Finding a 707 cockpit…

This turned out to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. While keeping an eye out for opportunities, I acquired a Mirage VF fighter jet cockpit in January 2017. The project was successfully completed two years later, but due to a lack of interest, I sold the fighter simulator in May 2019.

In June 2018, I began negotiations with the owner of N88ZL, a former Lufthansa Boeing 707 (D-ABUF). We reached an agreement, but in the end, I was only able to secure a few panels and parts, along with some aircraft documentation—despite having agreed on much more. Unfortunately, the individual from Mercury Air Line Holdings in Florida turned out to be a complete fraud.

As fantastic as it would have been to secure an aircraft my father once flew, N88ZL retains very little of its former Lufthansa heritage. Over the course of its career as a VIP aircraft, the cockpit was heavily modified—from the removal of the rear cabin wall and navigator’s station to extensive changes across the pilot’s and flight engineer’s panels.

Thanks to Guy van Herbruggen, a true 707 enthusiast and owner of the former SABENA Boeing 707 simulator, I was able to acquire all the panels from Lufthansa’s Boeing 707 D-ABUD—bringing me a big step closer to realizing my dream of owning a Lufthansa 707.

In August 2019, I secured a deal for the cockpit of N707QJ, which was then transported from the UK to Munich, where restoration and conversion work began.

When dreams come true…

In November 2021, the project took an exciting turn: I was able to purchase the cockpit of the world’s last remaining Lufthansa Boeing 707, D-ABOD. With all the parts I had collected over the years, I am now finally in a position to build a truly authentic Lufthansa 707 simulator.