John Travolta Donates His Prized Boeing 707 “The Party Jet”

Actor John Travolta announced recently that he will donate his prized Boeing 707 aircraft to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society.
Travolta, a qualified pilot and Qantas ambassador, hopes to be part of the crew to fly the vintage passenger jet from his Florida home to the HARS aircraft hangar at Illawarra Regional Airport in Albion Park.
“The aircraft currently requires a lot of work to be restored to a safe flying state and having seen first hand the dedication and passion of people at HARS, I have no doubt this beautiful and historical aircraft will be flying again,” Travolta said. John Travolta memorabilia on eBay. “I am hoping to be part of the crew to fly the aircraft to Australia, supported by well qualified and experienced pilots and engineers.” Travolta’s love of aviation: John Travolta is a passionate and accomplished pilot, with thousands of hours logged in various aircraft, according to Simple Flying. His interest extends to collecting and maintaining aircraft, most notably his Boeing 707.

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The Aircraft’s History: Travolta’s Boeing 707 is a 707-138B model, a shortened variant of the original 707 designed for Qantas. It was delivered to Qantas in 1964 as VH-EBM, says Simple Flying. It flew for Qantas for four years before being retired. The aircraft was then owned by several other entities, including Braniff and TAG Aviation, before Travolta purchased it in 1998.

A “Jett Clipper Ella”: Travolta renamed the aircraft “Jett Clipper Ella” in honor of his children and Pan Am’s famous “Clipper” designation. It was also repainted in a retro Qantas livery, a nod to its original owner and Travolta’s role as a Qantas ambassador.
Donation to HARS: In 2017, Travolta announced that he was donating his Boeing 707 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in Australia. HARS is located in Albion Park, roughly 90 miles south of Sydney.

Relocation Challenges: The initial plan was to restore the aircraft to flying condition and have Travolta pilot it to Australia himself. However, the cost and complexity of returning the plane to airworthiness proved too great. The plan then shifted to dismantling the aircraft and shipping it to Australia in pieces. This process has also faced delays, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Wikipedia.
Future at HARS: The 707 is currently being dismantled and shipped to Australia where it will be reassembled and become a static display at the HARS Aviation Museum. There is a possibility that it could be restored to taxiable condition in the future.

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