• N707JT

    From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to All on Tue Jan 12 17:44:20 2016
    I'm wondering what the status is of Travolta's 707, N707JT...

    Somehow the news reached me that it suffers from a corroded vertical stabiliser and at the moment is not airworthy.

    Vertical stabilisers can be had via boneyards like the one in Mojave and a few other places. Problem seems to be that Travolta's jet is an early production model, a -120 series with a different length vertical stabilser and everything available in boneyards, even Dacis-Monthan are other 100- 200 and 300- types with longer fins.

    The part can be custom-made but Qantas is scaling back on its budgets and I'm wondering if Travolta will be going ahead with this on his own.

    The traditional websites with airline news offer no answer.

    Anyone here having some idea?

    \%/@rd

    --- D'Bridge 3.99
    * Origin: Many Glacier -- Protect - Preserve - Conserve (2:292/854)
  • From Paul Hayton@3:770/100 to Ward Dossche on Wed Jan 13 08:57:48 2016
    On 01/12/16, Ward Dossche pondered and said...

    I'm wondering what the status is of Travolta's 707, N707JT...

    \%/@rd

    Hi Ward.

    Sorry I don't know anything about this subject but was facinated to read your post here. I'm picking money would not be an issue for him but it sounds like access to key parts is.

    Best, Paul

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  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to Paul Hayton on Tue Jan 12 21:27:07 2016

    Hi Paul,

    Sorry I don't know anything about this subject but was facinated to read your
    post here. I'm picking money would not be an issue for him but it sounds like access to key parts is.

    Certain expenses are too much, even for Travolta.

    The maintenance has always been done, and paid for, by Qantas as a promotional item.

    However they also need to follow economical guidelines and as I understand it they are declining to have a fin custom made. Previously they paid for "everything" and such a vintage plane is a cost ... what is the return on investment?

    They also paid for the crews and the crew training, which means maintaining a 707-simulator.

    Now that the length of the near-private runway at Travolta's house in Florida has been reduced from 2200m to 1100m he may not be able anymore to use his "personal" airport.

    29ø16'42"N and 82ø06'59W

    Have a look at these coordinates at Google Earth. It's Travolta's house in Ocala Florida, with the 707 parked there I think sometime last year but it isn't there now. You also see another of his business jets parked at the other gate. He's got a Gulfstream too.

    In order to operate that 707 he needs to be able to refuel (the fuel truck is on the premises) and have firetrucks standing by during take-off and landing.

    There is someone in the swimming pool, may be himself.

    Just to indicate that there's a limit to what money can buy ... before the 707 he used to have a Super Constellation which he intended to fly around. That idea needed to be abandoned... too expensive.

    \%/@rd

    --- D'Bridge 3.99
    * Origin: Many Glacier -- Protect - Preserve - Conserve (2:292/854)
  • From Paul Hayton@3:770/100 to Ward Dossche on Wed Jan 13 16:16:36 2016
    On 01/12/16, Ward Dossche pondered and said...

    Certain expenses are too much, even for Travolta.

    The maintenance has always been done, and paid for, by Qantas as a promotional item.

    Ah... and he flew in to here at one stage on a Qantas flight. Guess it was a promo thing also?

    Now that the length of the near-private runway at Travolta's house in Florida has been reduced from 2200m to 1100m he may not be able anymore
    to use his "personal" airport.

    Why did it reduce?

    29ø16'42"N and 82ø06'59W

    Have a look at these coordinates at Google Earth. It's Travolta's house

    Will do.

    There is someone in the swimming pool, may be himself.

    Heh.. makes me unsure if I should head to the beach this summer.. perhaps
    Uncle Google may snap me.

    Best, Paul

    --- Mystic BBS v1.11 (Windows)
    * Origin: Agency BBS | telnet://agency.bbs.geek.nz (3:770/100)
  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to Paul Hayton on Wed Jan 13 08:13:45 2016

    Paul,

    Ah... and he flew in to here at one stage on a Qantas flight. Guess it
    was a promo thing also?

    Travolta has multiple commercial licenses, even co-pilot (meaning 3rd in command) of a 747-400. He used to fly as a captain on American Airlines 707's and 727's and there are stories at large of people on a flight hearing "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is captain Travolta. Please don't start singing all 'you're the one that i want oh oh ooohhh".

    It sounds a lot better than the TWA 747 which crashed off Long Island in 1996. The captain's name was Kevorkian. No relative.


    Now that the length of the near-private runway at Travolta's house in PH>WD> Florida has been reduced from 2200m to 1100m he may not be able
    anymore to use his "personal" airport.

    Why did it reduce?

    Don't know, but I'm guessing because the 707 is a very noisy airplane, even hushkitted as N707JT is.

    There is someone in the swimming pool, may be himself.

    Heh.. makes me unsure if I should head to the beach this summer.. perhaps Uncle Google may snap me.

    It is possible to spot naked sunbathing people on Google Earth. The photos can be Googled.

    I once was at Svalbard where there's a NASA satellite tracking stations. We were shown restricted photos by the Landsat-satellite and also military operations taken from 400+ km up ... naked girls sunbathing on a beach with "every detail" sharp.

    They can catch the light of a candle, even at that distance with today's lens-technology.

    \%/@rd

    --- D'Bridge 3.99
    * Origin: Many Glacier -- Protect - Preserve - Conserve (2:292/854)
  • From Paul Hayton@3:770/100 to Ward Dossche on Wed Jan 13 21:33:57 2016
    On 01/13/16, Ward Dossche pondered and said...

    hearing "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is captain Travolta. Please don't start singing all 'you're the one that i want oh oh ooohhh".

