THE Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) welcomed another piece of aviation history into the hangers today (July 23).
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The cockpit and front end of the last Qantas Boeing 707 arrived in the early hours of the morning on Thursday (July 23) to sit alongside its historical counterpart the Qantas Boeing 747-400.
The aircraft was built in 1967 - and before making its last journey in 2001 - it carried troops to and from Vietnam, helped in evacuating people after the devastation of Darwin’s Cyclone Tracy in 1974 as well as flying thousands of passengers around the globe.
The aircraft was named “City of Alice Springs” by Qantas and “Windsor Town” by the Royal Australian Air force (RAAF).
HARS special projects manager, Mike De La Hunty who is a Vietnam veteran said that it was very likely he had flown this very plane on his mission to the country in 1969.
“All the records for this aircraft during that time no longer exist,” he said.
“But I very well could have been on this aircraft when I flew to Vietnam. It’s a great piece of history.
“It also holds the world record for the most amount of passengers flown out of Darwin after Cyclone Tracey, when it carried 270 passengers on board as they tried to move people out of the area.”
Mr De La Hunty also said the “pretty and slim” aircraft was also used to fly around former Australian Prime Minsters Bob Hawke and John Howard.
HARS plan to restore the front end of the aircraft to its original state on the interior and they hope to obtain the original table that was embossed with the Australian Coat of Arms.
Externally it will be painted on one side with Qantas and the other side in RAAF colours to recognise its former roles in Australian skies.
To get involved with the work of HARS or become a member visit HARS.org.au or phone 4257 4333.