Second of two Electras ordered by TAA - October 10, 1958

First flown - June 1959

Accepted by TAA at Lockheed's Burbank plant - July 14, 1959

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-TLB - July 14, 1959

Departed Burbank on delivery flight to Australia - July 17, 1959

Delivery route: San Francisco-Honolulu-Canton Island-Nadi-Melbourne

Flight crew: Capts J.A.P. Boyd, J.H.R. Marshall, J.R. Groves; Navigators A. Harding (BUR/NAN),

C.Randall (NAN/MEL); Engineer T. Scrive

Arrived at Melbourne's Essendon Airport - July 19, 1959

Aircraft was named 'John Gilbert'

Entered T.A.A. service on Melbourne-Sydney route - July 26, 1959

Set speed record on Melbourne-Perth sector of 4 hrs 38 mins (Capt W.O. James) - March 3, 1960

Subjected to attempted hijacking on Sydney-Brisbane sector (Capt J. Benton) - July 19, 1960

Hijacker - Alex Hilderbrandt - demanded to be flown to Darwin or Singapore or would explode bomb onboard

Aircraft carried 43 passengers including TAA Capt D. Lawrence who overpowered hijacker

Two shots fired inside cabin - no injuries - aircraft landed safely in Brisbane

Departed Melbourne as TN1403 for Burbank for wing and engine mount modification - March 20, 1961

Flight crew: Capts R. Widmer, G.J. White; F/O B.J. Wales; F/E N.W. Hosking; Navigator Capt W. Cast

Ferry route: Melbourne-Nadi-Canton Island-Honolulu-Burbank

Entered the Lockheed (LEAP) Program as LEAP #110 TAA-2 - March 23, 1961

LEAP modification completed - April 19, 1961

Departed Burbank on ferry flight to Melbourne - April 20, 1961

Flight crew: Capts C.H. Gray, J.H.R. Marshall; F/O J.H. Lavin; F/E F.W. McDonald;

Navigator Capt M.B. Darby

Set speed record on Melbourne-Brisbane sector of 119 minutes (Capt A. Mahoney) - June 19, 1961

Aircraft was grounded by Department of Civil Aviation order - July 24, 1964

Was result of corrosion specks being found in the wing - misidentified as being wing cracks

Grounding order lifted on Electra fleet - July 27, 1964

Returned to U.S.A. for further wing modifications, departing Melbourne - April 18, 1966

Flight crew: Capts R. Meates, K. Humphries; F/O C. Alexander; F/E G. MacArthur, R. Taafe;

Navigators Capt G. Bracken (MEL/HNL/MEL), F/O K. Radke (HNL/NYC/HNL)

Ferry route: Melbourne-Nadi-Canton Island-Honolulu-San Francisco-Kansas City-New York

Modifications completed and returned to Melbourne - May 30, 1966

Operated TAA's final Electra service to Cocos Islands being replaced by Boeing 727s - February 22, 1971

Operated final revenue service as TN1948 Melbourne-Sydney - April 30, 1971

Ferried as TN1922 Sydney-Brisbane (Capt B. Taber) same day for storage

Aircraft had flown 33,826 hours and 26,843 cycles

Test flown at Brisbane (Capt S. Arnold, R. Hickey; F/E R. Verity) - September 13, 1971

Leased to Royal Air Lao becoming XW-PKB - May 1972

Aircraft named ‘Tiao Khoun Boulom’

Arrived on delivery at Vietiane, Laos - June 12, 1972

Ceased operations due to non-payment of fees to Transair Corp - July 31, 1974

Flown to Hong Kong for overhaul as seizure was imminent by new Lao Government - August 8, 1974

Ferried Hong Kong - Seletar, Singapore after overhaul by HAECO - October 27, 1974

Leased to Mandala Airlines in full passenger configuration - becoming PK-RLX - 1974

Aircraft was named 'Pangeran Diponegoro'

Lease terminated due to complications with Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority - February 15, 1975

Ferried to Singapore where no further flights for Transair Corporation were undertaken

Seized by Concare along with Electra XW-PKA for non-payment of leasing fees

Sold to American Jet Industries as N188LB and ferried Singapore-USA - 1975

Aircraft observed stored at Van Nuys, California - October 14, 1975

Converted to an L-188AF freighter by American Jet Industries - April 1976

Sold to TACA, El Salvador becoming YS-07C - June 1976

Aircraft was damaged beyond repair when Number 4 fuel tank exploded in flames during engine start at

San Salvador International Airport - February 2, 1980

As a result the wing failed outboard of number 4 engine. Several possibilities for explosion and fire were explored

but nothing was proved. No injuries sustained by the flight or ground crew.

Aircraft was not repairable - scrapped

VH-TLB. TAA The Nation's Jetline - original dayglow livery at Sydney Airport, June 1960.

(Image 1808-204. P. J. Gates Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA The Nation's Jetline - original dayglow livery at Brisbane Airport, June 1961.

(Image 1808-704. R. N. Smith Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA The Nation's Jetline - original dayglow livery, location & date unknown.

(Image 1808-205. P. J. Gates Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA The Nation's Jetline - original dayglow livery at Brisbane Airport, date unknown.

(Image 1808-206. P. J. Gates Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - in the final livery at Essendon Airport, December 1965.

(Image 1808-436. B. Colledge Photograph)

VH-TLB. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - in the final livery at Sydney Airport, December 1967.

(Image 1808-481. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-TLB. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - in the final livery at Essendon Airport, December 1968.

(Image 1808-207. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-TLB. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - in the final livery at Essendon Airport, December 1968.

(Image 1808-208. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-TLB. TAA The Nation's Jetline - in the final livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, September 1969.

(Image 1808-543. R. N. Smith Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA The Nation's Jetline - in the final livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, September 1969.

(Image 1808-739. G. Bennett Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA - in the final livery with modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, June 1970.

(Image 1808-214. R. N. Smith Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA - in the final livery with modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, August 1970.

(Image 1808-542. R. N. Smith Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA - in the final livery with modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, November 1970.

(Image 1808-740. G. Bennett Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA - in the final livery with modified titles at Brisbane Airport, August 1971.

(Image 1808-362. P. J. Gates Collection)

VH-TLB. TAA - in the white tail colors & modified titles at Essendon Airport, October 1971.

(Image 1808-215. B. Dannecker Collection)

N188LB. Concare Aircraft Leasing - white with no titles at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport, February 1972.

(Image 1808-353. R. N. Smith Collection)

XW-PKB. Royal Air Lao - original livery with Lao & English titles at Hong Kong, November 1972.

(Image 1808-219. P. J. Gates Collection)

XW-PKB. Royal Air Lao - original livery with Lao titles only at Hong Kong, January 1973.

(Image 1808-220. R. N. Smith Collection)

XW-PKB. Royal Air Lao - original livery with dual titles at Vientiane Airport, July 1974.

(Image 1808-438. R. N. Smith Collection)

YS-07C. TACA Air Cargo - in the full livery at Miami Airport, June 1977.

(Image 1808-221. R. N. Smith Collection)

YS-07C. TACA Air Cargo - following start-up accident at San Salvador Airport, February 1980.

(Image 1808-562. R. N. Smith Collection)

YS-07C. TACA Air Cargo - following start-up accident, February 1980.

(Image 1808-563. R. N. Smith Collection)

YS-07C. TACA Air Cargo - following start-up accident, February 1980.

(Image 1808-564. R. N. Smith Collection)