VH-EBM  (2)  Boeing 707-138B                              (c/n   18740)

                           

                                VH-EBM was the last of Qantas’ 13 short-fuselage 707s.  It was delivered to the airline in Sept-
                                ember 1964 and named “City of Launceston”.  I flew on it several times in the mid 1960s from
                                LAX to Sydney.         When David Carter took his picture above in 1967, –EBM was leased to
                                Malaysian Singapore Airlines, with MSA stickers near the back door and the Malaysian flag near
                                the front..     <>The aircraft’s  time with Qantas was short and in April 1968 it was withdrawn from
                                service pending sale.   It took over a year to find a buyer – Braniff International.    Painted all-over
                                blue, it flew out of Sydney for Dallas in June 1969 registered N108BN.        It was to fly with the
                                airline for four years, and after a further a further period in storage, passed to Boeing in 1975  .
                                By 1977 it was with TAG Aviation in Saudi Arabia and operating as a corporate jet with a luxury
                                interior.    It eventually became N707XX. and in 1998, was sold to actor and pilot John Travolta
                                and registered N707JT.       Since then the aircraft has made many trips back to Australia with its
                                famous owner and has featured in many Qantas promotions. In 2002 it was painted its original
                                Qantas color scheme in a deal between the actor and Qantas   Greg Banfield saw it at Mascot
                                in 1996 as N707XX (below) after it had been sold by Braniff.