zippyjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 4724 posts, RR: 13 Reply 1, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 3930 times:
And, while we are on Pan Am Classic; How about the Boeing 377? There are pictures of this rare behemouth in the Pan Am jet age Meatball livery. ツ
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21495 posts, RR: 24 Reply 2, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 3615 times:
Quoting Jackbr (Thread starter): When the 707s started to join the fleet, what routes did PA fly the DC-7C's on? (Not the internal German routes)
Just before the 707 arrived the DC-7C was used on many PA routes, although the Stratocruiser was still used on most transpacific flights until Pan Am's long range 707-320s arrived. The January 1958 timetable, 9 months before Pan Am's first 707-120s went into service (which usually needed a fuel stop even to/from Europe, especially westbound), shows DC-7Cs on many transatlantic flights, along with the DC-6B and B377. DC-7C was also used on some Africa flights and on about half of LAX-HNL and SFO-HNL flights (the rest were Stratocruisers that continued to Asia and the South Pacific).
They didn't use the DC-7C on Latin America routes, which was mainly DC-6B and DC-7B. DC-7C also wasn't used on the round-the-world flights except the USA-Europe sectors. The portion between LHR and HND used the DC-6B with 7 or 8 stops, and the transpacific portion was still the B377.
Moving ahead to August 1963, by which time the 707-320 and DC-8 was being used on almost all longhaul routes, the DC-7C was used only on the following very few routes:
JFK-KEF-PIK-LHR (1 per week)
JFK-BOS-SMA-LIS (1 per week)
PPG-NAN (1 per week)
NAN-AKL (4 per week)
The DC-7C was based there and connected at NAN with the B377 that operated the SFO-HNL-NAN-SYD flights.
I think PA was still using the DC-7C NAN-AKL-NAN even after jets had replaced the B377 on flights to/from SYD since the old AKL Whenuapai airport couldn't handle jets and the current AKL airport didn't open until 1965.
By the early 60s Pan Am had converted quite a few DC-7Cs to freighters and they were mainly used on transatlantic routes. I don't think the DC-7C was ever regularly used on the Intra-German routes to/from Berlin. That was almost totally a DC-6B operation until they were replaced with the 727-100 in the mid-1960s.
PA DC-7C photos at AKL Whenuapai in the early 1960s. As pictured in the foreground of the second photo, CP also still used the Bristol Britannia on the South Pacific route between YVR and NAN/AKL/SYD via HNL. DC-8 replaced the Britannia on that route in 1965 when the new AKL airport opened.
gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5219 posts, RR: 6 Reply 4, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 3534 times:
Quoting Jackbr (Reply 3): I have seen in archives a photo of Pan Am DC-7C's in Sydney, taken in 1959. Could they have been used on the Australia flights for a short time?
Nothing in the 1958 or 1963 PA timetables show a DC7C into SYD. Interestingly enough the 1958 shows NAN-AKL & PPG operated by DC4! In the 1963 its a D7C. The DC7C at SYD could of course been an out of course operation, a charter, maintenance or replacing a B337. The aircraft based in NAN was not heavily utilized only flying 4 days a week and spending nearly 8 hours on the ground at AKL, so there was plenty of slack in the schedule.
Quoting Jackbr (Reply 3): Also, did Pan Am us the DC-7Cs to Paris?
Yes. According to the 1958 timetable it operated PA64-2 NYC-PAR-ROME-TEHERAN on Mon, Wed & Sat
I don't believe any DC-7Cs had the rear lounge that was common on DC-6s and standard DC-7s. I think there were two lavatories at the rear, in addition to the two between the two forward cabins, in line with the propellers. I have a book on BOAC history that shows most of their seating diagrams and their DC-7Cs definitely had 2 lavatories at the rear.
timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6468 posts, RR: 8 Reply 6, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 3381 times:
5/59 OAG shows only DC-7Cs to Australia:
3/week LAX-HNL-NAN-SYD-MEL
1/week SEA-PDX-HNL-NAN-SYD-MEL
The timetable shows no change of plane, but the PDX flight arrives HNL 0715 and doesn't leave until 1830, so who knows.
Jackbr From Australia, joined Dec 2009, 652 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 3253 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 5): don't believe any DC-7Cs had the rear lounge that was common on DC-6s and standard DC-7s. I think there were two lavatories at the rear, in addition to the two between the two forward cabins, in line with the propellers. I have a book on BOAC history that shows most of their seating diagrams and their DC-7Cs definitely had 2 lavatories at the rear.
Did those DC-7C's have the "club compartment" style seating in the small forward cabin behind the flight deck, with the seats facing eachother with a table in between? Or just standard Y class seating?
rwy04lga From United States of America, joined Jul 2005, 2148 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 3182 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 2): JFK-KEF-stwick (PIK / EGPK), United Kingdom">PIK
On May 18, 1967, I flew on a DC-8 operating this route. The DC-7C would've been cooler.
[Edited 2010-03-30 00:31:45]
The early bird gets the worm, BUT...the second mouse gets the cheese!
I often used to go out to AKL Whenuapai in the '60's to plane-spot and take photos (now lost). I remember being amazed how many piston-engined planes were on display. The Seven Seas was a favourite, though I never flew on one - I flew mostly on Whispering Giants (smile) - which made the DC4/6/7 and Constellation range look very dated.
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