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The Boeing 707 ExperienceThe Boeing 707 Experience
  • PROJECT & BLOG
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    • How it all started
    • About me
    • Lufthansa D-ABOD MSN 17720
    • #1665 (no title)
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  • Resource
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  • Interactive Cockpit
  • Technical Info
    • System Summaries
      • System Descriptions
        • Electrical Power
        • Pneumatic System
        • Hydraulic Power
        • Fuel System
        • Auotpilot
        • Flight Director System
        • Altitude Alert System
        • Antiskid System
        • Attitude Warning
        • Research
          • JT3D engine and B707 system information needed
  • Pilot Stories
  • What remains
    • Global map of 707s
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  • Contact

Project insights

How it all started

Back in 2012 I decided to fulfill all my childhood dreams. One of these dreams was to restore a cockpit of a first generation jetliner such as the Comet, Caravelle or B707. I was able to secure the cockpit of a Caravelle III (F-BHRU ex Air France c/n 58). It took me 5000 hours and 4 years to bring the cockpit of the Caravelle to 100% working order in better than new condition.

This was truly an achievement that makes me proud to this day. However, I could never let go on dreaming of a 707 simulator….both the Caravelle and 707 have a special place in my heart. They are both pleasing to the eye, different in design and yet so pure and elegant. So I kept flirting with the idea of acquiring a 707 cockpit section and use the skills and knowledge acquired during the restoration of the Caravelle

Finding a 707 cockpit…

This turned out to be a lot more difficult than I thought. While I kept my eyes open, I had acquired a Mirage VF fighter jet cockpit in January 2017. The project got finished successfully 2 years later but due to lack of interest I sold the fighter simulator it in May 2019. In June 2018 I started negotiations with the owner of N88ZL, a former Lufthansa Boeing 707 (D-ABUF). We got an agreement, but I was only able to secure a few panels and parts together with aircraft documentation, even though MUCH more was agreed on. This guy from Mercury Air Line Holdings in Florida turned out to be a total fraud.

As fantastic as it would have been to secure an aircraft that my father once flew, N88ZL retains little of its former owner “Lufthansa”. During its career as a VIP aircraft the cockpit was heavily modified from the rear cabin wall, navigators station (gone), pilot’s panels up to the F/E panels.

Thanks to Guy van Herbruggen, a true 707 lover owning the former SABENA Boeing 707 simulator, I was able to get all panels of Lufthansa’s Boeing 707 D-ABUD making my dream of having a Lufthansa 707 possible.

In August 2019 I was able to secure a deal for the cockpit of N707QJ which was then moved to Munich from the UK and restoration and conversion began.

When dreams come true…

In November 2021 the project took a turn when I was able to buy the cockpit of the world’s last Lufthansa Boeing 707 D-ABOD. With all the parts collected over the years, I am now able to build a truly authentic Lufthansa 707.

Photo Gallery
Precision work
Precision work
photo 2020-12-09 19-31-12
photo 2020-12-09 19-31-12
New connectors
New connectors
Sperry HZ6 pitch axis
Sperry HZ6 pitch axis
photo 2020-12-09 19-31-14
photo 2020-12-09 19-31-14
IVSI
IVSI
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Copyright 2023 © Nils Alegren
  • PROJECT & BLOG
    • Project Blog
    • How it all started
    • About me
    • Lufthansa D-ABOD MSN 17720
    • #1665 (no title)
    • Donate & Help
  • Resource
    • 707 Manuals
    • Shop & Downloads
  • Interactive Cockpit
  • Technical Info
    • System Summaries
      • System Descriptions
        • Electrical Power
        • Pneumatic System
        • Hydraulic Power
        • Fuel System
        • Auotpilot
        • Flight Director System
        • Altitude Alert System
        • Antiskid System
        • Attitude Warning
        • Research
          • JT3D engine and B707 system information needed
  • Pilot Stories
  • What remains
    • Global map of 707s
    • Lufthansa 707 Fleet
  • Contact
  • Buy now