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 707-436, acquired in 2020, in his barn in upstate New York.
The specific cockpit belongs to a former BOAC airliner (G-APFP) with a remarkable history, including a significant rebuild after an engine fire and once carrying Queen Elizabeth II.
Fadis dedicates his retirement to this detailed project, cleaning panels, sourcing missing parts from various channels, and compiling reference materials, with aspirations for the cockpit to eventually be displayed in a museum.
The article also highlights the Boeing 707's revolutionary impact on commercial air travel and its role in demonstrating jet reliability to a skeptical public.

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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.