Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 28-Jan-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 12-Apr-23.
This is an aircraft that spent all it's life with one airline. Unusual today but quite common in the 60/70's. An old turbojet 707 with Rolls Royce Conways, it was El Al's first Boeing 707 and set-up a speed record during it's delivery flight.
It was delivered to El Al Israel Airlines as 4X-ATA in Apr-61. After 23 years in service it was withdrawn from use at Tel Aviv, Israel in Jul-84 and used as a Cabin Service Trainer. The nose section is still 'alive' and is displayed at the Cradle of Aviation Museum at East Garden City, New York. (updated Jul-18).
Note: In Jul-68, the aircraft was hi-jacked after departure from Rome-Fumicino and en-route to Tel Aviv with 41 passengers and 10 crew. It was forced to fly to Algiers, Algeria. where all non-Jewish hostages were released. After diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Algeria all hostages were released in exchange for 16 Arab terrorists. The aircraft was returned to El Al six weeks later.
The BOAC B707 is G-ARWE.
Tags: 4X-ATA Boeing B707-458 El Al - Israel Airlines aircraft airplane airliner jet jetliner aviation permanently retired
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Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 08-Oct-21 (DeNoise AI).
Taken from the spotters terrace on the old Queens Building.
This was the penultimate DC-7 built and was delivered new to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in Dec-58 as PH-DSR. KLM operated it for just under 4 years (the DC-7's were quickly replaced by more modern DC-8 and DC-9 jets) and then sold it to Interpublic Inc in Oct-62 as N904ME (the gold KLM style livery gives away it's origins!).
The interior was refurbished to a VIP configuration and it was sold to a leasing company and leased back to Interpublic. At various times it was leased or sold to Dallas Aero Service, General American Oil Co, Omni Investment Corp, Flight Lease Inc and a couple of individual private owners.
It was sold to Pyramid Oil Co in Mar-73 and re-registered N777EA in Feb-78. It was eventually stored at Goodyear, AZ, USA and was noted still there looking sad in Jun-20. It's been 'waiting for restoration' for the last 40 years and will probably be broken up. Updated 22-Mar-23.
Note: The registration N904ME was later used on a Midwest Airlines Boeing 717-200 in Apr-03.
Tags: N904ME Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas Interpublic Inc aircraft airplane airline piston prop aviation permanently-retired
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Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 08-Jan-22 (DeNoise AI).
HZ-AAW was one of three C-54's bought from Saudi Arabian by British Eagle after they had taken over Starways. Only two entered service, G-ASPM & G-ASPN. HZ-AAW became G-ASRS and was sold on to Avions Fairey in Belgium as OO-FAI in Aug-64 (see full history below).
This aircraft was delivered to the US Army Air Force in May-45, serialled 44-9127. It was transferred to the US Reconstruction Finance Corp in Sep-45 as N90901 and was sold to American Overseas Airlines the following month.
American Overseas was merged into Pan-American World Airways in Sep-50. The aircraft was sold to Transocean Air Lines in Jul-82 and sold on to King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia as SA-R4 the following month.
It was transferred to Saudi Arabian Airlines in 1954 as HZ-AAW and returned to standard passenger configuration. It was sold to British Eagle International Airlines as part of a package of 3 C-54's in Mar-64.
British Eagle only needed two of them (G-ASPM/PN). This one was re-registered G-ASRS (although in my photo it's still painted as HZ-AAW) and stored at London-Heathrow until it was sold to Avions Fairey in Belgium in Aug-64 as OO-FAI).
They sold it to All-Air Germany as D-ADAB in Nov-66. All-Air merged into Transportflug in Mar-69 and the aircraft was retired at Frankfurt in Mar-70. The story doesn't end there though as the fuselage was transported to Lampertheim, south of Darmstadt, West Germany, and used as restaurant.
Tags: HZ-AAW (G-ASRS) Douglas C-54E Saudi Arabian Airlines (British Eagle International) aircraft airplane airliner piston propeller aviation permanently retired
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Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a (slightly) better version 08-Mar-15. This wasn't the best slide in the box but I've done what I can.
Delivered new to Swissair in May-57 as HB-IBM, it didn't last long as a passenger aircraft and was sold to GALCO in the USA as N302G and converted to a freighter in Apr-62. It was sold to Overseas National Airways later that month. In Aug-64 it was sold to Shannon Air. They only kept for 18 months and it was sold in the USA again in Feb-66 as N302G, to leasing company, F.B. Ayer & Associates. They leased it to Airlift International between Mar-66/Sep-67 and it was stored on it's return. It was leased to 'Aircraft Holdings Inc' in Dec-69. The story becomes a bit murky from here onwards. It was quickly stored and eventually returned to F.B. Ayer in Sep-70 and stored at Tuscon, AZ, USA. Later it was also stored at Honolulu. It next appears in Jul-78 as being sold to 'Robert A. Armstrong' although still supposedly 'stored'. It was suspected of being involved in a drug running operation in South America and is believed to have 'crashed' in Colombia in 1979 although I haven't been able to find any details.
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