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Frontiers October 2014 Issue

The Boeing 747 is one of the world’s most recognizable airplanes, a giant of the skies that changed the face of commercial aviation. Today, the latest version, the 747-8, is bigger and far more efficient than previous models of the jumbo jet. But it still maintains the fuselage “hump” that gave the 747 such a distinctive look and served as the cockpit and the upper passenger deck. The 747 was significantly bigger than any commercial plane that had been built before; it was as graceful in the air as it looked on the ground and soon became known as the “Queen of the Skies.” But RA001 never carried passengers for an airline. Boeing used it for testing 747 systems and other technology, and later as a flying test bed for the huge PHOTO: Boeing’s first 747, shown here after it was recently repainted in its original 1968 livery. GUY AMICO Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. —William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra the classic 747 shape that has turned heads for nearly a half-century. With Boeing identification number RA001, the first 747 rolled off the assembly line at a sprawling new plant in Everett, Wash., in September 1968. The plant had been constructed for production of the 747, and that first plane was named City of Everett. It flew for the first time from Paine Field near the Everett plant on Feb. 9, 1969. The Boeing test pilots on that cold and cloudy winter day were Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle. At the flight engineer’s station was Jesse Wallick. Their names had been hand-painted on Frontiers October 2014 25


Frontiers October 2014 Issue
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