Boeing 707 Cockpit Makes a Different Kind of 'Barn Find'

A Boeing 707 cockpit makes for a different kind of barn find.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, December 29, 2022 at 12:58 PM ET

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Owner Peter Fadis working inside the Boeing 707 cockpit after moving it into the barn. [Credit: Peter Fadis]

Key Takeaways:

Retired aviation enthusiast Peter Fadis is meticulously restoring the cockpit of a historic Boeing 707, his favorite airplane, in his Bethel, New York barn since Fall 2020.
The cockpit belongs to a unique Boeing 707-436 (G-APFP) that flew for BOAC, once carried Queen Elizabeth II, and underwent a highly sophisticated repair after a 1967 incident.
Fadis acquired the cockpit in 2020 after it had been scrapped and stored outdoors for decades, and he is dedicating his retirement to preserving this "marvelous relic" by cleaning panels, repairing instruments, and sourcing missing parts daily.

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The “barn find” is an aviation-enthusiasts dream—you know the one I am talking about. The enthusiast opens the door of a barn in an out of the way place and discovers a (insert enthusiast’s favorite vintage aircraft) inside. We. All. Have. It.

Peter Fadis from Bethel, New York, is living a different version of that dream. Since Fall 2020, he has been restoring the cockpit of a Boeing 707—his favorite airplane—in his barn.