Part of a Kiwi Electra comes home

[smithcorp]

From the Christchurch NZ Press:

TEAL plane back in Chch

WEDNESDAY, 19 JULY 2006

By MIKE CREAN
A plane that flew regularly into Christchurch in the 1960s will return on Saturday.

This time, only part of the plane will taxi to a standstill, and it will be on the back of a truck.

The Ferrymead Aeronautical Society has bought the front section of Tasman Empire Airline's (TEAL) flagship Lockheed Electra, which flew trans-Tasman services from 1962 to 1972.

The 7m-long section of fuselage, including the cockpit, was shipped from Scandinavia to Lyttelton last weekend.

It will be transported over Evans Pass to Ferrymead Historic Park, where it will go on display.

Negotiations for the Electra have taken nine months, during which the falling value of the dollar left a funding shortfall.

The society hopes to attract further sponsorship for the project.

The Electra was the first turbo-prop aircraft used by TEAL on the Tasman routes.

When TEAL became Air New Zealand, its three Electras were replaced by Boeing 707 jets.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/print/0,14 ... 30,00.html

[Garry Russell]

Interesting........although I can't place TEAL Boeing 707's

Do they mean DC 8 or Boeing 737?

Garry

[Mark C]

When TEAL became Air New Zealand, its three Electras were replaced by Boeing 707 jets

We ("AIR NEW ZEALAND") never .... ever .... operated B707. We selected DC8-52.

B737-200 never entered the Air New Zealand fleet until the NAC/Air New Zealand merger of April 1st 1978.

TEAL became Air New Zealand on April 1st 1966.

Mark C