Boeing
707-338C A20-624
(c/n 19624)
Like its stable mate A20-623 (ex
VH-EAC) this 707 was originally delivered to Qantas. It had
its
first flight in March 1968 and was registered VH-EAD. Unlike
-EAC, however, -EAD remained in
Australia until March 1979 when it was converted to a tanker for the
RAAF. Greg Banfield's shot
above, was taken
at Mascot in September 1984 and shows it with the original unpainted
lower fuselage.
By
the time Greg's second photo, below, was taken (same venue, but in
April 1987), it had been re-
painted
with gray undersides. By 1998 it was gray all over in
accordance with the norm of that time
for
military aircraft. At the Avalon Air Show in 2007 it carried a
"Farewell 707" logo on tail and "29
years of service to the nation" on the forward fuselage. The
aircraft was retired in June 2008 and held
in open
storage at RAAF Richmond. In September 2011, however, it was
acquired by Omega Air
Services and registered N624RH. It departed Richmond on 23
October 2011 for Brunswick, GA
where it was given a major check prior to entering the fleet of this
privately owned air refueling company.