Last Boeing 707 delivered to SAAF Museum
Date: 2 November 2007
On 2 November 2007, an excited crowd of a few hundred people gathered at Swartkop in Centurion, home of the SAAF Museum. The reason: to watch 60 Squadron's Boeing 707 (serial number 1419) get to her final resting place. The SAAF has retiring their Boeing 707 fleet, and decided that plane 1419 was to end up at the SAAF Museum at Swartkop.
Flown by Lt.Col Walter Knacke and Col. Mike van der Berg, with Lt Col Anton Knoetze as Navigator and WO1 Piet Nel as Flight Engineer, the aircraft took off from Waterkloof AFB around 2:00pm. Because of Waterkloof's proximity to Swartkop, the crowd could immediately see it in the distance once it became airborne. After circling Swartkop, it approached runway 02 and performed an impressive wheels-up flypast, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Then it flew another circuit and approached again, landing gear down and just above the runway threshold, it applied full power and performed another flypast whilst gracefully climbing into the sky. Just after 2:15pm it touched down on runway 02 for the last time ever.
Attended by Lt.Gen Carlo Gagiano (Chief of the SAAF), many other high ranking officers as well as members of 60 Squadron and other interested parties, the event was also held to honour the Boeing 707's service with the SAAF. Plane 1419 was one of only two that where still airworthy, with aircraft 1415 flown to AFB Makhado on 3 October 2007.
Although it is sad to see this wonderful aircraft grounded, it will be on static display at the museum for many years to come, allowing the public to walk right up to it and admire a true aviation classic.
Service history of 1419
Model 707-328C, c/n 19917, built at Renton, Washington USA, in 1968. Delivered to Air France as F-BLCL on 10 December 1968. To SAAF in March 1982, registered as ZS-LSK. Later serialed AF619, then 1419. Last operational flight on 13 September 2006. Ferried from Denel to AFB Waterkloof on 12 June 2007. Final flight from AFB Waterkloof to SAAF Museum, Swartkop, on 2 November 2007.
Total flying hours: 46 433 h
Number of landings: 15 799
Additional history of the Boeing 707 in SAAF service may be found in the (retired) Aircraft section.
Report by Andre Kok with additional material by Dean Wingrin, photos by Andre Kok and René Heise.
