flying, mostly in the Air National Guard and have been updated with bigger engines and current avionics.
Thanks again Paul. It is fascinating to hear about the development of the 707. We need to know our history to have a greater appreciation of the present. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the video. Did not recognize the interior ;obviously. Flew this aircraft under the PWA (Canada) banner in the 70th. Having logged over 1500 hours with it. Nice to see it being preserved. It was the first for Boeing to be delivered to a foreign country and the last 138Bcoming of the line is owned by a American movie star living in Orlando Florida (USA)
No turbo compressor on Number !. they were a great aircraft, and below the cockpit on checks was a place to hide from the hangar foreman, but they were so dirty to work on !
In late december 1969 my parents took us 3 kids from Christchurch in New Zealand to Sydney,Australia.,we flew on a Qantas Boeing 707 V-Jet.The flight took about 3 hours & i remember on the ouside of this plane had orange and red stripes,the food and service back then was awesome!.
Hi Paul, the prototype was the Boeing 367-80 so was in fact the “Dash 80” not the Dash 8. Easy error to make with all the Dash 8s, Dash 9s, etc. these days.......
@@PaulStewartAviation no worries. The 300s were actually -338Cs as they all had a cargo door aft of the forward left passenger door so Qantas could operate any of them as freighters if they wanted to. They also operated one other 707-300C that I think was leased from Aer Lingus, therefore a 707-349C so was painted in Qantas Freight livery - registered VH-EBZ. By the way, I think VH-EBA passed to a 747-238B and possible a 707-338C before it got to the A330-200.
I first flew in a Boeing 707 in 1972 and it belonged to a UK airline called "Donaldson". Just on the navigation, it was by radio beacons triangulation. The old sextant method was way back in the 1920's and 30's when beacons were not yet built all over the world, or popular air routes.
To be fair on De Haviland it was the lessons learned from the Comet, the aircraft that was primarily responsible for the introduction of jets to the passenger plane ranks, that were, at least in part, a contribution to the success of the 707.
Yes indeed.The square window fatigue issues on the mk 1 .Dehaviland spent a small fortune resolving the issue by which time the 707 was developed and built.A much better aircraft because of its capacity and fuel range.The Comet though was a fantastic looking hull and arguably one of the sexiest airliners ever to fly. At the time it was supposed to compete with the likes of the Bristol Brittania and the Super Constellations. A bold move and brilliant engineering.
Does anyone know if Actor John Travolta's Boeing 707-138B has arrived at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, a museum at Albion Park, south of Sydney Australia?
Takes me back to my childhood... I was always going to the airport with the family to see dad fly off overseas again, always first class, you used to watch them board right up close in the small international departure section, next to domestic, in Sydney, seeing dad reach the top of the flight stairs outside, the nose facing you in the departure lounge, the warm colour of the entrance lights suddenly illuminating dad as he was welcomed aboard, a big smile on his face... who wouldn't be happy flying first to the USA, or London, Hong Kong etc... Of course, his return home we met outside on the kerb, then the presents he brought back for us. I think I was wearing baseball jackets before any other kid in Australia back then, early 60s. Never occurred to me, no one ever said anything either, probably it didn't compute in their head before I whizzed off. Oh, the cowboy boots too. But no sombrero!
Those four injuns must have to pedal really fast to keep a 707 in the air. Sorry Paul. Just having a dig. I enjoyed your video. I’ve flown several times on the 707 and enjoyed those flights better than the more recent cattle class. And I liked the Kangaroo Route on which you had real stopovers. Great aircraft.
I'm sure the 707 was a great plane but in the background there's a Super Connie, now there's a piece of art. Please take us for a walk through Connie and show us a real aircraft.
You Australians are so LUCKY to have your air transportation heritage preserved like this. The short-sighted bean counters at Air Canada left Canadians with practically nothing.
My family flew in 1969 on what I believe was a Boeing 707 from San Francisco to Clark Air Force Base, in the Philippines. I was nine. The plane was small, the trip incredibly long, with a brief stop in Hawaii. Thanks for this video. Really wanted to see the old 1960's passenger seating. Oh, well.
Also there are two passenger 707s that still fly nearly daily...well, theyre not pax anymore, but its how they started life. The two oldest E3s, and bit of trivia, both are different length than the other E3s. They were bought used and converted. So ...technically, theyre still 707s
There is a video of its return to flight from Southend and then its return to Australia it is really good . It is a shame that she does not fly anymore after all that work to make her airworthy again , I would certainly consider paying to fly on a bit of history like this . She is as important as the DC3 and the Connie and 747 in our aviation history here in Australia especially as we are so far from anywhere else in the world .
Very nice video. I appreciated the closeups and explanations of the engines. My last flight on a 707 was in 1980 (BWIA), and can vaguely remember flying on Pan Am 707's. Watch the 1970 film "Airport" to give you a good idea of how the passenger cabins looked in those days.
fun history fact for you Nick :) The first Western civilization known to have developed the art of navigation at sea were the Phoenicians, about 4,000 years ago (c. 2000 B.C.E. ). Phoenician sailors accomplished navigation by using primitive charts and observations of the Sun and stars to determine directions.
@@nickledva Ahh all good mate. It is pretty amazing hey one of the planes that still serves in the US Airforce still has the same port where they stuck the device out to see/navigate. We have come along way thats for sure lol
I rode in a Pan Am 707 from Hawaii to Sydney via Nandi Fiji in 1973. The way back took a different route , you went to Pago Pago, Samoa, that was in 1975 when I returned.
The refueling wing here at (PHX) Sky Harbor still use KC-135's. Also at PHX in the 80's, I worked at Dynair. We had to perform a "D" check on a 707. What a mess! 😉
My first aircraft maintenance rating was on the B707. We had a few ex-Qantas B707. Rugged old planes. Hated it when I see fuel start dripping out of the drain pipe at belly between the main gears. Means Fuel cells are leaking. It became so bad for one particular airline I used to handle that I position a guy to keep watching that drain pipe during refueling. Fuel comes out, aircraft is grounded.
The B707 is the most evocative airplane ever for me. The second plane I ever flew on after a 737-100. Its the cigar engines, swept wings, whole thunderbirds look that does it for me. Great video Paul.👍
Thought you might like to add this to your aviation trivia. This was told to me by an ex Qantas LAME a few(?) years ago and the Constellation was referred to by some, as the best three engine aircraft to ever cross the pacific. Obviously because they often arrived with one dead engine.
I actually worked on a few retired Qantas birds, VH-EAB, EBV, EBU, EBW and EBT. When they were all retired they were then subsequently repurposed by the Northrop Grumman and the Air Force into E-8A/Cs. One of which has finally been sent to the boneyard as it’s now retired, and another 0597 (VH-EBU) was chopped up at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after over pressurizing the number 2 main tank in flight during refueling. I got to see the aftermath of that first hand and it was not pretty.
After I flew the B 727 , B 707 and DC 8 ...I said I had flown All the Airliners of my dreams as a boy ! I Never Imagined I would soldier on to fly the " Queen " ( B 747 ) , B 777 , B 767 and A - 320. I thanks God for my Aviation Career.
