- Right next to me is a Boeing 707,
which is the first jet Boeing ever made.
- It was incredibly exclusive.
(dramatic music)
- My first flight with Saha Boeing 707 was in 2004.
- The most exotic ticket in the world.
- [Sam] And some say it even looks like
a Star Wars spaceship.
- [Charles] There's no fly-by-wire.
A very, very pure, very authentic flying experience.
- No overhead bins to cover the luggage.
It was a military tanker.
That window is actually for the refueler to observe.
The 707 is a significant aeroplane that changed the world.
So welcome back to another video.
Right next to me is a Boeing 707,
which is the first jet Boeing ever made.
By year 2000, most passenger 707 has disappeared in the sky.
There was only one operator, it became very rare.
It was Saha Air of Iran.
So I want to create the video experience again
to share with you what is flying a 707 like.
(engine roaring)
(radio chattering)
(funky music)
- When the 707 first went into service
it was incredibly exclusive.
A round-trip ticket from London to New York
was 250 pounds in 1958.
A house in London was 1,800 pounds.
It's incredible how right Boeing got it the first time.
This is an aeroplane is now a 70-year-old design,
but still, the overhead panel much of the cockpit
and the exterior shape is exactly the same
as a brand new 737 today.
- So my first fight with Saha Boeing 707
was in 2004 from Tehran to Quiche,
and since then I've flown about a total 12 times.
- I think after the retirement of Concord in 2003,
the Saha 707 was the most exotic ticket in the world,
bar none, and probably just as smoky and loud as a Concord.
(engine roaring)
- My last flight with Saha before they retire
was very interesting one.
I was sitting just on the forward wing
looking at the engine.
(engine hissing)
The 707 interior was very basic on Saha Air.
It has racks.
There's no overhead bins to cover the luggage.
Behind me was a large group of Iraqi pilgrims
who had never flown an aeroplane before.
They're very lucky, I think,
the first time they flew on a plane was on a 707.
They were on their religious pilgrimage to Mashhad.
They chant their Muslim prayer
very loud during the take-off,
so it was a very surreal experience
with a large group people chanting Arabic prayer behind me.
(chanting foreign language) (engine roaring)
The 707 take off usually come with a very shallow climb.
Once it reaches a cruising altitude,
fairly low, like flight level 270, 290,
it's fairly heavy.
You can feel the aeroplane, it's very sturdy.
(engine roaring)
What's so special about a 707 is the engine.
I think the 4JT3D engine was striking,
the look of the engine outside.
Some say it even looks like a Star Wars spaceship.
The original engine looks really different
to the modern airliners.
Some even feel very scared by looking at the engines.
- The 707 is powered by a very low bypass turbo fan.
Incredibly noisy.
(engine roaring)
Very inefficient, very, very heavy on the controls.
It's all cables.
There's no fly-by-wire.
There's no hydraulics.
It's mandraulic and very, very pure,
very authentic flying experience
(engine roaring)
- 707 on Saha's an interesting one
because it was a military tanker
then converted to a passenger.
But it's rare there's a huge window in the back.
That window is actually for the refueler to observe,
refuelling mid-air to other aircraft.
Saha Air do provide decent food
on a short one hour, one and a half hour
domestic flight in Iran.
The crew were very accommodating.
Usually they understand why we came a long way,
to film, to travel.
(engine roaring) (people chattering)
(chanting in foreign language)
(speaking foreign language)
- Because of the military background of the pilots,
they always landed fast, they taxied fast, always on time,
always putting on a fantastic show for the av-geeks.
(engine roaring)
- Well, I hope you liked my footage
on the 707 take off and landing.
These are very old footage,
but they're very precious memory to me.
The 707 is a significant aeroplane
that changed the world in aviation.
It changed the way we fly.
It's such a beautiful aeroplane.
Here, I'm paying my tribute to the 707.
(engines roaring)
(air whooshing)
(bell dings)