The old military plane used at the Torrejón Air Base to train firefighters

@DefAviation ES 7·21·2023 · 6:03 0

When a military aircraft is withdrawn from service, its usefulness for certain missions in the Spanish Air Force does not always end.

The withdrawal in León of an EF-18 Spanish fighter of the 46th Wing that flew with the US Marines
The complex start up process of a Spanish EF-18M Hornet fighter seen from very close

Yesterday, the Spanish Air Force gave a good example of this second life that some of these planes have, through a video that shows a fire drill carried out by firefighters from the Torrejón Air Base Group. Judging by the images, it could be the drill that alerted some residents of Torrejón on June 17, when they saw the column of smoke generated by the controlled fire created by the firefighters over the air base.

The video is very interesting for seeing the training of the firefighters at the Torrejón Air Base, but also for the Boeing 707 that appears in the images, number 47 02.

This aircraft is one of the two Boeing 707s acquired by the Spanish Air Force in 1988 to replace their old Douglas DC-8s. Specifically, it is the T.17-02, a Boeing 707-331C built in 1964 and which was initially operated by the now-defunct American airline Trans World Airlines (TWA) . At that time it had the American civil serial N792TW.

According to Ken Fielding, between 1980 the plane was leased to various airlines (Global International, Guinness Peat Aviation and Faucett Peru), returning to the TWA in February 1982. In 1984 it was sent to the Davis Monthan AFB aircraft graveyard, where it was converted into a tanker prior to delivery to the Air Force in November 1988. The aircraft served in the 47th Mixed Air Force Group, serving as an in-flight refueling aircraft and troop transport.

Fly News points out that the T.17-02 made its last operational flight with the Spanish Air Force on March 12, 2015. While another two of the four Boeing 707s operated by the 47 Group are stored at the Getafe Air Base, the T.17-02 has remained on the apron of the Torrejón Air Base.

As you can see, the interior of the plane is quite well preserved. The exterior shows the typical discoloration of an aircraft that has been parked on a runway for eight years in the open, especially the red color of its cockades, but exteriorly it still appears to be in good condition. It is good to think that years after its withdrawal from service, this plane is still useful for Spain.