Formerly owned by John Travolta, the Qantas Boeing 707 aircraft is being shipped to HARS. Photo: HARS.
First major pieces of the long-awaited vintage Qantas Boeing 707 gifted by Hollywood actor John Travolta have touched down and are set to appear at Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s (HARS) Tarmac Day this weekend (13-15 June).
An engine and an engine pylon from the pioneering jet from the 1960s will be on show at the Albion Park aviation museum, alongside a full motion flight simulator for the Boeing 707.
HARS president and chief pilot Bob De La Hunty said the former Qantas 707 airliner was being carefully taken apart in the United States for shipment to HARS where the volunteer engineers were waiting to bring it back to its former glory.
“Visitors will have our tour guides available to answer questions about our plans for the 707,” Mr De La Hunty said.
“It has cost $250,000 to acquit each Boeing 707 engine pylon to FAA airworthiness directives.
“The other engines and components have been shipped to Australia and are now being stored at BlueScope.”
Its path to restoration has been a challenging one to this point.
As the last of the Qantas’ 707s and last of the hot rods as they call them, the Boeing 707-138B has had a variety of owners, including Frank Sinatra and Travolta.
Travolta, a keen pilot himself, became a Qantas ambassador and had it painted up in Qantas colours again, flying it around the world to promote Qantas.
However, eventually it needed a lot of work done, to the point it was uneconomical, with it tipped for the scrap heap.
Qantas Boeing 707 engines arrive at HARS in the first stage of relocation of this historic airliner to Australia. Photo: Howard Mitchell.
Travolta had relationships with HARS members and visited occasionally to fly HARS’ aircraft, which led to him donating the aircraft to the not-for-profit organisation in 2017.
Initially it was planned to touch down in Shellharbour in 2019, but while the aircraft wasn’t anywhere near ready then, Travolta still turned up.
Two years ago, three HARS members returned from a trip to check progress by two aviation companies in Brunswick, Georgia and new issues found with the Qantas jet, determining that trying to fast-track its restoration wouldn’t benefit the aircraft in the long term.
At the time, HARS media and marketing team coordinator Ian Badham said the Georgia companies told the HARS trio, “Look, we can do it right or we can do it now, but we can’t do it right, now.”
Mr De la Hunty said plans were now afoot to bring the next lot of pieces to HARS.
“The next engineering team from HARS will be going to the US soon to recover the remaining loose items – with the fuselage and wings to follow,” he said.
While open daily for visitors, monthly Tarmac Days are a showcase of the flying, engineering and support services which underpin the reputation of HARS.
A former RAN Grumman Tracker will have engine runs and wing fold tests, while the famous Southern Cross Replica and former RAAF transport stalwarts Dakota and Caribou are due to fly, subject to operational conditions.
Engineers will also be continuing their work to keep the museum’s iconic Lockheed AP-C3 Orion and Super Constellation airworthy.
HARS Tarmac Day will run 13-15 June at HARS Aviation Museum.
