Today in History: First Boeing 707 arrives in South Africa
The Boeing 707 ushered in a new era for South African aviation travel.
Fifty-eight years ago today, the very first Boeing 707 in South Africa arrived on our shores from America, ushering in a new era of aviation travel for South Africa.
At the time, the aircraft was used for commercial as well as military purposes, but it is no longer used to transport cargo or passengers, as more reliable and efficient aircraft such as the latest Airbus and Boeing variants have replaced it in that role. The remaining aircraft in service with the South African Air Force are used for airborne refuelling, electronic warfare, command and control and early warning.
The B707 replaced the ill-fated DeHavilland Comet and firmly cemented Boeing as the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer. However, as stricter sanctions were employed against South Africa during the Apartheid era, particularly with regard to the availability of spare parts and technology, many of these aircraft were covertly reconfigured for military purposes.
The B707 has served the South African Air Force with great distinction and displayed remarkable reliability and flexibility throughout its career. The majority of these aircraft are however being phased out of service, as they have reached the end of their life-span and are set to be replaced with more modern aircraft.
In October 1960, SAA introduced the B707 in a mixed first class/ economy class configuration carrying a total of 139 passengers on the Springbok Service to the UK. This reduced the journey to an actual flying time of about 13 hours. The B707 also inaugurated the service to the Americas in February 1969, flying from Johannesburg via Rio de Janeiro to New York.
The B707 also brought in the new airline colours, the main difference being the orange tail with a blue and white flash. When repainting was required, the other aircraft in the fleet were all converted to the new orange tails.
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