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Lockheed L-1329 JetStar was the first American purpose-built executive jet.
It flew for the first time on 4 September 1957 powered by two Bristol Orpheus
engines. When plans to produce the Orpheus under licence in the US did not
eventuate, Lockheed were forced to redesign the aircraft using four lower
powered Pratt & Whitney JT12A-6 as the USAF would not accept an aircraft
with foreign engines. This aircraft was marketed as the JetStar 6. A subsequent
version powered by the JT12A-8 became known as the JetStar 8. Several aircraft
were retrofitted with the Garrett TFE 731 turbofan after which they were
known as the JetStar 731. New production aircraft with the Garrett engine
were known as the JetStar II (2 in Roman numerals, the Arabic 6 and 8 having
been used previously.) The JetStar II was known as type L-2329. The USAF acquired a total of sixteen aircraft which were similar to the JetStar 6 and classified as C-140A (5), C-140B (5) and VC-140B (6). Three JetStar 6 were gifted to Indonesia under the administration of President John F. Kennedy. Total production of all versions of the JetStar was 204. The JetStar had a novel design feature in that tailplane variable incidence was achieved by pivoting the entire fin to which the tailplane was fixed. The JetStar was not a common visitor to Australian shores but several examples are depicted. |
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Kenny Rogers' JetStar
731 N90KR (MSN 1329-5036) carried one of the more elegant executive liveries.
Named Christopher after his son, it is seen at Brisbane on 24 February
1987.
 Picture: Ron Cuskelly
(AB508) |
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Kenny Rogers'
JetStar 731 N90KR (MSN 1329-5036) at Brisbane on 24 February 1987. Picture:
Ron Cuskelly (AB507)
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TNI-AU JetStar 6
T-9446 Sapta Marga (MSN 1329-5046) brought Indonesian Foreign Affairs
Minister Adam Malik to Melbourne for Prime Minister Harold Holt's funeral
on 22 December 1967. Although Tullamarine was still under construction,
it was used by the JetStar and other visiting aircraft because of the
longer runway and greater parking space. This aircraft is now preserved
in Indonesia.
Picture:
Gordon Reid |
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And here it is in
colour! TNI-AU JetStar 6 T-9446 Sapta Marga (MSN 1329-5046) brought
Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Adam Malik to Melbourne for Prime
Minister Harold Holt's funeral on 22 December 1967. It is pictured here
at Darwin but it is not known if it was coming or going.
Picture:
SAAM via Nigel Daw |
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The Lockheed company
demonstrator JetStar II N711Z (MSN 2329-5202) at Perth on 14 March 1979.
This registration was carried at various times by no fewer than 10 JetStars!
Picture: Geoff Goodall |
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JetStar 6 HZ-FNA
(MSN 1329-5056) brought Saudi Prince Turki Bin Nasser to Adelaide on 19
April 1985.
Picture: Nigel
Daw |
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The first converted
JetStar 731 N731A (MSN 1329-5011) at Brisbane, Eagle Farm on 12 February
1977.
Picture: Ron Cuskelly
(K315) |
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JetStar
731 N77D (MSN 1329-5097) at Sydney on 9 February 1984.
Picture: Paul Daw |
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JetStar
8 N337US (MSN 1329-5107) The Free Enterprise II
of Kaiser Industries Corp at Mascot on 9 December 1972.
Picture:
Eric Allen |
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JetStar
II N5541L (MSN 2329-5215) of Northeast Jet Inc under threatening skies
at Brisbane on 8 February 1985. The aircraft had arrived from Adelaide
and departed for Majuro. This image reminds us of a time when the name
JetStar signified elegance and exclusivity and when the Qantas kangaroo
was an elegant design with wings.
Picture: Ron Cuskelly (Y266) |
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Registered
in Bermuda, JetStar 731 VR-BJI (MSN 1329-5149) of Dennis Vanguard International
at Adelaide on 1 October 1987.
Picture:
Nigel Daw |
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JetStar
731 N3EK (MSN 1329-5029 or 5076) at Essendon on 23 October 1978.
Picture: Nigel Daw |
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JetStar
731 N760DE (MSN 1329-5101) at Adelaide on 17 April 1994.
Picture: Nigel Daw |
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C-140A-LM
JetStar 59-5959 (MSN 1329-5026) of the U.S. Air Force Communications Service.
No other details are known but it is believed that this is an RAAF photograph
and therefore likely taken in Australia. It certainly looks like an Australian
landscape.
Picture: RAAF |
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JetStar
731 N303LE (MSN 1329-5113) of Eagle Mountain International Church at Brisbane
in April 1995.
 Picture:
Peter Gates |
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Issue
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Date
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Remarks |
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4
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08NOV20
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Added an image of N303LE thanks to Peter Gates. |
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3
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02AUG19
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Added a colour image of T-9446 thanks to Nigel Daw and SAAM. |
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2
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28JUL19
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Added images
of T-9446 and N711Z thanks to Geoff Goodall. Added images of HZ-FNA, VR-BJI, N3EK, N77D and N760DE thanks to Nigel and Paul Daw. Also rewrote the introductory text and image captions. |
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1
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26JUL19
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Original issue. |
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Return to the Lockheed File |
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