http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Qantas-first-jet-grounded-at-museum/2007/06/10/1181414129880.html Qantas' first jet grounded at museum June 10, 2007 - 6:44PM Australia's first passenger jet aircraft touched down on Sunday for the final time in the outback Queensland town of Longreach, where national airline Qantas began in 1920. The 47-year-old Boeing 707 underwent a four year restoration after being rescued in the United Kingdom where it had been earmarked for the scrap heap. Named the City of Canberra, the plane will become a permanent display at Longreach's Qantas Founders' Museum. Pilot Captain Roger Walter said the plane was a joy to fly. "It's just an absolute thrill every time to be able to get into," Captain Walter told the Ten Network. "It's very different to flying a modern jet aircraft with modern instrumentation." But despite 18,000 hours of work to restore it, the Boeing will not fly again. Warwick Tainton, chairman of the Qantas Foundation Memorial, which administers the museum, said he was sorry the plane would now be grounded. "I'm a little bit bitter from the point of view it's not going to fly again," Mr Tainton said. "It's flying so well and been so well maintained and brought back to life. "The engineers have done a terrific job." Museum manager Colin Westwood said the passenger jet made aviation history by cutting 21 hours off the flight time from Australia to England. "It did really herald a social change in Australia and its social interaction with the rest of the world," he said. © 2007 AAP ____________________________________________________________________________________ Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games. http://sims.yahoo.com/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".