    So long as he doesnt start running disco 'dance off' contests in flight to determine who gets to visit the cockpit :)

    It sounds a lot better than the TWA 747 which crashed off Long Island in 1996. The captain's name was Kevorkian. No relative.

    Yipes.. yep not a great name association...

    Don't know, but I'm guessing because the 707 is a very noisy airplane, even hushkitted as N707JT is.

    I have learnt so much about a plane I never knew in this exchange... actually
    I know more now about aeroplanes than I perhaps ever knew :)

    Heh.. makes me unsure if I should head to the beach this summer.. perh Uncle Google may snap me.

    It is possible to spot naked sunbathing people on Google Earth. The
    photos can be Googled.

    I hasten to add naked sunbathing is not really my thing, perhaps it's more a northern hemisphere thing <grin> ??

    --- Mystic BBS v1.11 (Windows)
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  • From Wilfred van Velzen@2:280/464 to Ward Dossche on Wed Jan 13 10:42:35 2016
    Hi Ward,

    On 2016-01-12 21:27:07, you wrote to Paul Hayton:

    Now that the length of the near-private runway at Travolta's house in Florida has been reduced from 2200m to 1100m he may not be able
    anymore to use his "personal" airport.

    29ø16'42"N and 82ø06'59W

    Here's the direct link on google maps/earth for lazy people like me who don't want to first convert these to decimal coordinates and than search for them in google maps. ;)

    https://goo.gl/maps/3USPvheMzky

    There is someone in the swimming pool, may be himself.

    You recognise a person in those smudgy spots? ;)

    Bye, Wilfred.

    --- FMail-W32-1.69.12.144-B20160109
    * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to Wilfred van Velzen on Wed Jan 13 13:35:17 2016

    Wilfred,

    29ø16'42"N and 82ø06'59W

    Here's the direct link on google maps/earth for lazy people like me who don't want to first convert these to decimal coordinates and than search for them in google maps. ;)

    You can just take the coordinates as listed above and cut-'n-paste them in the GoogleEarth search box. Works like a gem, no conversion to whatever necessary.

    There is someone in the swimming pool, may be himself.

    You recognise a person in those smudgy spots? ;)

    Wishful thinking, but it seems to be a very secluded location. Not many visitors get in.

    Some photos float around on the internet and the whole house from the inside resembles an airport terminal.

    \%/@rd

    --- D'Bridge 3.99
    * Origin: Many Glacier -- Protect - Preserve - Conserve (2:292/854)
  • From Wilfred van Velzen@2:280/464 to Ward Dossche on Wed Jan 13 14:12:45 2016
    Hi Ward,

    On 2016-01-13 13:35:17, you wrote to me:

    29ø16'42"N and 82ø06'59W

    Here's the direct link on google maps/earth for lazy people like me who
    don't want to first convert these to decimal coordinates and than
    search for them in google maps. ;)

    You can just take the coordinates as listed above and cut-'n-paste them in the GoogleEarth search box. Works like a gem, no conversion to whatever necessary.

    I tried that, but that didn't work for me. This could be a character set issue, because the degree character isn't showing in my terminal as such. And copy/pasting it to my browser didn't fix it eiter...


    Bye, Wilfred.

    --- FMail-W32-1.69.12.144-B20160109
    * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
  • From Wilfred van Velzen@2:280/464 to Ward Dossche on Wed Jan 13 14:17:12 2016
    Hi Ward,

    On 2016-01-13 14:12:45, I wrote to you:

    29ø16'42"N and 82ø06'59W

    I tried that, but that didn't work for me. This could be a character
    set issue, because the degree character isn't showing in my terminal
    as such. And copy/pasting it to my browser didn't fix it eiter...

    This was the case. When I added the degree signs myself in an editor, and removed the 'and' between the two parts of the coordinate, it worked... I didn't even had to add the missing " in the second part of the coordinate! ;)

    Still rather laborious, compared to just clicking a link! ;)

    Bye, Wilfred.

    --- FMail-W32-1.69.12.144-B20160109
    * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
  • From Paul Hayton@3:770/100 to Wilfred van Velzen on Thu Jan 14 08:57:36 2016
    On 01/13/16, Wilfred van Velzen pondered and said...

    https://goo.gl/maps/3USPvheMzky

    That's quite a set up he has... disco music and movies eh... quite an earner.

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  • From Hawke@1:2320/100 to Paul Hayton on Fri Jul 29 00:16:52 2016
    Re: Re: N707JT
    By: Paul Hayton to Wilfred van Velzen on Thu Jan 14 2016 08:57 am

    That's quite a set up he has... disco music and movies eh... quite an earner.

    Actually I think that he uses it to ferry the ruling members of the Church of Scientology around. From what I've read lately Boeing is not able to produce the parts necessary to maintain the aging 707s.

    Allen
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  • From Paul Hayton@3:770/100 to Hawke on Fri Jul 29 21:13:06 2016
    On 07/29/16, Hawke pondered and said...

    By: Paul Hayton to Wilfred van Velzen on Thu Jan 14 2016 08:57 am

    That's quite a set up he has... disco music and movies eh... quite an earner.

    Actually I think that he uses it to ferry the ruling members of the Church of Scientology around. From what I've read lately Boeing is not able to produce the parts necessary to maintain the aging 707s.


    That's quite a time delay in reply... but I understand what you're saying.
    Here in New Zealand it was Boeing 737s for some time but now they have
    retired them and use Airbus craft instead. A380 I think?

    Best, Paul

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